Teaching Materials – Solar PV
Solar PV
Measuring Sunlight: The Pyranometer is a hands-on, interactive lesson. It introduces students to the pyranometer — a solar industry “tool of the trade” — and how it’s used. Students also learn about, and then assess, some of the variables that have an effect on the sunlight received by a solar panel.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
Solar Site Analysis: The Solar Pathfinder teaches students how to use a Solar Pathfinder — a solar industry “tool of the trade” — to measure and evaluate the percentage of sunlight available for a specific site in a relevant setting.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- Student Sunpath Diagram Blanks (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Student Sunpath Diagram Answer Keys (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Your Latitude Sunpath Diagrams (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Student Introduction To The Solar Pathfinder (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft PPT)
- Solar Pathfinder Site Examples (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft PPT)
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
Solar Location Analysis: The PVWatts Calculator is an excellent introduction to NREL’s PVWatts calculator – a standard, online “tool of the trade” in the solar industry. Students estimate the electricity production of a grid-connected solar PV system for several places across the globe.
- Student Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Student Activity Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Student Spreadsheet (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Excel)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards NGSS (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
With Solar PV: Watts From The Sun, students measure basic solar module performance characteristics (Amps, Volts, Watts) to determine how much electricity a classroom solar panel produces. Then, they use solar PV module production data to size a PV array to different electrical load requirements.
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
Solar PV Silicon teaches students about the properties of silicon and why it is unusually well suited for use in producing solar photovoltaic power.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
What are the primary environmental factors that affect solar PV module performance? In Solar PV: Module Performance (Instructional Size Module), your students will use industry tools of the trade to make common solar PV measurements to determine what affects module performance and how performance is affected. This lesson is written to be used with small, instructional (classroom size) modules.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- Student Orientation (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft PPT)
- Temp/Voc Relationship Video (YouTube)
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
What are the primary environmental factors that affect solar PV module performance? In Solar PV: Module Performance (Residential Size Module), your students will use industry tools of the trade to make common solar PV measurements to determine what affects module performance and how performance is affected. This lesson is written to be used with large, residential, or commercial size modules.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- Student Orientation (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft PPT)
- Solar PV Volts & Amps vs Temperature Video (YouTube)
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
Solar PV: Balance Of System & System Design teaches students how solar PV systems can be engineered to meet different situations and goals. Learn what equipment is needed to make various systems work and what each piece of Balance of System equipment does.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide & Answer Key 🔒
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
In Solar PV: Battery & Charge Control, students predict, measure, and explain electric potential (volts) and current (amps) in a variety of dynamic settings. They will gain an understanding of the function of the charge controller in governing current flow in a renewable energy battery storage system.
- Student Lesson & Response Guide (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- List of Materials & Equipment (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Excel)
- Teacher Answer Key 🔒
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
Watch this video to learn many of the steps involved in Installing a Solar Photovoltaic Array. If you’re a teacher, pay special attention. This is one of the activities you’ll carry out when you attend our next STEM Educator (in-person) Solar Institute. It will probably be the most engaging workshop activity you’ll ever perform!
- PV Array Install at Commercial Ave (YouTube)
Solar Design Tool: Helioscope is a web-based program to help solar professionals create proposals. Learn how to get access to a free educator account for teachers and students during a course. Students will learn how to create solar designs and model obstructions including trees, as well as select modules and inverters and create a professional solar proposal. This is in depth design tool to be used after students have used PV Watts.
- Student Instructions (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- Instructor’s Guide 🔒
- NGSS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
- ELS Standards (Adobe PDF) (Microsoft Word)
To view teaching materials for additional Renewable Energy topics, select a category below.
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CREATE expresses its gratitude to the Wisconsin Public Service SolarWise for Schools Program for sharing these Renewable Energy lesson plans with us.
To access additional Renewable Energy Education Resources, visit our Resources page.
