Question

(a) Solar cells are used to provide the electric current to charge the batteries of a car driven by an electric motor. Describe the energy changes which take place.
(b) What differences would you expect in the charging of car batteries (i) in bright sunlight (ii) on a cloudy day (iii) at night?

Answer 1

(a) The solar cells convert the energy from sunlight into electrical energy. This electrical energy is converted into chemical energy when the car batteries are charged. When these charged batteries are used, the chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. In the last stage, this electrical energy is converted into kinetic energy for the car by the electric motor that drives the car.

(b) (i) In bright sunlight, the car batteries are charged quickly.
(ii) On a cloudy day, the car batteries are charged very slowly.
(iii) At night, the car batteries cannot be charged as there is no sunlight.