Harnessing the Sun_ Part 1: Energy in Our Lives

Most of us just plug our cell phone into an electrical outlet. What if you only had sunlight to charge your cell phone? What innovations would be helpful? Photovoltaics convert radiant energy from the Sun directly into electricity. Photovoltaics were first developed in 1954 when the first silicon cell was built by Bell Labs. Although this innovation was “cutting edge” at the time, it was only produced 50 watts of electricity per square yard of surface. That’s just enough to power your alarm clock. But just how does a photovoltaic panel really work? It’s not moving and looks like it’s doing nothing but there’s something more complex going on inside. For more information: http://www.fcps.edu/it/fairfaxnetwork/innovation_solar/index.html Twitter @FFXNetwork