assignment on alternative sources of energy

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• Renewable Energy

Lesson Renewable Energy

Grade Level: 4 (3-5)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Lesson Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Earth and Space, Physical Science, Science and Technology

NGSS Performance Expectations:

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Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• Water Power
• Solar Power
• Wild Wind! Making Weather Vanes to Find Prevailing Winds
• Wind Energy: Making & Testing Pinwheels to Model Wind Turbines
• Gone with the Wind Energy: Design-Build-Test Mini Sail Cars!
• Build an Anemometer to Measure Wind Speed
• Wind Power! Designing a Wind Turbine
• Windmill of Your Mind — Distributed Energy Goes to School
• Falling Water
• Waterwheel Work: Energy Transformations and Rotational Rates
• A Case of Innovation: Technical Writing about River Current Power
• Stations of Light
• Capturing the Sun's Warmth
• Cooking with the Sun: Comparing Yummy Solar Cooker Designs
• Design and Test Model Solar Water Heaters
• Design a Solar City
• Power to the People

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, associated activities, lesson closure, vocabulary/definitions, user comments & tips.

Engineers have a good understanding about energy, so they can harness renewable resources to create electricity for use in our everyday lives. Mechanical, electrical and civil engineers collaborate to develop new and more efficient ways to generate electricity from renewable resources. They design cleaner-burning engines and new car designs (such as hybrid cars) that require less fuel and result in improved gas mileage which in turns improves our planet.

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Describe sources and uses of energy.
• Define renewable and non-renewable energy.
• Provide examples of common types of renewable and non-renewable resources.
• Understand and explain general ways to save energy at a personal, community and global level.
• Understand and explain, in general terms, how passive solar heating, hydropower and wind power work.
• Describe some general characteristics of solar power, hydropower and wind power.
• Understand the benefits and disadvantages to using renewable resources.
• Explain how engineers design more efficient ways to use generate electricity.
• Describe the role of engineers in energy conservation.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science, international technology and engineering educators association - technology.

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State Standards

Colorado - science.

Brainstorm a list of ideas about where and when we use energy. (Answer: We use energy all the time. Humans use energy to be active – to walk, talk, play basketball, etc. We use energy to power our appliances, vehicles, lights, etc. Cells use energy to perform the most basic life functions. Life as we know it would not be possible without energy production and consumption.)

Energy is everywhere! Although sometimes you can hear energy (sound), feel energy (wind), taste energy (food), and see energy (light), most often it is hard to figure out exactly where energy is.

Energy can move and change, but it cannot be destroyed. Almost every form of energy can be converted into other forms. It is similar to the heat you feel coming off a light bulb while it is on. The warmth is light energy changed to heat energy. Whatever form it is in, energy is essentially the ability for making something happen or, as scientists put it, "doing work."

Where do we get our energy? Well, a lot of energy originally comes from the sun. We get some energy directly from the sun when we use solar panels; however, most energy comes from fossil fuels (coal and oil), which got their energy from fossilized plants and other organisms that obtained their energy directly from the sun by a process called photosynthesis that occurred many years ago. There are many different types of energy, as we brainstormed earlier. Some of these types of energy are called renewable , or can be re-used, such as energy from the sun, wind or water. Other energy is called non-renewable because once it is used up, it is gone, like coal and oil.

Now, imagine yourself having surgery in a hospital and the power goes out. This scenario would be terrible. Fortunately, hospitals have backup generators (designed by engineers!) to prevent this from ever happening. Generators are like storage houses for energy and are usually powered by electricity from coal or fossil fuels. Generators are not normally attached to things like stoplights, railcars or computer networks, which is why we sometimes see stoplights that have gone out. Now, imagine that all of the above mentioned things are backed up with solar energy power or another type of stored renewable energy. This stored power, especially in the form of solar power, never becomes overloaded (which is what happens when the lights in your house or neighborhood go out). The renewable source is always supplying more energy; i.e., the sun is almost always shining on some part of the Earth, wind is always blowing, and rivers are always running. Storing renewable energy for power failures is a better idea because those energy supplies will never run out.

Engineers know all about energy and are currently designing new and more efficient ways to generate electricity using renewable resources. They are designing cleaner engines that use less fuel and new car designs that use electric motors. Today, we are going to look at how engineers can use sun, wind and water power to create electricity to run our homes, cars and everything else. Wow! What incredible engineering creativity!

