Abstract
Scientific research is increasingly committed to exploiting renewable energy sources to ensure a sustainable energy supply for both our planet and its inhabitants. This article describes a research project, based on the exploitation of energy from the sun, carried out in a secondary school, precisely a fourth class of a technical institute, made up of 19 students. The project aims at making students responsible and aware of the issue of energy saving and the use of renewable and sustainable energy sources, in particular the energy source that is supplied directly by the sun, i.e., photovoltaic energy. After an in-depth study of the subject, the students, duly guided by the teacher, move on to the implementation of the system designed by the authors, a DIY (do-it-yourself) small-scale photovoltaic system consisting of photovoltaic panels with variable absorption power and a digital data acquisition and control unit. It allows to power electrical tools of various kinds as computers, household appliances, etc. The teacher takes care to explain every constructive detail and function of all the devices used (there are many links to disciplines such as electrotechnics and machine, which are transversal to chemical engineering). After having assembled the solar-powered photovoltaic system, it is put into operation. The outcome is very encouraging in terms of students’ engagement and appreciation, as documented by the results of the final project evaluation sheet assigned to students at the end of the activities. Small-size equipment of this type could be the answer to humanity's growing energy needs.
