ultramansk/Getty
Solar panels capture energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. But how do they work? Join guest host Rosie duPont and co-host Anna as they explore the ins and outs of solar energy!
Marc and his latest invention, Sal the solar bot, stop by the studio for a special solar demonstration — then the Earth and Moon chat about why solar power is an important tool for slowing down climate change.
Plus, an electrifying new mystery sound!
Check out our series all about electricity too!
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
ANNA: You're listening to Brains On where we're serious about being curious.
CHILD 1: Brains On is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
ROSIE DUPONT: Hmm. Let's see. It could go in the middle of the ceiling or maybe off to the side.
MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Rosie. What are you up to?
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh! Hi, Marc. You know how Molly is on vacation?
MARC SANCHEZ: On a tasting tour of cheese curds in Wisconsin? Of course.
ROSIE DUPONT: Well, she asked me to help with some chores while she's away, like hanging this disco ball for the Brains On dance party. Oh, cheese on a cracker, I totally forgot. Molly also said the toilet at HQ is clogged-- again! I'll just grab my toilet plunger and-- wait! No! I'm supposed to fill in for Molly as host today too. [GROANS]
MARC SANCHEZ: Hmm. You've got a lot to do. But don't worry, I have the answer!
[BEEPING]
Rosie, meet Sal, the solar bot, my latest invention.
ROSIE DUPONT: Solar bot? Like it's powered by the sun?
[BEEPING]
SAL: Affirmative. Hello, Rosie.
ROSIE DUPONT: Uh, hi, Sal.
MARC SANCHEZ: Sal is the first completely solar-powered home assistant bot. It can help you with literally any task. Watch this. Sal, can you please fix that unspeakably clogged toilet in the bathroom?
SAL: My pleasure.
[BEEPING]
[WATER SPLASHING]
Task complete.
MARC SANCHEZ: Have you ever seen a toilet unclogged so efficiently?
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, that was pretty vigorous. Hey, Sal, could you hang this disco ball?
SAL: Affirmative. I would be delighted.
[BEEPING]
[DRILL WHIRRING]
[DISCO MUSIC]
Let's party. May I suggest a limbo contest?
MARC SANCHEZ: Wow, a toilet plunger that also doubles as a limbo bar? Sal, you think of everything. Plunger party!
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: You're listening to Brains On from APM studios. I'm Rosie Dupont, and I'm here with Anna from Brooklyn, New York. Hi, Anna.
ANNA: Hi, Rosie.
ROSIE DUPONT: Today's episode is sure to brighten up your day because we're talking all about solar panels.
ANNA: Solar panels collect energy from the sun and turn that energy into electricity so we can use it to power stuff.
ROSIE DUPONT: You might have seen solar panels on top of houses or buildings. They often look like big black rectangles, and we've gotten a bunch of questions about them, like this one from Holly.
HOLLY: Hello. My name is Holly, and I'm from Clinton, New York. And my question is, how do solar panels work?
ANNA: An energizing question!
ROSIE DUPONT: So we're going to answer it in a bit. But first, Anna, have you ever seen a solar panel before in real life?
ANNA: I've seen it on top of buildings and in farmlands and stuff.
ROSIE DUPONT: And can you describe what a solar panel looks like, at least the ones you've seen?
ANNA: It's like a big rectangle with blue or black on it, and it has lines throughout the whole thing that go horizontally and vertically.
ROSIE DUPONT: So does it sort of look like graph paper but dark?
ANNA: Yeah.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. OK, cool. So if you could pick one thing in the world that you could power with solar energy, what would that thing be? And it could be a toy. It could be whatever.
ANNA: I choose a car because it would--
ROSIE DUPONT: It's such a good idea.
ANNA: --stop pollution, and it would just solar-panel it. You could leave it-- when you park, you could just leave it in the sun for the day or something. And then at night, if you need to travel anywhere, you can use that energy.
ROSIE DUPONT: That is so cool. If I had one thing that I could make solar-powered, I think it would be my hair dryer.
ANNA: I was thinking of that.
ROSIE DUPONT: Because it feels like a small enough appliance that if I--
ANNA: You can bring anywhere.
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, you can bring it anywhere, set it out in the sun, and then turn it on and, boom, get your hair going.
ANNA: Yeah!
[LAUGHTER]
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: So for solar panels to work, they need to collect energy from our big, beautiful, glowing orb in the sky, the sun. The sun produces tons of energy.
ANNA: When you're feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, you're feeling that energy.
ROSIE DUPONT: The sun's energy powers nearly all life on Earth. It warms our planet--
ANNA: Helps plants grow.
ROSIE DUPONT: --and even creates weather patterns. People have been using this sun energy for thousands of years to do all kinds of stuff, from drying their clothes to preserving meat and fruit.
ANNA: But figuring out how to collect all that energy from the sun and turn it into electricity was tricky.
ROSIE DUPONT: Scientists first figured out how you could make electricity from sunlight almost 200 years ago. They started experimenting with lots of different solar-powered inventions, but it wasn't until the 1950s that they figured out how to make solar panels that could actually power electronics.
ANNA: Today, solar panels are everywhere. Some power small things, like calculators and lanterns.
ROSIE DUPONT: Others are on rooftops, making electricity for homes and businesses.
ANNA: There's even solar panels in space!
ROSIE DUPONT: Lots of satellites and other spacecraft use solar energy to take pictures and send information back to Earth. All of these solar panels work in a similar way. They take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity that we can use.
ANNA: Right. But how do they do it?
MARC SANCHEZ: Is somebody in here wondering how solar panels work?
ANNA: We are.
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh. Hi, Marc. Wow, that was perfect timing.
MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Rosie. Hi, Anna. I was actually crouching outside the door, waiting for the right moment. And let me tell you, my thighs are burning. But enough about my impeccable timing and unbelievably muscular legs. I am here to talk about my favorite thing in the world, solar panels.
ROSIE DUPONT: I thought your favorite thing was picking all the raisins out of the trail mix and using them to make eerily lifelike raisin sculptures of everyone at Brains On HQ.
ANNA: Or learning the names of all the dogs on your block and then shouting hello to them out the window as they walk past your house.
MARC SANCHEZ: Nah. That's so last month. I'm all about solar panels now, and I brought a buddy to help me explain how they work-- Sal, the solar-powered robot. Sal? Sal! Where are you, bud?
SAL: Bud, please assist.
MARC SANCHEZ: Sal? Little buddy? How'd you get stuck under the couch?
[SCRAMBLING]
SAL: There is a large amount of snack detritus under this upholstered furniture. By my calculations, there are 146 tortilla chips, 259 cheese balls, and 1,127 rainbow candy bears. I was attempting to clean it up.
ROSIE DUPONT: So that's where my gummy bears went.
ANNA: Marc, did you say that Sal is a solar-powered robot? Like, with solar panels?
MARC SANCHEZ: Yep. I built Sal myself, so I can tell you pretty much anything you'd want to know about solar power. I learned it all from this book.
ROSIE DUPONT: Pretty Much Anything You'd Want to Know About Solar Power, The Book. Neat.
SAL: Rosie, do you enjoy books? I could read you every book in the Brains On library at triple the normal speed. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
ROSIE DUPONT: Um. Yes, I do love books, but let's just stick to solar panels for now.
MARC SANCHEZ: The first thing you need to know about solar panels is that even though they look like one big solid piece, they're actually made up of lots of smaller parts. Those smaller bits are called solar cells.
ANNA: Kind of like plants and animals, they are made of lots of small pieces called cells too!
MARC SANCHEZ: Right. Solar cells are usually black or blue, and they come in all different sizes. Most are bigger than a piece of bread, but some are smaller than a postage stamp.
SAL: Perhaps I could demonstrate. If you look closely at my solar panels, you can see each solar cell. The cells are very delicate and thin, thinner than four of your human hairs. Rosie, allow me to pluck four of your hairs to demonstrate. [BEEPING]
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh, no, no, no, no. No need, no need. I get the picture.
MARC SANCHEZ: There are layers of glass or plastic on top of these solar cells to protect them because solar panels are often outside and exposed to wind, rain, or even snow.
ROSIE DUPONT: Wait. So how do these cells work in solar panels then?
MARC SANCHEZ: Hmm. How about I show you? Sal, can I get a hand?
SAL: Is Taco Tuesday the best day of the week? Affirmative! [CHUCKLES ROBOTICALLY] Speaking of which, Rosie, are you hungry? Do you require a taco? I brought tacos because the studio was dangerously low on sustenance.
ROSIE DUPONT: Actually, yes. I'd love a taco.
[BEEPING]
[CRUNCH]
Oh. Oh. Oh my god. Are these-- are these gummy bear tacos?
[BEEPING]
SAL: Affirmative! I concluded, they are your favorite based on the number of candy rainbow bears I found under the upholstered furniture.
[CRUNCH]
ANNA: Mm! These aren't bad.
SAL: Actually, these are the candy rainbow bears I found under the upholstered furniture. I know you appreciate the reduce, reuse, recycle lifestyle, Rosie.
[RETCHING]
[CRUNCH]
MARC SANCHEZ: Mm. Great idea, Sal. OK. Time for a solar demonstration. Let's move our little solar pal into a sunny spot.
[WHIRS]
First, the sun shines on Sal's solar panels.
SAL: Hmm. Cozy.
MARC SANCHEZ: Next, the solar cells absorb that energy from the sun. That energy flows through special materials inside the solar cell and becomes--
[BUZZES]
--electricity.
ROSIE DUPONT: Yay, electricity! We can use it to turn on our night lights.
ANNA: Make waffles in our waffle makers.
ROSIE DUPONT: Use our karaoke machines, eat waffles by night light while singing karaoke.
MARC SANCHEZ: A hundred yeses to all those things. Finally, the electricity flows through the solar panel to a special machine that churns it into energy that we can use. And sometimes, that energy gets stored in a battery.
ANNA: Oh, yeah. Batteries are really important for storing solar energy. That way, you can use the energy from the sun anytime, like at night or when the sun isn't shining.
SAL: To briefly summarize, my solar panels are made of small pieces called solar cells. When sunlight hits the solar cells, it gets turned into electricity!
ANNA: And then we can use that electricity to do all kinds of stuff, like play music and bake cakes.
ROSIE DUPONT: [GASPS] Oh, that reminds me. Anna, Molly said I should make sure we have snacks for after the taping, so I baked us an extra large chocolate cake with coconut frosting as a post-show treat. We're going to have so much eating to do when we're done with this taping.
ANNA: Mm! I love cake!
SAL: We'll see. It sounds like you will need help with this extra large cake!
ROSIE DUPONT: Sure, Sal. I mean, it's already baked and everything, but--
SAL: Excellent. And Rosie, if my calculations are correct, the mystery sound is approaching.
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh, you're right, Sal.
SAL: May I assist? I have dreamed of this for my entire existence, by which I mean the last 4 hours and 32 minutes since Marc first turned me on. Anna, it is time for the--
CHILD 2: (WHISPERING) Mystery sound.
SAL: Wow! What a rush.
ROSIE DUPONT: Nice work, Sal. OK. Anna, ready to hear the mystery sound?
ANNA: Yes.