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

What Is Power?

Energy is the ability to do work (applying a force over a distance), to make things happen, to cause change, or to start motion (a change in position of an object with time). It is the capacity for vigorous activity.

Energy can move (be transferred) and change (be transformed), but it cannot be destroyed. Interactions produce changes in a system, although the total quantities of energy remain unchanged. For example, a power station produces electricity by changing the energy from fuel into electrical energy. A gas-fired power station burns gas, converting the gas' chemical energy into heat. Almost every form of energy can be converted into other forms. But whatever form it is in, energy is essentially the capacity for making something happen or, as scientists put it, "doing work."

Energy comes from many sources, directly or indirectly: power plants, people, food, light, windmills, turbines, fires, electrical circuits, the sun, machines, etc. All energy originally comes from natural resources, most of which originate from the sun.

We use energy to heat houses and buildings, provide light, heating water, break down food, play sports, do activities, operate vehicles, etc.

What are the Different Types of Energy?

• Biomass is the combustion of materials that originate from living things.
• Chemical is used to fuel automobiles and other vehicles.
• Electrical drives many small machines and keeps lights glowing.
• Geothermal taps steam from water heated underground (like geysers) and uses it to spin turbines.
• Hydrogen power uses electricity to break down water into hydrogen gas. The amount of energy released is less than the energy used to break it apart, so not currently feasible.
• Hydroelectricity generates electricity by harnessing the power of flowing water (a renewable resource as long as there is rain). Refer to the associated activity Water Power for students to observe and learn about water related methods of harvesting energy.
• Kinetic is the energy of motion. A spinning top, a falling object, and a rolling ball all have kinetic energy. The motion, if resisted by a force, does work. Wind and water both have kinetic energy. Refer to the associated activity Wind Power to give students an understanding of how wind energy is harvested and used. 
• Light energy is generated from light bulbs and computer screens, the sun.
• Nuclear fusion imitates the method the sun uses to produce energy. It involves the joining together of the nuclei of hydrogen atoms.
• Nuclear fission is when energy is given off from splitting nuclei of uranium atoms.
• Potential energy is the energy stored by an object as a result of its position. For example, roller coaster at the top of a hill.
• Sound energy is created, for example, when a door slams, it releases sound energy.
• Solar energy occurs from the sun (light). Refer to the associated activity Solar Power for students to explore this energy form. 
• Thermal energy (or heat) boils water, keeps us warm and drives engines.
• Tidal energy is when the energy from ocean tides is harnessed.

Other energy sources, for example, include energy created from old car tires: this source fuels five power stations in the U.S. Also, engineers are trying to design new gas power stations (gas drives the electricity generators and then is reused to heat the plant). Lastly, methane that is produced in sanitary landfills may be used to make power.

How are Energy Sources Categorized?

What are Engineers Doing to Improve Our Energy Sources?

Current uses of fossil fuels have catastrophic effects on our environment. Obtaining and using them destroys natural habitats and pollutes the air, water, and land. We can reduce this consumption of fossil fuels by finding alternative, renewable methods of energy production. Engineers are involved in many new technologies that will save our precious resources from devastating long-term effects.

And, engineers are improving the design of factories and products to make even more efficient use of our resources. They are designing cleaner engines that use less fuel and new car designs that run by electric motors. They are studying corals because they very efficiently use low levels of phosphate in the water for energy. Corals have fractal surfaces, and scientists believe that fractal surfaces could make many chemical reactions more efficient. They are working to make machines smaller and more efficient (industrial engineers/designers). For example, they developed fiber optics (thin glass cables to replace heavy metal ones for phones). These efforts contribute to a better, cleaner planet for all inhabitants. Wouldn't it be great to be an engineer making such an important difference in our lives?

