Students can be posed with the question of "how could you take the same energy that the sun provided to cook food in our solar ovens and use it to power _______(insert any one of a number of electric devices)?"

A related demo can also grab their attention:

• Solar panels should be distributed to each group of two students. With a digital multimeter (DMM), teachers can go around to each group and run a personal demonstration soliciting student input. For example, the leads on the DMM can be hooked up to the solar panel when it is placed in the dark (in a desk for example). Students should easily understand that without any light energy, the panel will not create any current or voltage. Similarly, the panel can be exposed to a bright flashlight and students can be prompted to explain why current and voltage now exist.
• These panels are part of the Junior Solar Sprint solar car kit that will be used for the upcoming "Racing with the Sun - Creating a Solar Car" activity and thereby serve as an excellent transition.

Assessment is closely tied to the closure described above. The teacher can directly ascertain whether the students "get it" based on their ability to discuss and describe the behavior of the solar panels. Further questioning can easily be worked in regarding the other concepts such as current, conservation of energy, light interaction, etc as they all relate to the PV cell.