Understanding Solar Energy Teacher Page

Solar Still
Student Objective:
The student: Key Words:
• will be able to explain a simple way condensation
to desalinate water using solar energy conduction
• will understand the evaporation and convection
condensation process, and relate it to desalinization
the water cycle on Earth. evaporation
Heat of Vaporization
Materials: radiation
• large glass and metal bowls of solar still
various sizes (one per group) thermal energy
• glass cup, 1" shorter than sides of
bowl or heavy plastic cup cut to size
(one per group) Time:
• clear plastic food wrap 1 class period
• tape or rubber band large enough to
go around bowl (one per group)
• small rock or weight (one per group)
• salty and/or dirty water
• Laboratory Manual

Background Information
Stills are commonly used to purify liquids. Through the process of distillation, non-
volatile impurities can be separated from the liquid. Distillation can be a simple process. Heat is
first added to a liquid to evaporate it and produce a gas or vapor, then heat is removed from the
vapor to condense it back to a liquid.
A solar still uses the greenhouse effect to trap energy from the sun. The still captures
evaporated water by condensing it onto a cool surface. The rate of evaporation can be
accelerated by increasing the water temperature and the area of water in contact with the air. A
wide shallow pan painted black makes an ideal vessel for the water. However, after painting, the
container should be baked in the sun for several days before being used in the still to free the
paint of any volatile compounds which would otherwise evaporate and condense along with the
drinking water.

Procedure
1. Engage: Lead the class in a discussion of desalination. Questions that might be asked:
• What can we do as our supply of fresh water gets smaller?

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 • If you were lost in a desert without drinking water, and the only water was in a
salty pond, how could you survive? (Eating plants with a high water content, or
collecting water using a solar still)
• Can evaporation be used on polluted water to make it drinkable? (Yes)
2. Divide the class into working groups of 2 - 3 students per group.
3. Give each group their construction items. They should all receive the items listed below;
however, you may add extra ‘confounding’ items to make the construction process more
interesting. The items they will need:
• large bowl
• small beaker or plastic cup–students can calibrate this cup for measuring the
collected distilled water using known amounts of water and marking the cup
• plastic wrap
• rock or other weight
• rubber band or tape
Suggestions for ‘confounding’ items
• test tube
• piece of fabric
• aluminum foil
• bag of small rocks
• wooden dowels or tongue depressors
4. Explore: Explain to the class that they will be designing a device (a still) to extract clean
water from 1 pint (600g) of saltwater or dirty water using the energy of the sun. The goal
is to extract the most drinking water
5. Here’s an example of a simple solar still to give you an idea of what their designs could
be like:

6. When they finish assembling their stills, the teams should place them in full sun.
7. Check the still’s progress as often as you desire, in ½ - 1 hour increments. Solar stills can
be left out overnight if desired.
8. Taste the water in the cup.
9. Explain and Elaborate: Discuss the physics behind their solar still. Points to cover
should include thermal radiation, conduction, convection, the change of state of the water,
and the conservation of energy. The students should use terminology correctly and reveal
an understanding of the water cycle.
10. Does the size and shape of the outer (evaporating) container affect its efficiency?
Compare containers with different surface areas to see how this affects the evaporation

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 rate. Does the depth (volume) of the liquid in the evaporating container affect its
efficiency?
11. Why does the water taste different than tap water?

Evaluation and Student Assessment

Post these criteria or discuss them with your students before they begin this project. You may
use a checklist or develop a rubric for evaluation.
Activity and Teamwork: 40%
• Are the students communicating within the group?
• Are the students using critical thinking and problem solving strategies following
the lab procedures to produce valid results?
• Are the students developing the social skills needed to work as a team?
• Are the students adapting their roles and responsibilities as needed to work
effectively in their team?
Lab Results: 40%
• Data table is neat and complete (20%)
a) units are used with all measurements
b) observations connect to the objectives of the lesson
Problems and Applications: 20%
• Questions 1 - 5 answered correctly and completely - 15% (5 questions at 3 points
each)
• Question 6 - answer demonstrates complete thoughts and ideas effectively - 5% (5
points - using a holistic FCAT Writes rubric

