How to Make a Solar Water Purifier for Science Project

School projects demand various models and devices to be made. This could be for festivals, art or science activity. Making Solar Water Purifier is one such science project kids are asked to make. The following DIY science project of solar water purifier is a simple activity made with materials easily available at home. Kids can easily make it and present it in school as part of a DIY project or even as a activity to understand how solar power works!

Material for making a Solar Water Purifier

Large bowl - 1
Glass cup - 1, shorter than the bowl
Cling wrap / plastic wrap
Cellophane tape
Water - 2 glasses
Salt - 1 tsp
Spoon
Coin or a pebble

Method for making a Solar Water Purifier

1

Pour two glasses of water in a large bowl and add salt to it. Allow the salt to dissolve completely by stirring with a spoon.

2

Place the small glass cup in the center of bowl. Make sure that the glass cup is taller than the water level in the bowl.

3

Cover the bowl with the cling wrap completely and seal the edges with a cellophane tape. See that the edges are tightly sealed.

4

Place the coin or the pebble right on the top of the cling wrap exactly over the small cup.

5

Place this bowl in area of direct sunlight, near a window or on a balcony for several hours.

6

Once done you will find that water is collected in the glass cup. Open the wrap and taste the water! This process of purification can also be tried with sea water as a part of science project.

How this works?

The solar purifier works with the concept of evaporation and condensation. When the salt water is placed in the sun, it gets evaporated. Thus due to evaporation the water converts into vapors and salt deposits back in the bowl. But these vapors when rise to move out of the bowl, get trapped due to the cling film and condense into water droplets. These water droplets gather towards the weight, i.e. the pebble or the stone and gall and get collected in the glass cup.

Solar Energy - The Most Important Non-Conventional Energy Source

Sun shines on the same level and intensity on the homes of poor and the rich. It is free of cost and in abundance all over the world, all year around - even during cloudy days, we receive some amount of sun rays. The way coal is used up throughout the world to produce electricity, there would come up a time when it would be a history. So all mankind would have to depend on for other means of electricity is nuclear power and available renewable energy sources such as sun, wind and biomass. The solar radiation that reaches the earth is one of the source of energy available to us and is freely produced. It also happens to be one of the most important non-conventional energy source. Solar energy is termed as one of the important energy source because directly or indirectly it can be converted into various forms of energy such as heat and even electricity. And hence solar energy is one of the most valuable heat source and an electricity source. It is also referred as a renewable energy because being a natural resource, it has the capability of being regenerated over and over again without any chances of being depleted or diminished.

Solar Energy Safe for the Planet Earth

Solar energy or solar power is not harmful for planet earth. First of all, while producing solar energy from the sun, no pollutants are emitted unlike thermal energy.When thermal energy is produced from burning coal or natural gas, pollutants are produced. This is not the case with solar energy and it is a clean energy source. And beside being a free energy source, solar energy also is forever unlike fossil fuels which will get depleted and would exhaust completely in few decades. The use of solar energy could never destroy the environment. The solar radiation which are produced from the sun get absorbed within the earth, sea, oceans and the atmosphere around us. This results in the rise of temperature and heat production. The heat and humidity produced rises to high altitudes where due to the condensation process, clouds get created. These clouds bring us rain and thus, bring water back to earth's surface. As water is important for the life on earth, there does not seem to be any harm from this non-conventional energy source.

Photovoltaic System

Also referred commonly as PV system, Photovoltaic system is a power system which is designed to produce solar power or electricity directly from the sunlight. This system includes various arrangements of components such as solar panels, solar inverter, cabling, mounting and other electrical accessories which help to trap sun rays and convert it into solar power. Photovoltaic originates from the Greek words 'phos' which means light and 'Votaic' named after the Italian physicist - Alessandro Volta. Alessandro Volta, fondly known as Volta was a scholar in the study of electricity. He is credited to be the inventor of electrical battery. Photovoltaic system thus produces clean and reliable electricity without the use of fossil fuels. The electricity produced by using solar power through photovoltaic system can be used in domestic lighting, street lights, village electricity set-up, water pumping, water filtering, water heating, telecommunications, watches, railway, road signals as well as space stations. Since photovoltaic system could be called as a relatively new concept, solar energy is not widely used yet. Also being a complete new technology, the whole process of setting up solar plant is expensive compared to other sources of energy.

Solar Cells

Solar cells also known as solar battery or photovoltaic cells are electrical devices which convert the light energy into electrical energy using the photovoltaic system. The solar cells or solar battery contains semiconductors with silicon alloys. They are also called a PV devices and are used in major proportions to power satellites and solar cars.

Solar Thermal Power Plants

Solar Thermal Power Plants are constructed to produce large amounts of solar energy. This is done by planting huge solar panels which heat up water into creating steam and then the steam is piped into huge turbines to produce electricity. This electricity generated is transmitted over the power lines.

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