ROSIE DUPONT: Here it is.
[MYSTERY SOUND]
OK. What do you think? What do you think it is?
ANNA: I feel like it's a faucet running, like a faucet in the bathroom turned on and running.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's a fantastic guess. What kind of faucet? Are we talking a sink? Are we talking a shower?
ANNA: I feel like since there was many patters, it's a shower.
ROSIE DUPONT: A running shower?
ANNA: A running shower that--
ROSIE DUPONT: OK.
ANNA: --someone forgot to turn off, like I usually do.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. And I'm going to say, I think it's alien static. I think somehow somebody took a microphone and recorded sounds from outer space. They're like--
[IMITATING ALIEN STATIC]
SAL: Very excellent guesses.
[BEEPS]
Now, if you will excuse me, the Brains On toilet is clogged again!
MARC SANCHEZ: Oh, yeah! Time for another plunger party! Bye, Rosie. Bye, Anna.
ROSIE DUPONT: Bye, you two. Thanks for telling us about solar power and helping with the mystery sound.
[BUZZING]
We'll hear the answer and get another chance to guess at the end of the show.
ANNA: So keep listening!
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: We're working on an episode about a time millions of years ago when birds and dinosaurs lived side by side. And we were wondering, if you could bring a living, breathing dinosaur to show and tell, what kind would you bring and why? A gentle Triceratops for all your friends to pet? A Velociraptor to play hide and seek with on the playground? Anna, what about you?
ANNA: Probably a very, very, very small T. rex to play with dolls and stuff.
ROSIE DUPONT: How big are we talking?
ANNA: Around two feet.
ROSIE DUPONT: Wow. Do you think it would get into trouble?
ANNA: I think a T. rex with herbivore type teeth.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. That's so cute. I love it. I think what I would actually bring is a huge Pterodactyl that we could all--
ANNA: I love those!
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, we could all climb on the back and then fly around the classroom.
ANNA: And fly.
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, that'd be really fun. So listeners, we want to know what kind of dinosaur you'd bring to show and tell and why. Record your answer and send it to us at brainson.org/contact. While you're there, send us your mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
ANNA: Like this one.
CHILD 3: Does water have a taste?
ROSIE DUPONT: You can find answers to questions like these on the Moment of Um podcast, a short dose of facts and fun every weekday. Find Moment of Um and more at brainson.org.
ANNA: And keep listening!
[THEME MUSIC]
SPEAKER 1: Brains On Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Brains On, you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on. Let's explore.
COMPUTER: It's alien laundry day. While I wash my nose mufflers and tummy togas, I'll listen to a new podcast. [GIGGLES] How about--
[BUZZES]
--Smash Boom Best, my favorite debate podcast?
[BEEPING]
SPEAKER 2: Growing up, I was always a slide kid. I remember this park I went to, and it had everything. There was a miniature train--
[TRAIN HORN BLOWS]
--a spinning set of monkey bars.
[MONKEY WHOOPING]
It even had a talking pig-shaped trash can called Porky the Litter Eater.
PORKY: Hi, kid. I'm Pork--
[BEEPS]
COMPUTER: Zorp! Signal down. [GROANS] Stay right there, tummy togas.
[BEEPS]
Must find Smash Boom Best now!
SPEAKER 2: Listen to Smash Boom Best wherever you get your podcasts.
SINGERS: (SINGING) Ba ba, ba ba, ba ba, ba ba ba ba, Brains On.
ANNA: You're listening to Brains On. I'm Anna.
ROSIE DUPONT: And I'm Rosie. Today we're talking about solar panels and how they work. We just heard how solar panels are made up of solar cells that soak up energy from the sun. These solar cells take that energy and turn it into electricity that we can use.
ANNA: People are really interested in using more solar power.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's because right now, most of the electricity in the US comes from power plants that burn fossil fuels.
ANNA: Fossil fuels are things like oil, coal, or natural gas.
ROSIE DUPONT: They're called fossil fuels because they're literally made of ancient animals and plants that were alive on earth a long, long, long, long time ago.
ANNA: After these prehistoric plants and animals died, they slowly got buried under layers of rock and dirt.
ROSIE DUPONT: Over millions of years, heat and pressure underground turned them into fuels. Now we burn them, and they release energy to power our cars, homes, and factories.
ANNA: There are a couple problems with burning fossil fuels, though.
ROSIE DUPONT: One is that we're going to run out of them. It takes millions of years to make more, and we're using up what we have.
ANNA: The other problem is that when we burn these fossil fuels, we put a lot of carbon dioxide gas in our atmosphere, which can heat up the planet.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's why getting energy from the sun is so appealing. We can't run out of sunlight, and it's better for the earth.
ANNA: Here to tell us more is the Earth!
ROSIE DUPONT: Along with its good pal, the Moon.
EARTH: Hello, human friends. It's me, Earth.
MOON: And me, the Moon.
EARTH: So let me tell you why I'm into solar energy.
MOON: Ahem. Let us tell you why we're into solar energy.
EARTH: OK. Sure, Moon. So you humans are smart. You have invented all sorts of things in the relatively short time you've been living on me, the Earth.
MOON: Like you invented telescopes to gaze upon me, the Moon.
EARTH: Uh-huh. Also, guitars, sewer systems, and hot chocolate, to name just a few. OMG, Moon. Remember when they figured out about wheels? That was so cute.
MOON: Oh my gosh, I know. And do you remember when they were super into using horses to get everywhere? I could see all the horse poop in the streets from way up here.
EARTH: The odors were intense. I feel like we've gotten distracted, Moon. What were we talking about again?
MOON: Solar energy.