Related Research:
1. Research the drawbacks of using a solar still to distill drinking water from sea water in a
large (citywide) scale.
2. Can you use a still to remove the water from a solution? Are there solutions from which
a solar still would not work to remove water? Research whether bacteria and toxic
chemicals are removed during the distillation process.
3. In Florida, a good solar still design should be capable of producing ½ to 1 gallon of fresh
water per day for each square meter of still area. Using the knowledge that you have
about solar stills, build a solar still capable of producing this amount of water
4. Solar stills can be very useful after a hurricane when clean, safe water may not be
available. Using the knowledge that you have learned about still design, draw plans for a
solar still to be used by a family of four after a hurricane (assuming sunny days), that
would provide each member of the family with a gallon of drinking water a day.
5. Contact your local water management district to obtain their annual water quality test
results. Research your city’s results. For each recorded contaminant, what is considered
a dangerous level? Is this level different for adults, children, or elderly? What are the
health risks associated with this contaminant? Do home filters remove this contaminant?
Present your results to the class.

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Related Reading
• A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology by Ken Butti &
John Perlin (Cheshire Books, 1980)
A Golden Thread provides a historical perspective of the influence of solar energy on
society throughout the ages. The book provides information relating to the scientific,
societal and economic influences contributing to the development of solar technology, as
well as explanations of how the various forms of solar technology function.
• The Return of the Solar Cat by Jim Augustyn (Patty Paw Press, 2003)
"A cat sunning itself in the doorway of a barn knows all about solar energy. Why can't
man learn?" (E.B.White). The Return of the Solar Cat book decisively answers this
question. Jim Augustyne takes the Suessian approach to showing the reader our myopia
when it comes to the nature of renewable energy, politics, and economics through the
fun-house mirror of technologically advanced felines and their 'natural' instincts and
behavior which are optimized for solar utilization. Augustyne has developed an alternate
universe of whimsy and pointy satire where kitties rule and our human foibles and
blindness to the advantages of solar energy are entertainingly exposed.

Internet Sites
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/FSEC-EN-3-80.pdf
Florida Solar Energy Center’s Energy Note on Solar distillation of water contains
information on the basic principles and economics of home water distillers as well as a
discussion on the quality of the water produced.
http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/book_beta/refs/itdg_solar_distillation.pdf
Intermediate Technology Development Group, Solar Distillation page. Includes drawings
of several types of solar distillation devices as well as suggestions on how to improve a
design and how to estimate the output of a solar still of a given design.
http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter2/index.html
University of Missouri, Heat Transfer lecture notes - Warming the Earth and the
Atmosphere
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/sun-clean-water.htm
How Stuff Works page “Can the Sun’s Energy Be Used to Clean Water?”

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Understanding Solar Energy Answer Key

Solar Still

Answers - Laboratory Manual

1. Answers will vary, however, data table should be complete.
2 - 3. Answers will vary. Students should be able to relate completely the problems the group
encountered and the solution they adopted.
4. Students should realize that increasing the surface area will increase the amount of
evaporation that occurs.
5. Students should realize that shallow pans will increase the amount of evaporation.

Answers - Problem Set

1. 2.26 x 105 J
2. Answers will vary. Students should show ability to convert units and apply the formula
to their results.
3a. 2.26 x 105 J
3b. 4.52 x 105 J (twice the mass and volume, twice the energy)
3c. 8.136 x 106 J (36 times more energy due to the change in mass and volume)
4. 3.28 x 107 J
5. Answers will vary - energy to evaporate and/or condense is dependent on mass and
volume. Time for this physical reaction depends on the energy source and design.
6. Answers will vary, but these ideas should be incorporated in the students’ answers:
• The Sun produces electromagnetic waves in the infrared range that radiates
through space to the Earth and the container
• The clear plastic top transmits the Sun’s radiation to the air and water in the still
where the energy is absorbed and changed into heat
• The air and water molecules conduct the energy by absorbing and increasing their
kinetic energy transferring it to neighboring molecules
• Convection currents are created that transfer the heat to the remaining water
molecules in the container
• The surface water evaporates
• The convection of the heated moist air allows the water to cool and condense on
the top surface as energy is released into the air
• Gravity causes the condensed water to flow to the lowest level of the top where it
collects, gets heavier, and drops to the collecting beaker.