Watch this activity on YouTube

Ask the students to describe some sources of renewable energy? (Answer: sun, wind, water) Can they list three specific ways that engineers are involved with renewable resources? (Possible answers: engineers study renewable resources to develop better ways to use these resources for energy generation; engineers design cars that run off renewable resources; engineers design generators that store the energy gathered from renewable resources; engineers develop wind farms to generate electricity for us to use; engineers develop hydropower plants to generate electricity for us to use; engineers are developing machines that are more efficient to reduce the amount of energy, renewable or non-renewable, that gets used; and engineers work to inform communities about what they can do to help conserve energy and use renewable resources.) Engineers work at developing new technologies that use renewable sources to contribute to greater health, happiness and safety of our Earth's inhabitants.

absorb: To be taken into a material without transmission or reflection.

active solar system: Solar power systems that use electrical or mechanical components, such as fans, pumps, and electrical controls in circulating fluids. These systems can be used for heating water or heating/cooling buildings.

anemometer: An instrument for measuring the velocity of wind.

convection: The transfer of thermal energy in a fluid (gas or liquid) by the circulation of currents in the heated fluid causing warmer packets to rise while cooler packets sink.

electromagnetic radiation: Electromagnetic energy transmitted in the form of waves or particles (photons); the electromagnetic spectrum, in order of increasing energy: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, gamma rays, cosmic-ray photons.

generator: A device that transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy.

heat exchanger: A device, such as an automobile radiator, that transfers heat from one liquid to another without allowing them to mix.

heat-transfer fluid: A fluid circulated in a heat exchanger; this fluid gains energy from one region and transfers it to another region.

hydraulic head: The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points; the pressure of the liquid at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.

insulation: A material used to prevent the passage of heat, electricity, or sound (i.e., a non-conducting material).

passive solar system: Solar power systems that do not require electrical or mechanical components; these systems can be used for heating water or heating/cooling buildings.

penstock: A pipe or conduit used to carry water to a water wheel or turbine.

photovoltaic system: This is a system which converts solar energy into electricity.

reflect: This is when something such as sound waves or light waves bend back or return upon striking a surface.

regenerate: To re-grow or replace.

renewable energy: Energy that is made from sources that can be regenerated or reused is renewable.

rotor: The rotating part of an electrical or mechanical device is the rotor.

thermal mass: Materials that store thermal energy, such as water, concrete, brick, stone, adobe, tile, etc.

transmit: To allow the passage through a material.

turbine: A machine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a series of buckets, paddles, or blades on a rotor to rotate.

Pre-lesson assessment

Brainstorming: Ask students to brainstorm ideas about where and when we use energy. (Possible answers: We use energy all the time. Humans use energy to be active – to walk, talk, play basketball, etc. We use energy to power our appliances, vehicles, lights, etc. Cells use energy to perform the most basic life functions. Life as we know it would not be possible without energy production and consumption.)

Post-introduction assessment

Guess the Amount!: Ask students the following questions and ask them to guess at the different percentages of energy use. Discuss and explain the answers.

• What percent of the energy the world uses today is derived from fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)? (Answer: 80-85%. This means that only 15-20% of the energy we use is from renewable energy sources such as sun, wind and water.)
• The U.S. has less than 5% of the world's population. What percent of the world's energy do we use? (Answer: Around 17%. This means that the U.S. uses a lot more energy than other countries. Why do the students think that is? Discuss the amount of toys, appliances and other electric powered items in a single person's home.)
• What percent of the electricity consumed in the U.S. is used for light bulbs? (Answer: 5%. This means that we leave a lot of light bulbs on when unused. Can the students think of a time where they could save some electricity by turning off a light bulb?)

Discussion: Ask students the following questions. Discuss the answers.

• How do we know the energy is there? (Answer: We can see it, feel it, hear it, etc.)
• Ask students to describe where this energy comes from. (Answer: ultimately all of it comes from natural resources (renewable and non-renewable), but it is often moved (transferred) and changed (transformed) in the process. You may want to give an example here like coal being mined from the earth, sent to power plants where it is burned to produce steam. The steam turns a turbine and produces electricity that is sent to our houses via power lines, and used in our electrical items like a refrigerator. Or how solar energy is used by plants to create food so they can grow and then we, in turn, use the plants as food to provide energy for our bodies.)
• Ask students to describe where they get their energy. (Answer: from food) Ask them to describe what might happen if suddenly there was no more food. (Note: this is a stretch for some because generally food is considered a renewable resource and because the food supply often seems unlimited to people in the U.S.). What would they do? (Answer: Become hungry, eventually starve, engineer some new source of nutrients, etc.) How would they feel? (Answer: Hungry, sad, scared, motivated to find a way to survive, etc.)
• What if there was only a tiny bit of food? How would it get distributed? Who would decide? What are some other consequences? (Answer: equal world-wide distribution, war, the rich get it, others die, new source of nutrients discovered/engineered, etc.)