EARTH: Right, right. OK. So carbon dioxide gas, you humans make a lot of it by burning fossil fuels. This carbon dioxide goes up into my atmosphere, way up in the sky. Now, a little carbon dioxide is good. It's one of the things that traps heat on Earth and makes it warm enough that you little humans can live here.
MOON: But you humans have been making lots of carbon dioxide with your fossil fuels. You've been trapping too much heat down there, so things are warming up, and that's changing the climate.
EARTH: My rainy parts are getting rainier. My dry parts are getting drier. And it's getting hotter.
MOON: So my pal, Earth, would love it if you figured out how to use fewer fossil fuels.
EARTH: Yeah. Instead, switch to making more electricity using the sun, a.k.a. solar power.
MOON: Or get power using wind and water. These are called renewable energies because you can't run out of them.
EARTH: Bonus, they don't give off more me-warming gases like carbon dioxide.
[DINGS]
MOON: OK. This next fact I'm about to share is sure to make the sun even more insufferable.
EARTH: Well, Moon, the sun is really important.
MOON: Sure, Earth, but it doesn't have to rub it in my face all the time.
EARTH: Literally, no humans would be able to see you without the sun shining light on you.
MOON: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, the amount of sun that shines on the Earth's surface in an hour and a half is enough energy to power the entire world for a full year.
EARTH: Dang! That's so great. Go, humans. Harness that solar power. I have to say, solar power has been pretty great for growing plants on me-- 10 out of 10 would recommend.
MOON: All right. We got to go. Earth promised me they'd give me notes on the solo show I've been working on. It's called The Dark Side of Me.
EARTH: Oh, yes, can't wait. Bye, little human friends.
SPEAKER 3: Brains, Brains On!
ROSIE DUPONT: Solar power is a great way to get the energy we need, because it doesn't create so many gases that heat up the planet.
ANNA: Scientists are doing lots of work to figure out how to make this technology work even better.
ROSIE DUPONT: Like figuring out ways to make solar panels that are smaller and more efficient.
ANNA: They're also coming up with tons of new inventions to collect more solar power.
ROSIE DUPONT: Like solar shingles for roofs. Imagine if your whole roof was covered in solar panels.
ANNA: Or what if you had solar windows for your house?
ROSIE DUPONT: Scientists are designing newer and better batteries to store all that solar energy.
ANNA: Scientists are even studying whether giant solar panels in space might be able to send energy back to Earth someday.
ROSIE DUPONT: So cool. Maybe someday we'll be having our nighttime waffle karaoke parties using solar power from space.
[DOOR OPENS]
[BEEPS]
SAL: Rosie, I have completed my assigned task.
ROSIE DUPONT: I don't remember assigning you a task, Sal.
SAL: I assisted you with the extra large chocolate cake, as requested. You said you had so much eating to do, so I took the liberty of doing all that eating for you. I have consumed the entire cake! [BURPS]
ROSIE DUPONT: My cake? I didn't-- Marc!
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: Solar panels take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity.
ANNA: Each panel is made up of individual pieces called solar cells.
ROSIE DUPONT: The cells absorb energy from the sun then turn it into electricity that we can use.
ANNA: Solar power is an important tool for helping slow down climate change.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's because it doesn't release as much of the gases that heat up the planet as things like burning oil and gas do. That's it for this episode of Brains On.
ANNA: This episode was written by--
SHAHLA FARZAN: Shahla Farzan.
ANNA: --and--
MOLLY BLOOM: Molly bloom.
ROSIE DUPONT: It was edited by--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sanden Totten.
ROSIE DUPONT: Fact checking by--
REBECCA RAND: Rebecca Rand.
ROSIE DUPONT: We had engineering help from Gary O'Keefe with sound design by--
RACHEL BREES: Rachel Brees.
ROSIE DUPONT: --and original theme music by--
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
ANNA: We had production help from the rest of the Brains On Universe team.
ANNA GOLDFIELD: Anna Goldfield.
NICO GONZALEZ WISLER: Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
RUBY GUTHRIE: Ruby Guthrie.
LAUREN HUMPERT: Lauren Humpert.
JOSHUA RAY: Joshua Ray.
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
CHARLOTTE TRAVER: Charlotte Traver.
ANNA WEGGEL: Anna Weggel.
ANNA: And.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Aaron Woldeslassie.
ROSIE DUPONT: Beth Pearlman is our executive producer, and the executives-in-charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Amir [? Bebawi. ?]
ANNA: Brains On is a nonprofit public radio program.
ROSIE DUPONT: There are lots of ways to support the show. Join Smarty Pass for bonus episodes and ad-free versions of all of the shows in the Brains On Universe. Become a Smarty Pass subscriber today for just $5 a month or $45 for the whole year. To sign up, head to brainson.org.
ANNA: While you're there, you can send us mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK, Anna. Are you ready to listen to that mystery sound again?
ANNA: Yes.
ROSIE DUPONT: Here we go.
[WATER PATTERING]
OK. Is your guess the same? Has it changed? What do you think?
ANNA: I still think it's a shower.
ROSIE DUPONT: Running shower? OK.
ANNA: Or hot tub. But, I mean--
ROSIE DUPONT: Or hot tub? Oh, switching it up. Which do you think it is?
ANNA: Shower because that's more likely.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. I think that's a really good guess. I am going to stick with my alien signals from outer space. So let's see what the answer is.
BARNEY: Hi, my name is Barney, and I live in New Jersey. And that was the sound of a shower running.
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh!
[LAUGHTER]
Wow, you got it so right. Good guesses. Wow, incredible.
[SHOWER RUNNING]
Now it's time for the Brains Honor Roll. These are the incredible kids who keep this show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives.
