Center for Academic Success Middle School of Sierra Vista
visits the TEP Solar Test Yard
On Friday April 1, 2011 twenty-five 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from the Center for Academic Success Middle School of Sierra Vista visited the TEP Solar Test Yard. AzRISE Research Fellows Carolyn Swanborg, Adria Brooks and volunteer Harrison Frisk helped the CAS Middle School students understand the wonders of photovoltaic solar energy.
The students started their tour by simulating the conversion of solar energy into electricity. Small groups of students were later given individual cells to test power outputs under different environmental conditions. The students identified the importance of incident angle and minimized shading in solar power production.
After lunch all participants took a tour of the TEP Solar Test Yard, learning the differences in photovoltaic materials and fixed vs. concentrated systems. Several students were so intrigued by the tour that they began planning which technologies they would use to power their own homes.
