Generate Energy or Electricity Science Projects (15 results)

Investigate ways to generate energy or electricity. Build your own device to generate electricity, analyze and test an existing device, or create a model.

How to Make a Battery with Metal, Air, and Saltwater

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered how your cell phone or laptop keeps running once you unplug it? Sure, it is the battery that makes your portable electronics work, but how exactly does a battery do that, and from where does the electricity come? Generally, in a battery chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. In fact, many different types of batteries exist that are all based on a different set of chemical reactions. In this science project, you will explore a special battery variant called… Read more

Shed Light on Electric Generators: Do More Coils Generate More Electricity?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The electricity in your home probably comes from a power plant, but did you know that you can actually generate your own electricity? Wondering what it would take to light up a small light? This is your chance! In this electronics science project, you will build your own electric generator and investigate how to light up not just one, but two lights. Read more

Manipulating Magnets to Improve Generator Output

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The electricity you use to power everyday devices is generated by electrical generators. These fascinating and powerful machines rely on magnets to function. Though they might seem extremely complicated, once you finish this science project, you will understand how, why, and when they generate electricity. You will build your own generator, make small changes in how exactly the magnets are placed, and test when moving magnets generate electricity. Read more

Water to Fuel to Water: The Fuel Cycle of the Future

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Solar cells are popping up on rooftops everywhere these days and are a model for clean, renewable energy. Did you ever look at those solar panels and wonder how we can get electricity produced by solar cells when the sun is not shining? It is a great question because solar panels do not produce electricity when it is dark outside. One strategy to overcome this challenge is to store the energy produced by solar cells during the day in the form of a fuel that can be used at a later time. In this… Read more

Build Your Own Helio Tracker—a Self-powered Mechanical Sunflower that Turns with the Sun

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The amount of energy produced by most photovoltaic (solar) panels is limited, due to their immobility. However, when photovoltaic panels track the movement of the Sun, their efficiency increases significantly. This can be done with computers and sophisticated electronics, but for rural or wilderness settings, a "low-tech" sun tracker would be beneficial. A solution exists in nature: the sunflower. The challenge in this science fair project is to design and build a device that imitates the… Read more

Wily Waves: Build an Oscillating Water Column to Extract Energy from Ocean Waves

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The ocean is a wondrous force of nature. It affects the weather, and provides us with food and renewable energy to power our lives. How can the ocean provide us with renewable energy? One way is to extract the energy that is in the waves. There are many kinds of power systems that can be installed to extract energy from the waves, depending on the location. In this energy and power science project, you will build and test a simple model of an oscillating water column device to create power. How… Read more

Catch the Wave!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

There is a lot of energy that can be harvested from moving water. Energy can be extracted from water rushing over a waterfall and from the regular patterns of the ocean's tides. The energy that propels waves forward in the oceans can also be extracted and used. But can wave energy power plants be built anywhere there is water? In this energy science fair project, you will use ocean buoy data and mathematics to determine which locations along the coasts of the United States can sustain a wave… Read more

Free Power from the Sun!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Do you like getting something for nothing? Everybody likes getting things for free. How about getting energy and power for free? The Sun sends us free energy every second and all we have to do is collect it. Taking advantage of free energy can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, which are harmful to our environment. In this science fair project, you will work with a solar panel, which is a collector of free energy, and investigate how varying the angle of the solar panel, and thus the amount… Read more

Fuel Cells—Fueling the Future!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You probably know that turning off the lights and the water, and not wasting paper are all ways to help the environment and conserve our resources. Did you know that another way is to use fuel cells? A fuel cell is a device that converts the energy in chemicals to electricity and it creates no pollution. The starting chemical does not have to be something complex — in fact you it can even be water! In this science fair project try your own hand at converting water to electricity with the… Read more

How Many Cranks Does It Take to Power a Hand-Cranked Radio?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you lose power, you can probably still access the internet and read the news with a cell phone. But what if the power goes out for so long that your phone battery dies, or if cellular service also goes down? How would you get news from the outside world? In emergencies, you can use a hand-crank radio, which is powered by manually turning a crank. But just how much power do you get when you turn the crank? How long will the radio stay on before you need to charge it again? Try this project to… Read more

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