[LISTING HONOR ROLL]
[THEME MUSIC]
SONG: (SINGING) Brains Honor Roll
High five
ROSIE DUPONT: We'll be back next week with an episode all about trends.
ANNA: Thank you for listening.
CHILD 1: Brains On is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
ROSIE DUPONT: Hmm. Let's see. It could go in the middle of the ceiling or maybe off to the side.
MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Rosie. What are you up to?
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh! Hi, Marc. You know how Molly is on vacation?
MARC SANCHEZ: On a tasting tour of cheese curds in Wisconsin? Of course.
ROSIE DUPONT: Well, she asked me to help with some chores while she's away, like hanging this disco ball for the Brains On dance party. Oh, cheese on a cracker, I totally forgot. Molly also said the toilet at HQ is clogged-- again! I'll just grab my toilet plunger and-- wait! No! I'm supposed to fill in for Molly as host today too. [GROANS]
MARC SANCHEZ: Hmm. You've got a lot to do. But don't worry, I have the answer!
[BEEPING]
Rosie, meet Sal, the solar bot, my latest invention.
ROSIE DUPONT: Solar bot? Like it's powered by the sun?
[BEEPING]
SAL: Affirmative. Hello, Rosie.
ROSIE DUPONT: Uh, hi, Sal.
MARC SANCHEZ: Sal is the first completely solar-powered home assistant bot. It can help you with literally any task. Watch this. Sal, can you please fix that unspeakably clogged toilet in the bathroom?
SAL: My pleasure.
[BEEPING]
[WATER SPLASHING]
Task complete.
MARC SANCHEZ: Have you ever seen a toilet unclogged so efficiently?
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, that was pretty vigorous. Hey, Sal, could you hang this disco ball?
SAL: Affirmative. I would be delighted.
[BEEPING]
[DRILL WHIRRING]
[DISCO MUSIC]
Let's party. May I suggest a limbo contest?
MARC SANCHEZ: Wow, a toilet plunger that also doubles as a limbo bar? Sal, you think of everything. Plunger party!
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: You're listening to Brains On from APM studios. I'm Rosie Dupont, and I'm here with Anna from Brooklyn, New York. Hi, Anna.
ANNA: Hi, Rosie.
ROSIE DUPONT: Today's episode is sure to brighten up your day because we're talking all about solar panels.
ANNA: Solar panels collect energy from the sun and turn that energy into electricity so we can use it to power stuff.
ROSIE DUPONT: You might have seen solar panels on top of houses or buildings. They often look like big black rectangles, and we've gotten a bunch of questions about them, like this one from Holly.
HOLLY: Hello. My name is Holly, and I'm from Clinton, New York. And my question is, how do solar panels work?
ANNA: An energizing question!
ROSIE DUPONT: So we're going to answer it in a bit. But first, Anna, have you ever seen a solar panel before in real life?
ANNA: I've seen it on top of buildings and in farmlands and stuff.
ROSIE DUPONT: And can you describe what a solar panel looks like, at least the ones you've seen?
ANNA: It's like a big rectangle with blue or black on it, and it has lines throughout the whole thing that go horizontally and vertically.
ROSIE DUPONT: So does it sort of look like graph paper but dark?
ANNA: Yeah.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. OK, cool. So if you could pick one thing in the world that you could power with solar energy, what would that thing be? And it could be a toy. It could be whatever.
ANNA: I choose a car because it would--
ROSIE DUPONT: It's such a good idea.
ANNA: --stop pollution, and it would just solar-panel it. You could leave it-- when you park, you could just leave it in the sun for the day or something. And then at night, if you need to travel anywhere, you can use that energy.
ROSIE DUPONT: That is so cool. If I had one thing that I could make solar-powered, I think it would be my hair dryer.
ANNA: I was thinking of that.
ROSIE DUPONT: Because it feels like a small enough appliance that if I--
ANNA: You can bring anywhere.
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, you can bring it anywhere, set it out in the sun, and then turn it on and, boom, get your hair going.
ANNA: Yeah!
[LAUGHTER]
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: So for solar panels to work, they need to collect energy from our big, beautiful, glowing orb in the sky, the sun. The sun produces tons of energy.
ANNA: When you're feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, you're feeling that energy.
ROSIE DUPONT: The sun's energy powers nearly all life on Earth. It warms our planet--
ANNA: Helps plants grow.
ROSIE DUPONT: --and even creates weather patterns. People have been using this sun energy for thousands of years to do all kinds of stuff, from drying their clothes to preserving meat and fruit.
ANNA: But figuring out how to collect all that energy from the sun and turn it into electricity was tricky.
ROSIE DUPONT: Scientists first figured out how you could make electricity from sunlight almost 200 years ago. They started experimenting with lots of different solar-powered inventions, but it wasn't until the 1950s that they figured out how to make solar panels that could actually power electronics.
ANNA: Today, solar panels are everywhere. Some power small things, like calculators and lanterns.
ROSIE DUPONT: Others are on rooftops, making electricity for homes and businesses.
ANNA: There's even solar panels in space!
ROSIE DUPONT: Lots of satellites and other spacecraft use solar energy to take pictures and send information back to Earth. All of these solar panels work in a similar way. They take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity that we can use.
ANNA: Right. But how do they do it?
MARC SANCHEZ: Is somebody in here wondering how solar panels work?
ANNA: We are.
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh. Hi, Marc. Wow, that was perfect timing.
MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Rosie. Hi, Anna. I was actually crouching outside the door, waiting for the right moment. And let me tell you, my thighs are burning. But enough about my impeccable timing and unbelievably muscular legs. I am here to talk about my favorite thing in the world, solar panels.
