The solar panel project was our big project for the term. The goal of the project was to design a solar panel that can produce as much energy as possible. The project needed lots of forward planning before we could even start thinking of assembling the panels. I started out in a group that slacked off 90% of the time and planned on making me do the entire solar panel by myself. Then I switched to a much better group that worked together.
We had Three main phases of making the panel. Phase 1 planning: This consisted of sitting around the white board shouting out ideas and making a sketch of what the panel might look like. We settled on an idea that only pivots the base with the panel on it. Phase 2 Assembly: This is the hardiest part of the solar panel. We had a few problems with our design but we found ways around them and are almost finished the assembly. Phase 3 Wiring: this part was more frustrating than any thing because the power was very inconsistent from the solar panel so one day we would have 20 volts and the next we would have 6 volts and no way to tell if its the connectivity or the panel that was causing the variation.
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| early in the build process |
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| testing in full sun |
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| trying to angle the panel to face the sun |
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