As fossil fuels are depleted, there will be an increasing need for alternative energy sources. Solar energy is one of the least expensive and most accessible alternatives. To help educate students about solar energy, it must be infused into the pre-college science curriculum. It can be most appropriately integrated into a thermodynamics unit of a physics course.
This thesis work will generate a thermodynamics unit and integrate into it a solar energy application project. The thermodynamics unit will include topics such as thermal expansion, kinetic gas theory, and the laws of thermodynamics. The unit will be designed to include lecture notes, problems, experiments, demonstrations, audio-visual materials, computer exercises, and the use of computers for data reduction. These topics will be supplemented by examples of solar technology, problems directly relating to the use of this technology, and experiments showing how the technology is used. The unit will also be supplemented by a solar collector project that will include in-depth lessons on solar technology, a manual on the fundamentals of building a solar collector, and the construction of working solar collectors by the students.
The steps in this thesis project will be as follows:
a) Create a curriculum to cover basic topics in thermodynamics
b) Infuse a solar technology examples, experiements and applications into this curriculum
c) Prepare a solar energy unit to prepare students and guide them on how to build their
own panel solar collector
d) Design and build model air and water solar panel collectors to demonstrate solar
technology
e) Prepare and test computer-interfaced sensors to monitor relevant properties of the
solar collectors and calculate the efficiencies of the collectors
The curriculum and solar energy project will be tested by a group of advanced physics students at Kimberly High School. From the knowledge they gain from the curriculum, and by using phototype collectors as models, they will be able to build and test their own collectors. The use of these tools will create a foundation to build an understanding of thermodynamics, and provide practical experiences with solar collector technology that will be useful for the rest of their lives.
References
Fisk, Marian Jacobs, and H.C. William Anderson, Introduction to Solar Technology, Addison Wesley, Massachusetts, 1982.
Kreider, Jan F. and Frank Keith, Solar Heating and Cooling, McGraw - Hill, New York, 1975.
Norton, Thomas W., Solar Energy Experiments for High School and College Students, Rondale Press, Pennsylvania, 1977.