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Understanding Solar Energy Florida Sunshine Standards
Benchmarks

Solar Still

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Nature of Science

Standard 1 SC.912.N.1. X

Physical Science

Standard 10 SC.912.P.10. X X X

Mathematics Standards MA.912.A.1.4, MA.912.A.1.5

Standard 1: The Practice of Science

• AC.912.N.1.1- Define a problem based on a specific body of knowledge, and do the
following:
1. pose questions about the natural world
2. conduct systematic observations
3. examine books and other sources of information to see what is already known
4. review what is known in light of empirical evidence
5. plan investigations
6. use tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data
7. pose answers, explanations, or descriptions of events
8. generate explanations that explicate or describe natural phenomena (inferences)
9. use appropriate evidence and reasoning to justify these explanations to others
10. communicate results of scientific investigations, and
11. evaluate the merits of the explanations produced by others.
Standard 10: Energy
• SC.912.P.10.1 - Differentiate among the various forms of energy and recognize that they
can be transformed from one form to others.
• SC.912.P.10.4 - Describe heat as the energy transferred by convection, conduction, and
radiation, and explain the connection of heat to change in temperature or state of matter.
• SC912.P.10.14 - Differentiate among conductors, semiconductors, and insulators.

Mathematics Standards
Algebra - Standard 1: Real and Complex Number Systems
• MA.912.A.1.4 - Perform operations on real numbers
• MA.912.A.1.5 - Use dimensional analysis to preform conversions between units of
measure, including rates

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Understanding Solar Energy Key Word/Definitions

Solar Still

condensation - a reduction to a denser form as from steam to water

conduction - the movement of heat through materials by transferring kinetic energy directly from
particle to particle

convection - the circulatory movement or transfer of heat through fluids such as gasses or liquids
due to differences in temperature. (Hotter fluids rise, cooler fluids sink)

desalinization - process of removing salt and other chemicals and minerals from water

evaporation - process of changing a liquid into vapor or gasses

Heat of Vaporization - the amount of heat required to change one kilogram of mass from the
liquid state to the gaseous state.

radiation - the way we receive heat from the sun each day. The energy is emitted in the form of
waves/particles, and can be transferred through the vacuum of space.

solar still - a device that uses solar energy to evaporate a liquid

thermal energy - a measure of the internal motion of an object’s particles; symbol is ‘Q’

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Understanding Solar Energy Laboratory Manual

Solar Still
1. Construct a solar still using the materials provided. Use what you know about
evaporation and condensation to help you in your design process.

• Put salty water in the large bowl and place your solar still in the sun.
• Record your observations below.
• If your solar still is not working very well, change your design and continue to
monitor the results

Interval of Amount of water Observations

time collected

2. If you changed the construction during the middle of your observations, write below what
you did and during which time interval (above) you made the change.

3. Did your design modification result in more water being collected?

Explain.

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4. Based on the data collected in your class, does the size and shape of the outer
(evaporating) container affects its efficiency? Explain.

5. Does the depth of the liquid in the evaporating container affect its efficiency?

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Understanding Solar Energy Problems

Solar Still
Answer each question completely demonstrating your math skills.

Given:
• Q = heat energy - units are Joules (J)
• m = mass - units are kg
• Q = mHV
• 1.0 ml water = 1.0g of water
• 1 kg = 1000g

1. The amount of thermal energy needed to turn 1 Kg of water into steam is 2.26 x 106 J/Kg.
This is known as the Heat of Vaporization (HV). How much thermal energy will be
needed to turn 100 g of water into steam?

2. Using the volume measure of the water that you purified in your still, change the units to
mass units (see formulas above). How much energy was required to evaporate the water
you collected?

3. How much heat energy is released when the 100 g of water condenses?
b) 200 g of water?
c) 3.6 kg of water (3.6 kg is equivalent to the amount of water in one gallon)

4. During a disaster, it is suggested that a family of four have four gallons of clean water
available to drink per day. How much energy is released when 14.5 kg of water
condenses?

5. Based on your small sample experimental data modeling the distillation process from the
sun, how long would it take for you to distill one gallon of clean water from your solar
still to meet your daily consumption needs?

6. Using the terms convection, conduction, and radiation, describe the flow or transfer of
heat energy in this activity from the sun to the final production of collecting clean water.

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