Test your Solar - Power IQ
Everyone's talking about solar power. But do
you know
what they're talking about? How much do you know about solar power?
See how you do in this quiz.
1. Which of these locations gets the most
electricity from solar power?
A. Arizona
B. Denmark
C. Germany
D. Spain
E. New Jersey
Answer: C. Thanks to generous government
incentives, more electricity is generated by solar panels in Germany than
anywhere else, even though it's not exactly a sunny place. In 2009 enough panels
were installed there to generate about three gigawatts of electricity
annually - more than half of the total capacity installed world-wide last year. In
the U.S., California leads, with New Jersey second.
2. Which of
these U.S. presidents installed solar panels at the White House?
A. Richard
Nixon
B. Jimmy Carter
C. Ronald Reagan
D. Bill Clinton
E. George
W. Bush
Answer: B. and E. In 1979, President Carter's White House installed
solar panels on the roof of the West Wing to heat water. They were removed in
1986 during the Reagan administration when the roof was being repaired, and were
never replaced. In 2002, new solar panels were placed on the White House grounds
to heat water and generate electricity.
3. How much
electricity would a solar panel rated at 100 watts produce on a sunny day in
Washington, D.C.?
A. 100 watts
B. 85 watts
C. 60 watts
D. 50
watts
Answer: B. A solar panel should produce about 85% of its rated wattage
in strong sunlight in the Washington area, with the rest lost to various
inefficiencies, according to the Department of Energy's National Renewable
Energy Laboratory. The total will differ depending on your location. You can
plug your location and rated wattage into a calculator at this website:
http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/
4.
Which famous scientist received a Nobel Prize for his work in solar energy?
A. Thomas Edison
B. Albert Einstein
C. Nikola Tesla
D. Georg Ohm
Answer: B. In 1921 the Nobel Prize in physics went to Albert Einstein for his
explanation of the photoelectric effect - the ejection of electrons from the
surface of a metal in response to light. In a solar photovoltaic panel, sunlight
hitting the surface causes electrons to flow, which creates an electrical
current.
5. Which country or region leads in manufacturing
solar panels?
A. China
B. Europe
C. Japan
D. North America
Answer: A. In 2009 China produced about 36% of all solar panels made world-wide,
according to Photon Consulting LLC. It took the lead from Europe, which had an
18% share. Japan was third at 16% and North America, primarily the U.S., fourth
at 8%.
6. In the U.S., solar power is most commonly used
to do what?
A. Provide electricity in the home
B. Power large retail
centers
C: Deliver electricity to the grid
D. Heat water for swimming
pools
E. Heat water for household use
Answer: D. As of the end of 2008,
about 7,000 megawatts of solar power was installed for heating pools, compared
with 1,100 megawatts for all other uses.
7. What is the
approximate cost to produce electricity from solar power in the U.S.?
A.
Five cents per kilowatt-hour
B. 10 cents per kilowatt-hour
C. 25 cents
per kilowatt-hour
D. 35 cents per kilowatt-hour
That's more than twice
the cost of power generated by coal and natural gas, which come in below 10
cents per kilowatt-hour, according to "benchmark" figures from the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory. The price of solar power depends largely on where
it is produced.
