PV Gap

Kelly Said:

How much electricity does the High Altitude Airship Produce?

We Answered:

They use solar cells to provide power i.e., photovoltaic solar panels to derive electricity from the sunlight or use radioisotope thermal generators as power source, where sunlight is weak. Ref to wiki for solar power and air-craft propulsions. Also ref. to photovoltaic array and solar panel sizes, in the same. Pathfinder plus uses 12500 watts. For details browse for NASA Pathfinder plus.And applications and implementations of solar cells for voltages.

Theresa Said:

Good Science Project title?

We Answered:

Try this idea line, if you like. All energy on Earth, absolutely all of it, comes from the sun. Millions of years ago, the sun shone on the earth and plants grew. The old vegetation got buried and eventually turned into oil. Or coal. Does this mean that a school bus is solar powered? Yes, it does. And that airplane overhead. And your TV, even at midnight. Old sunlight, stored by nature.

Olga Said:

space question what is the maximum temperature?

We Answered:

There is no reason to generate power on earth and then send it to the moon.
Power can be generated on the moon.
The length of day on the moon is 14 earth days, followed by a night of 14 earth days.
Solar panels can generate electricity during the day, and store it for use at night.
The real problem is the storage battery for this energy. It needs to,
a) be very efficient
b) have a long usable life
c) be not very heavy because it will have to be brought from Earth.

Two things.
1) It might be necessary to provide shade to the solar panels if they become too hot. Either by rotating them at 90 degrees to the sun, or by having shutters above them that can be closed.
2) Any electrical apparatus needs to be protected from the sun's heat. Not too difficult. Just needs to be in the shade and or well insulated.

As well, Mars exploration presents an additional problem. The amount of incident sunlight even at midday is far less than on the Earth or Moon. So solar cell technology needs to improve, so does the storage battery technology.