Most science fair projects involving solar panels fail before they even begin—because students measure voltage alone and call it efficiency. In this episode, Lakshmi Venkataraman breaks down the complete process for accurately measuring solar panel efficiency, from understanding the real formula to setting up proper circuits and documenting results like a professional engineer. Whether you're a middle school student tackling an NGSS-aligned project or an educator guiding hands-on energy investigations, this guide transforms a simple demonstration into authentic scientific inquiry. You'll learn why you need both voltage and current, how to calculate light power input, and what efficiency percentages you should actually expect from educational panels.

• Voltage measurements alone tell you almost nothing about efficiency—you need both vo ...