Transcript Connecting solar cells in series

Connecting solar cells in series
The STELR solar cell panel
The STELR solar cell panel is made up of
four separate solar cells.
The solar cells are NOT connected to
each other.
Students can experiment with a single
cells or multiple cells by connecting
them in series and/or parallel.
The STELR solar cell panel
Examine the panel closely.
The diagram in the centre of the
bottom of the panel shows how the
four cells are laid out and how they are
numbered.
The red sockets are the positive
terminals and the black sockets are the
negative terminals of the cells.
The STELR solar cell panel
Examine the panel closely.
The diagram in the centre of the
bottom of the panel shows how the
four cells are laid out and how they are
numbered.
The red sockets are the positive
terminals and the black sockets are the
negative terminals of the cells.
1
3
2
4
To test a single solar cell:
Insert the banana plugs into the
sockets for Cell 1, as shown.
• If you wish to investigate a
circuit in which the energy
source is one solar cell, now
connect the two cables shown in
the diagram into the circuit.
• To connect two or more solar
cells in series, go to the next set
of instructions.
In a circuit diagram, a single solar cell could be shown like this:
To connect two solar cells in series:
Step 1
Start with the first cell with the two cables
as shown above.
Step 2
Connect the (-) terminal of Cell 1 to the (+)
terminal of Cell 2, as shown.
Step 3
Connect a cable to the (-) terminal of Cell 2,
as shown.
• If you wish to investigate a circuit in
which the energy source is two solar cells in
series, now connect the two ‘end cables’
shown in the diagram into the circuit.
•To connect more than two solar cells in
series, go to the next set of instructions.
In a circuit diagram, two solar cells connected in series could be
shown like this:
To connect three solar cells in series:
Step 1
Start with the first two solar cells connected
in series, shown above.
Step 2
Connect the (-) terminal of Cell 2 to the (+)
terminal of Cell 3, as shown.
Step 3
Connect a cable to the (-) terminal of Cell 3,
as shown.
• If you wish to investigate a circuit in
which the energy source is three solar cells
in series, now connect the two ‘end cables’
shown in the diagram into the circuit.
•To connect four solar cells in series, go to
the next set of instructions.
In a circuit diagram, three solar cells connected in series could
be shown like this:
To connect four solar cells in series:
Step 1
Start with the first three solar cells
connected in series, shown above.
Step 2
Connect the (-) terminal of Cell 3 to the (+)
terminal of Cell 4, as shown.
Step 3
Connect another cable to the (-) terminal of
Cell 4, as shown.
If you wish to investigate a circuit in which
the energy source is four solar cells in
series, now connect the two ‘end cables’
shown in the diagram into the circuit.
In a circuit diagram, four solar cells connected in
series could be shown like this:
Connecting solar cells at the back of
the panel
The wires at the front of the solar panel
may cast a shadow over part of one or
more solar cells.
To avoid this, the cells can be
connected at the back of the panel.
You may wish to label the terminals on
the back of the panel using a felttipped pen or sticky labels.