Our experiment will consist of measuring the output of one solar panel. We will record the output during the following weather conditions: clear, partly cloudy, overcast, and when there is precipitation. All variables except for the amount of sunlight and the amount of energy produced by the solar panel will remain constant.
The solar panel will be located outside one of our homes facing south-west. Our installation will consist of: a solar panel, an adjustable base for the solar panel, a galvanometer, and a light meter.
Whenever one of the four conditions stated above is reported, we will meet at the home where the solar installation is located to prepare our experiment. We will record our data with the sun at the same position in the sky. We will record the time at which this will happen to keep the position of the sun during experimentation constant. As the sun is at a different position at various times during the year, we will adjust the angle of the solar panel while using the galvanometer to determine the position which produces the most electrical output from the solar panel. When we find this position, we will record the reading from the light meter (which will be pointing in the same direction as the solar panel) and the reading from the galvanometer. We will repeat this every thirty seconds for five minutes. Finally, we will calculate the mean reading from both the light meter and the galvanometer and will use that value for comparison between the different weather conditions.