ROSIE DUPONT: I thought your favorite thing was picking all the raisins out of the trail mix and using them to make eerily lifelike raisin sculptures of everyone at Brains On HQ.
ANNA: Or learning the names of all the dogs on your block and then shouting hello to them out the window as they walk past your house.
MARC SANCHEZ: Nah. That's so last month. I'm all about solar panels now, and I brought a buddy to help me explain how they work-- Sal, the solar-powered robot. Sal? Sal! Where are you, bud?
SAL: Bud, please assist.
MARC SANCHEZ: Sal? Little buddy? How'd you get stuck under the couch?
[SCRAMBLING]
SAL: There is a large amount of snack detritus under this upholstered furniture. By my calculations, there are 146 tortilla chips, 259 cheese balls, and 1,127 rainbow candy bears. I was attempting to clean it up.
ROSIE DUPONT: So that's where my gummy bears went.
ANNA: Marc, did you say that Sal is a solar-powered robot? Like, with solar panels?
MARC SANCHEZ: Yep. I built Sal myself, so I can tell you pretty much anything you'd want to know about solar power. I learned it all from this book.
ROSIE DUPONT: Pretty Much Anything You'd Want to Know About Solar Power, The Book. Neat.
SAL: Rosie, do you enjoy books? I could read you every book in the Brains On library at triple the normal speed. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
ROSIE DUPONT: Um. Yes, I do love books, but let's just stick to solar panels for now.
MARC SANCHEZ: The first thing you need to know about solar panels is that even though they look like one big solid piece, they're actually made up of lots of smaller parts. Those smaller bits are called solar cells.
ANNA: Kind of like plants and animals, they are made of lots of small pieces called cells too!
MARC SANCHEZ: Right. Solar cells are usually black or blue, and they come in all different sizes. Most are bigger than a piece of bread, but some are smaller than a postage stamp.
SAL: Perhaps I could demonstrate. If you look closely at my solar panels, you can see each solar cell. The cells are very delicate and thin, thinner than four of your human hairs. Rosie, allow me to pluck four of your hairs to demonstrate. [BEEPING]
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh, no, no, no, no. No need, no need. I get the picture.
MARC SANCHEZ: There are layers of glass or plastic on top of these solar cells to protect them because solar panels are often outside and exposed to wind, rain, or even snow.
ROSIE DUPONT: Wait. So how do these cells work in solar panels then?
MARC SANCHEZ: Hmm. How about I show you? Sal, can I get a hand?
SAL: Is Taco Tuesday the best day of the week? Affirmative! [CHUCKLES ROBOTICALLY] Speaking of which, Rosie, are you hungry? Do you require a taco? I brought tacos because the studio was dangerously low on sustenance.
ROSIE DUPONT: Actually, yes. I'd love a taco.
[BEEPING]
[CRUNCH]
Oh. Oh. Oh my god. Are these-- are these gummy bear tacos?
[BEEPING]
SAL: Affirmative! I concluded, they are your favorite based on the number of candy rainbow bears I found under the upholstered furniture.
[CRUNCH]
ANNA: Mm! These aren't bad.
SAL: Actually, these are the candy rainbow bears I found under the upholstered furniture. I know you appreciate the reduce, reuse, recycle lifestyle, Rosie.
[RETCHING]
[CRUNCH]
MARC SANCHEZ: Mm. Great idea, Sal. OK. Time for a solar demonstration. Let's move our little solar pal into a sunny spot.
[WHIRS]
First, the sun shines on Sal's solar panels.
SAL: Hmm. Cozy.
MARC SANCHEZ: Next, the solar cells absorb that energy from the sun. That energy flows through special materials inside the solar cell and becomes--
[BUZZES]
--electricity.
ROSIE DUPONT: Yay, electricity! We can use it to turn on our night lights.
ANNA: Make waffles in our waffle makers.
ROSIE DUPONT: Use our karaoke machines, eat waffles by night light while singing karaoke.
MARC SANCHEZ: A hundred yeses to all those things. Finally, the electricity flows through the solar panel to a special machine that churns it into energy that we can use. And sometimes, that energy gets stored in a battery.
ANNA: Oh, yeah. Batteries are really important for storing solar energy. That way, you can use the energy from the sun anytime, like at night or when the sun isn't shining.
SAL: To briefly summarize, my solar panels are made of small pieces called solar cells. When sunlight hits the solar cells, it gets turned into electricity!
ANNA: And then we can use that electricity to do all kinds of stuff, like play music and bake cakes.
ROSIE DUPONT: [GASPS] Oh, that reminds me. Anna, Molly said I should make sure we have snacks for after the taping, so I baked us an extra large chocolate cake with coconut frosting as a post-show treat. We're going to have so much eating to do when we're done with this taping.
ANNA: Mm! I love cake!
SAL: We'll see. It sounds like you will need help with this extra large cake!
ROSIE DUPONT: Sure, Sal. I mean, it's already baked and everything, but--
SAL: Excellent. And Rosie, if my calculations are correct, the mystery sound is approaching.
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh, you're right, Sal.
SAL: May I assist? I have dreamed of this for my entire existence, by which I mean the last 4 hours and 32 minutes since Marc first turned me on. Anna, it is time for the--
CHILD 2: (WHISPERING) Mystery sound.
SAL: Wow! What a rush.
ROSIE DUPONT: Nice work, Sal. OK. Anna, ready to hear the mystery sound?
ANNA: Yes.
ROSIE DUPONT: Here it is.
[MYSTERY SOUND]
OK. What do you think? What do you think it is?
ANNA: I feel like it's a faucet running, like a faucet in the bathroom turned on and running.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's a fantastic guess. What kind of faucet? Are we talking a sink? Are we talking a shower?
