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Estimating solar energy requirements to meet U.S. energy needs: an outreach event

This paper describes an educational outreach activity based on the following question: How large of an area must be covered with solar photovoltaic panels in order to meet U.S. energy demand? This activity is organized around a flexible structure that can be modified for the target audience (ranging from middle school students to adults) and contains ample opportunities for hands-on participation. After providing an overview of the activity and objectives, we describe the supplies needed to carry out this activity and guidelines for selecting and using them. Materials/supply costs for this activity are around $100-$250 but can be as low as $30. A detailed description of a baseline lesson plan is provided, and optional, add-on activities are described. The activity can be completed in as little as 15 minutes and extended to as long as several hours. Key learning objectives are to introduce the audience to the basic operating principles of solar cells, measure the performance of solar cells, and apply the metric system and order-of-magnitude reasoning skills to the above-stated question.