Homemade Solar cell

Grade:

8

Teacher:

Debbie Fitzpatrick

For this project, I constructed a small copper‑oxide solar cell using basic household materials to model how photovoltaic cells convert light into electrical energy. The process involved heating a copper sheet to create a layer of cuprous oxide and submerging the treated copper with an untreated copper sheet in saltwater. When exposed to light, the cell produced a measurable voltage, demonstrating the fundamental principles of a semiconductor. This experiment provided a hands‑on way to explore renewable energy and understand how material properties influence solar‑cell performance

Project presentation