ANNA: I feel like since there was many patters, it's a shower.
ROSIE DUPONT: A running shower?
ANNA: A running shower that--
ROSIE DUPONT: OK.
ANNA: --someone forgot to turn off, like I usually do.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. And I'm going to say, I think it's alien static. I think somehow somebody took a microphone and recorded sounds from outer space. They're like--
[IMITATING ALIEN STATIC]
SAL: Very excellent guesses.
[BEEPS]
Now, if you will excuse me, the Brains On toilet is clogged again!
MARC SANCHEZ: Oh, yeah! Time for another plunger party! Bye, Rosie. Bye, Anna.
ROSIE DUPONT: Bye, you two. Thanks for telling us about solar power and helping with the mystery sound.
[BUZZING]
We'll hear the answer and get another chance to guess at the end of the show.
ANNA: So keep listening!
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: We're working on an episode about a time millions of years ago when birds and dinosaurs lived side by side. And we were wondering, if you could bring a living, breathing dinosaur to show and tell, what kind would you bring and why? A gentle Triceratops for all your friends to pet? A Velociraptor to play hide and seek with on the playground? Anna, what about you?
ANNA: Probably a very, very, very small T. rex to play with dolls and stuff.
ROSIE DUPONT: How big are we talking?
ANNA: Around two feet.
ROSIE DUPONT: Wow. Do you think it would get into trouble?
ANNA: I think a T. rex with herbivore type teeth.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. That's so cute. I love it. I think what I would actually bring is a huge Pterodactyl that we could all--
ANNA: I love those!
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, we could all climb on the back and then fly around the classroom.
ANNA: And fly.
ROSIE DUPONT: Yeah, that'd be really fun. So listeners, we want to know what kind of dinosaur you'd bring to show and tell and why. Record your answer and send it to us at brainson.org/contact. While you're there, send us your mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
ANNA: Like this one.
CHILD 3: Does water have a taste?
ROSIE DUPONT: You can find answers to questions like these on the Moment of Um podcast, a short dose of facts and fun every weekday. Find Moment of Um and more at brainson.org.
ANNA: And keep listening!
[THEME MUSIC]
SPEAKER 1: Brains On Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Brains On, you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on. Let's explore.
COMPUTER: It's alien laundry day. While I wash my nose mufflers and tummy togas, I'll listen to a new podcast. [GIGGLES] How about--
[BUZZES]
--Smash Boom Best, my favorite debate podcast?
[BEEPING]
SPEAKER 2: Growing up, I was always a slide kid. I remember this park I went to, and it had everything. There was a miniature train--
[TRAIN HORN BLOWS]
--a spinning set of monkey bars.
[MONKEY WHOOPING]
It even had a talking pig-shaped trash can called Porky the Litter Eater.
PORKY: Hi, kid. I'm Pork--
[BEEPS]
COMPUTER: Zorp! Signal down. [GROANS] Stay right there, tummy togas.
[BEEPS]
Must find Smash Boom Best now!
SPEAKER 2: Listen to Smash Boom Best wherever you get your podcasts.
SINGERS: (SINGING) Ba ba, ba ba, ba ba, ba ba ba ba, Brains On.
ANNA: You're listening to Brains On. I'm Anna.
ROSIE DUPONT: And I'm Rosie. Today we're talking about solar panels and how they work. We just heard how solar panels are made up of solar cells that soak up energy from the sun. These solar cells take that energy and turn it into electricity that we can use.
ANNA: People are really interested in using more solar power.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's because right now, most of the electricity in the US comes from power plants that burn fossil fuels.
ANNA: Fossil fuels are things like oil, coal, or natural gas.
ROSIE DUPONT: They're called fossil fuels because they're literally made of ancient animals and plants that were alive on earth a long, long, long, long time ago.
ANNA: After these prehistoric plants and animals died, they slowly got buried under layers of rock and dirt.
ROSIE DUPONT: Over millions of years, heat and pressure underground turned them into fuels. Now we burn them, and they release energy to power our cars, homes, and factories.
ANNA: There are a couple problems with burning fossil fuels, though.
ROSIE DUPONT: One is that we're going to run out of them. It takes millions of years to make more, and we're using up what we have.
ANNA: The other problem is that when we burn these fossil fuels, we put a lot of carbon dioxide gas in our atmosphere, which can heat up the planet.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's why getting energy from the sun is so appealing. We can't run out of sunlight, and it's better for the earth.
ANNA: Here to tell us more is the Earth!
ROSIE DUPONT: Along with its good pal, the Moon.
EARTH: Hello, human friends. It's me, Earth.
MOON: And me, the Moon.
EARTH: So let me tell you why I'm into solar energy.
MOON: Ahem. Let us tell you why we're into solar energy.
EARTH: OK. Sure, Moon. So you humans are smart. You have invented all sorts of things in the relatively short time you've been living on me, the Earth.
MOON: Like you invented telescopes to gaze upon me, the Moon.
EARTH: Uh-huh. Also, guitars, sewer systems, and hot chocolate, to name just a few. OMG, Moon. Remember when they figured out about wheels? That was so cute.
MOON: Oh my gosh, I know. And do you remember when they were super into using horses to get everywhere? I could see all the horse poop in the streets from way up here.
EARTH: The odors were intense. I feel like we've gotten distracted, Moon. What were we talking about again?
MOON: Solar energy.
EARTH: Right, right. OK. So carbon dioxide gas, you humans make a lot of it by burning fossil fuels. This carbon dioxide goes up into my atmosphere, way up in the sky. Now, a little carbon dioxide is good. It's one of the things that traps heat on Earth and makes it warm enough that you little humans can live here.
