Energy Science Fair Projects About Fruit Juices

Natural Batteries

Batteries can be produced using very simple chemical reactions. One of the simplest methods is to add a weak acid to a copper lining.

Wind Turbine Science Fair Experiments for PicoTurbine Windmill	Power House Experiments Science Kit	SCG-125 Snap Circuits Green Alternative Energy
Ages 10 thru College	Ages 12 thru High School	Age 8 and up

Objectives/Goals

The main purpose of my science project was to see if juices from plants native to Humboldt County, when used as base materials in Graetzel photovoltaic solar cells, could generate electrical power.

Methods/Materials

I made several Graetzel solar cells using a number of simple items, chemicals, and filtered juices from flowers and berries. Next I conducted a series of experiments using artificial light. After I learned that only two of the four plant juice-based solar cells generated measurable electricity with artificial light, I conducted separate experiments using only dark red flower petal juice-based solar cells exposed to artificial light, and then to sunlight. Then I did experiments using 4-5 solar cells in a series to see if more electricity was generated compared to a single solar cell.

Results

I discovered that single solar cells based on darker colored plant juices under artificial light generated 10-20 times more electricity than single Graetzel cells using lighter colored plant juices, and 4-5 times more electricity under sunlight. Also, I learned that single solar cells based on dark red petal juice produced slightly more electrical energy than single photovoltaic cells based on blackberry juice. Then with further experimentation using only dark red petal juice-based solar cells, I discovered that 4-5 solar cells connected in series, and under artificial light, generated 2-3 times more electricity than a single solar cell, and 7-29% more power under sunlight.

Conclusions/Discussion

From my project experiments I found out that berry and /or flower petal juices can be used in simple photovoltaic cells to generate electricity; that more electricity is generated from solar cells using juices of darker pigmented plants than from Graetzel cells using lighter colored ones; that photovoltaic cells using juice from dark-pigmented flower petals generated slightly more electricity than solar cells using juice from dark-colored berries; that sunlight as a light source resulted in more electrical power generation in a Graetzel solar cell than artificial light; and that solar cells operating in a series generated more electricity than individual solar cells. The results of my experiments showed me that electricity can be reliably and cheaply generated by use of simple, inexpensive photovoltaic cells using a combination of relatively cheap materials, including very abundant plant juices. 3rd party contributor

This shows you that very funny science fair projects can win ribbons!