Lesson summary assessment

Future Timeline: Ask students to work in a group to imagine what today would be like if there were no electricity (permanently, not just a blackout situation). Ask them to develop a timeline describing what this typical day might be like. Ask them to really consider how they would feel and what they would do. Ask each group to present their timeline to the class.

Venn Diagram: Ask students to create a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast a form of renewable energy and a form of non-renewable energy. They should provide as many facts and details as they can.

Save a Watt: Ask students to engage in two energy saving activities before the next class period. Ask them to describe in detail the impact these actions had during the next class. You can have the students list the activities or write a paragraph and turn the assignment in.

Lesson Extension Activities

• Write and illustrate a children's story for 8-10 year olds about life in the year 2100. It should describe life without fossil fuels and should identify the energy sources used in everyday life as well as some type of conservation measures.
• Discuss what is happening with our world energy supply from fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. (Examples: fossil fuels are being dangerously depleted, the rich countries receive a larger share of the energy and are more wasteful with it, wars are developing; e.g., the Gulf War, scientists and engineers are researching and developing renewable energy sources, etc.)
• Check out the awesome information and activities/games at Environmental Education for Kids (EEK) website from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at dnr.wi.gov
• Check out some of the activities at Watt Watchers: https://www.watt-watchers.com/student-activities/
• Check out some of the activities and games about energy online
• Play energy-themed games at NASA's Climate Kids website: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/energy/
• Learn more about renewable energy at Alliant Energy's website: https://www.alliantenergykids.com/RenewableEnergy/RenewableEnergyHome
• Read, color, and solve puzzles in the "Saving Energy in My Home Coloring and Activity Book" at https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/consumer/saving-energy-home.pdf
• Try a Nuclear Chain Reaction activity at http://nuclearconnect.org/in-the-classroom/for-teachers/nuclear-chain-reaction-using-dominoes

Students explore the outermost planets of our solar system: Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They also learn about characteristics of Pluto and its interactions with Neptune. Students learn a little about the history of space travel as well as the different technologies that engineers develop to make spa...

Students are introduced to the fabulous planet on which they live. They learn how engineers study human interactions with the Earth and design technologies and systems to monitor, use and care for our planet's resources wisely to preserve life on Earth.

Students are introduced to the International Space Station (ISS) with information about its structure, operation and key experiments.

Students learn the metric units engineers use to measure mass, distance (or length) and volume. They make estimations using these units and compare their guesses with actual values. To introduce the concepts, the teacher needs access to a meter stick, a one-liter bottle, a glass container that measu...

American Wind Association, www.awea.org

Boulder Community Network, Environmental Center, bcn.boulder.co.us/environment/

California Energy Commission, www.energyquest.ca.gov/

Energy Information Administration, Energy Kid's Page, www.eia.gov/kids/

Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics, Boston, MA: Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 2004.

Goswami, D. Yogi, Kreith, Frank, and Kreider, Jan F. Principles of Solar Engineering, Taylor & Francis Group, 2nd edition, 2000.

Graham, Ian, Taylor, Barbara, Fardon, John, Oxlad, Chris and Parker, Steve. Science Encyclopedia, Miles Kelly, 2000.

Milton Hydro, https://www.miltonhydro.com/Residential/Community/Power-Kids

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, www.nrel.gov

Snow, Theodore. The Dynamic Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1988.

Steen, Anthena S., Steen, Bill, Bainbridge, David and Eisenberg. The Straw Bale House, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1994.

Texas State Energy Conservation Office, www.infinitepower.org/lessonplans.htm

U.S. Department of Energy, energy.gov

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, www.eere.energy.gov

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. 0338326. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: January 19, 2024

Alternative Sources of Energy Essay

When will we switch to renewable sources of energy? Such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power. In this Alternative Sources of Energy essay, the author argues that the Sun and wind have the potential to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions. Read the paper to learn about the challenges, limitations, and benefits of implementing alternative energy sources. A particular part is dedicated to the importance of government policies in promoting the development and use of alternative energy sources. Overall, the essay on alternative sources of energy presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of renewable energy and its potential for shaping our future.

Introduction

Solar power, course of action, works cited.

The world has been overly relying on oil as a source of energy to fuel most of its operations. It is important to note that as much as 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuel. Unfortunately, the fossil deposits we have in the world cannot last forever. They will be depleted one day and cause a lot of problems in the world.