MOON: But you humans have been making lots of carbon dioxide with your fossil fuels. You've been trapping too much heat down there, so things are warming up, and that's changing the climate.
EARTH: My rainy parts are getting rainier. My dry parts are getting drier. And it's getting hotter.
MOON: So my pal, Earth, would love it if you figured out how to use fewer fossil fuels.
EARTH: Yeah. Instead, switch to making more electricity using the sun, a.k.a. solar power.
MOON: Or get power using wind and water. These are called renewable energies because you can't run out of them.
EARTH: Bonus, they don't give off more me-warming gases like carbon dioxide.
[DINGS]
MOON: OK. This next fact I'm about to share is sure to make the sun even more insufferable.
EARTH: Well, Moon, the sun is really important.
MOON: Sure, Earth, but it doesn't have to rub it in my face all the time.
EARTH: Literally, no humans would be able to see you without the sun shining light on you.
MOON: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, the amount of sun that shines on the Earth's surface in an hour and a half is enough energy to power the entire world for a full year.
EARTH: Dang! That's so great. Go, humans. Harness that solar power. I have to say, solar power has been pretty great for growing plants on me-- 10 out of 10 would recommend.
MOON: All right. We got to go. Earth promised me they'd give me notes on the solo show I've been working on. It's called The Dark Side of Me.
EARTH: Oh, yes, can't wait. Bye, little human friends.
SPEAKER 3: Brains, Brains On!
ROSIE DUPONT: Solar power is a great way to get the energy we need, because it doesn't create so many gases that heat up the planet.
ANNA: Scientists are doing lots of work to figure out how to make this technology work even better.
ROSIE DUPONT: Like figuring out ways to make solar panels that are smaller and more efficient.
ANNA: They're also coming up with tons of new inventions to collect more solar power.
ROSIE DUPONT: Like solar shingles for roofs. Imagine if your whole roof was covered in solar panels.
ANNA: Or what if you had solar windows for your house?
ROSIE DUPONT: Scientists are designing newer and better batteries to store all that solar energy.
ANNA: Scientists are even studying whether giant solar panels in space might be able to send energy back to Earth someday.
ROSIE DUPONT: So cool. Maybe someday we'll be having our nighttime waffle karaoke parties using solar power from space.
[DOOR OPENS]
[BEEPS]
SAL: Rosie, I have completed my assigned task.
ROSIE DUPONT: I don't remember assigning you a task, Sal.
SAL: I assisted you with the extra large chocolate cake, as requested. You said you had so much eating to do, so I took the liberty of doing all that eating for you. I have consumed the entire cake! [BURPS]
ROSIE DUPONT: My cake? I didn't-- Marc!
[THEME MUSIC]
ROSIE DUPONT: Solar panels take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity.
ANNA: Each panel is made up of individual pieces called solar cells.
ROSIE DUPONT: The cells absorb energy from the sun then turn it into electricity that we can use.
ANNA: Solar power is an important tool for helping slow down climate change.
ROSIE DUPONT: That's because it doesn't release as much of the gases that heat up the planet as things like burning oil and gas do. That's it for this episode of Brains On.
ANNA: This episode was written by--
SHAHLA FARZAN: Shahla Farzan.
ANNA: --and--
MOLLY BLOOM: Molly bloom.
ROSIE DUPONT: It was edited by--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sanden Totten.
ROSIE DUPONT: Fact checking by--
REBECCA RAND: Rebecca Rand.
ROSIE DUPONT: We had engineering help from Gary O'Keefe with sound design by--
RACHEL BREES: Rachel Brees.
ROSIE DUPONT: --and original theme music by--
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
ANNA: We had production help from the rest of the Brains On Universe team.
ANNA GOLDFIELD: Anna Goldfield.
NICO GONZALEZ WISLER: Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
RUBY GUTHRIE: Ruby Guthrie.
LAUREN HUMPERT: Lauren Humpert.
JOSHUA RAY: Joshua Ray.
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
CHARLOTTE TRAVER: Charlotte Traver.
ANNA WEGGEL: Anna Weggel.
ANNA: And.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Aaron Woldeslassie.
ROSIE DUPONT: Beth Pearlman is our executive producer, and the executives-in-charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Amir [? Bebawi. ?]
ANNA: Brains On is a nonprofit public radio program.
ROSIE DUPONT: There are lots of ways to support the show. Join Smarty Pass for bonus episodes and ad-free versions of all of the shows in the Brains On Universe. Become a Smarty Pass subscriber today for just $5 a month or $45 for the whole year. To sign up, head to brainson.org.
ANNA: While you're there, you can send us mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK, Anna. Are you ready to listen to that mystery sound again?
ANNA: Yes.
ROSIE DUPONT: Here we go.
[WATER PATTERING]
OK. Is your guess the same? Has it changed? What do you think?
ANNA: I still think it's a shower.
ROSIE DUPONT: Running shower? OK.
ANNA: Or hot tub. But, I mean--
ROSIE DUPONT: Or hot tub? Oh, switching it up. Which do you think it is?
ANNA: Shower because that's more likely.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK. I think that's a really good guess. I am going to stick with my alien signals from outer space. So let's see what the answer is.
BARNEY: Hi, my name is Barney, and I live in New Jersey. And that was the sound of a shower running.
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh!
[LAUGHTER]
Wow, you got it so right. Good guesses. Wow, incredible.
[SHOWER RUNNING]
Now it's time for the Brains Honor Roll. These are the incredible kids who keep this show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives.
[LISTING HONOR ROLL]
[THEME MUSIC]
SONG: (SINGING) Brains Honor Roll
High five
ROSIE DUPONT: We'll be back next week with an episode all about trends.
ANNA: Thank you for listening.
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.
