The Effect of Fermented and Fresh Kiwi on the Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Sahil Thakkar

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

11th Grade

Presentation Topic

Physics

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

There has been an increase in fruit and vegetable wastage throughout the world, and this is leading to more landfills being made. The use of dye-sensitized solar cells can lower the amount of fruits and vegetables being wasted, this gives purpose to fruits and vegetables that are not being used. The purpose of this experiment was to see whether fermented kiwi could produce a greater voltage than fresh kiwi. It was hypothesized that the fermented kiwi will produce a greater voltage compared to the fresh kiwi. This was because of the greater acidity in fermented kiwis. This experiment was conducted by fermenting the common kiwi or Actinidia deliciosa, and then extracting of anthocyanins from the kiwi. The extraction of anthocyanins from the fresh kiwi also happened with the ethanol solvent. These extractions were used to make dye-sensitized solar cells, so in total two dye-sensitized solar cells were made. Lastly, a multimeter was used to calculate the voltages, in millivolts, produced by each cell. The fermented dye-sensitized solar cell had a higher voltage compared to the fresh dye-sensitized solar cell. A two-sample t-test showed that the data was significant with a p-value lower than the alpha value of 0.05. The t-value from the t-test showed that there was a large net difference between the two variables, which means the experiment was effective. The use of rotten fruits and vegetables to make DSSC would solve the world's constant need of new energy sources and would help with food wastage problems.

Location

Furman Hall 127

Start Date

3-28-2020 10:45 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 28th, 10:45 AM

The Effect of Fermented and Fresh Kiwi on the Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Furman Hall 127

There has been an increase in fruit and vegetable wastage throughout the world, and this is leading to more landfills being made. The use of dye-sensitized solar cells can lower the amount of fruits and vegetables being wasted, this gives purpose to fruits and vegetables that are not being used. The purpose of this experiment was to see whether fermented kiwi could produce a greater voltage than fresh kiwi. It was hypothesized that the fermented kiwi will produce a greater voltage compared to the fresh kiwi. This was because of the greater acidity in fermented kiwis. This experiment was conducted by fermenting the common kiwi or Actinidia deliciosa, and then extracting of anthocyanins from the kiwi. The extraction of anthocyanins from the fresh kiwi also happened with the ethanol solvent. These extractions were used to make dye-sensitized solar cells, so in total two dye-sensitized solar cells were made. Lastly, a multimeter was used to calculate the voltages, in millivolts, produced by each cell. The fermented dye-sensitized solar cell had a higher voltage compared to the fresh dye-sensitized solar cell. A two-sample t-test showed that the data was significant with a p-value lower than the alpha value of 0.05. The t-value from the t-test showed that there was a large net difference between the two variables, which means the experiment was effective. The use of rotten fruits and vegetables to make DSSC would solve the world's constant need of new energy sources and would help with food wastage problems.