summary:
This solar home project was quite complicated. We conducted a series of different labs and did lots of research to maximize our knowledge about solar energy.
solar water heater:
Designing a solar water heater was our first project of this unit. Since this was a small, short project we used very cheap materials. We used a shoe box, aluminum foil, copper piping, a two liter bottle, plastic wrap, and plastic tubing. Our design consisted of copper pipe that twisted through an aluminum foil wrapped open shoe box.Covering the open side of the box was a layer of plastic wrap. The last thing we did to the heater was connect the copper pipe and the storage bottle with the plastic tube. In a 30 minute time period we kept cycling water through the solar water heater and the water's temperature increased seven degrees.
Solar daylighting house design:
Our assignment was to create a cardboard model of an energy efficient 1,000 square mile house. Examples of things we could use in our model to maximize solar light were windows, solar tubes, and skylights. We made our scale model very small so that it would not collapse. (1cm:10ft) When we were done with our model we tested them by turning off the classroom lights and turned on light bulbs and rotated them as if they were the sun.
site selection:
For our site selection project we had to wander the campus in search of the best spot to place a home. We tried to find a place where our house would get lots of sunlight, have a convenient way to enter and exit the campus, and have privacy. The site we chose is a clear area in between the outdoor basketball courts and the varsity baseball field. This spot offers lots of natural sunlight, there is a road to enter and exit, and the only time that lots of people would be near by are for football games and some baseball games.
Windturbines:
In this project we had to make a solar reflector, which directs more natural light into a room. We also made a model of a cold frame. This cold frame is designed to provide more heat to plants. We will be making cold frames in our San Marin garden later in the year, and the best model will be chosen as the design for the real cold frame. The third thing we had to do was create a "bonus plan" for our solar home. We could choose anything that would provide improvements to the house. We chose to design a model living roof. Having plants on the roof would provide natural insulation, fresh herbs to our school cafeteria, and a beautiful look for our home. We chose to divide these duties among our group. I was in charge of our solar reflector, Ruby took charge of the cold frame, and Madi was in charge of the bonus plan.
Here are the links to our presentations:
https://prezi.com/s-tu97mwkngu/stem-cold-frame/
Here are the links to our presentations:
https://prezi.com/s-tu97mwkngu/stem-cold-frame/
bonus_plan.pptx | |
File Size: | 3442 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
presentation_(1).pptx | |
File Size: | 3598 kb |
File Type: | pptx |