One of the ways that my local school district has tried to reduce oil dependence is to use burning wood chips to heat some school buildings. We do this because solar panels aren’t a great option where we live. That begs the question, how do solar panels work? The following TED-Ed lesson answers that question and more. The lesson also explains some of the political and social barriers to using solar panels in more places.

Applications for Education

One way to continue this lesson is to ask students to develop presentations in which they must persuade people to use solar panels to power their businesses or homes.