Therefore, efforts should be made to ensure that other sources of energy are found so that when fossil fuel gets depleted the world does not come to a halt. In this regard, many people especially in the U.S. have been concerned with the steps that the government is taking towards encouraging development of other sources of energy.

Consequently, the government has been urged to reduce restrictions impeding the development of renewable sources of energy and increase funding of the same. However, to address this issue, it is better to understand some of the sources renewable energy.

Among the proposed sources of power to be used is solar energy. Solar energy is a renewable source of energy because the sun has been there and can only be absent for a very short period of time. On the same note, harnessing of solar energy is noise proof which means that noise pollution is avoided when using solar power (Boxwell 58).

Similarly, solar power is environmental friendly because it does not produce any form of pollution. In addition, equipments used in the production of solar power are cheap to maintain thus the long run cost of production is low. Moreover, it is easy and cheap to install appliances of solar power.

Similarly, the electricity produced from solar energy can be used to power virtually every thing that uses power (Boxwell 59). It is also important to note that the production of solar power does not lead to environmental degradation like digging up the ground or deforestation.

However, solar power has its disadvantages. To begin with, some people have argued that the initial cost of installing solar power harnessing equipment is very high. Additionally, harnessing of solar power is affected by whether and cannot be done during cloudy or rainy days and at night. Therefore, another source of energy is needed to act as a back up (Boxwell 60).

On the other hand, wind energy is also another source of energy that can replace fossil fuel. Wind energy does not emit green house gases which are dangerous to the environment. Furthermore, no fossil fuels are burnt to produce wind energy thus it does not pollute the environment (Miller and Scott 407). Besides, extraction of wind energy is more efficient given the advancement in technology.

The turbines used to produce wind power only occupy little space at the base leaving room for other activities to be done on the ground. Moreover, wind energy is highly applicable in under developed parts of a country and can add to the tax base of the area.

In addition, renewable sources of energy, wind being among them, require minimal subsidies to maintain. On the same note, the cost of producing wind power is constant and therefore prices for wind power do not fluctuate. Most importantly, wind is free and thus cost of producing wind power is low in the long run (Miller and Scott 407).

It is crucial, however, to highlight that wind power has its share of disadvantages. Firstly, wind power depends on the flow of wind. On the days when the weather is calm wind power might not be generated. On the same note, the initial cost of producing wind power is quite high and individuals may not afford it (Miller and Scott 408). Lastly, power produced by the turbines is insufficient compared to power produced by fossil fuels.

Despite the disadvantages of wind and solar power, their advantages are definitely more. They are renewable and therefore they will never get depleted. Sooner or later the government will have to find alternative ways of producing power.

Consequently, it is high time that the government increased its financial support in the production of the two types of power (Miller and Scott 407). Reduction of restrictions is necessary but it might not be sufficient given the heavy initial cost. Similarly, renewable sources of energy, especially wind and solar power, are both economically and environmentally viable in the long run hence the need to invest in them.

The fact that the country currently satisfies most of its energy requirements should not blind our eyes. We will need to think of how we will operate in future. The fossil fuel that forms the giant part of energy source will definitely be exhausted with time.

It will be a great disservice to the future generations if we do not find sustainable energy sources. Consequently, the government has no option but to encourage the production wind and solar energy.

Boxwell, Michael. Solar Electricity Handbook: A simple. Practical Guide to Solar Energy-Designing and Installing Photovoltaic Solar Electric Systems . Warwickshire: Greenstream Publishing, 2010. Print.

Miller, Tyler G. and Scott Spoolman. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions . Stanford: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

• Fossil Energy and Economy
• Differing Views on Global Warming Issues
• The Uses and Working of Aircraft Turbines
• Gas Turbines and Its Types
• Solar Energy: Definition and Ways of Usage
• Reclamation of Grey Water & Refinery Oily Wastewater Using Bioprocesses Treatment
• Role of Engineers in Global Challenges
• Methodological Shortcomings of the EIA Process Undermine Its Ability to Promote Sustainable Development
• The SARS: How Can the Pandemic Be Prevented?
• Water Quality and Treatment
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, April 17). Alternative Sources of Energy Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/alternative-sources-of-energy/

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Alternative Sources of Energy Essay." April 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/alternative-sources-of-energy/.

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• As a template for you assignment

Alternative Energy STEM

In this lesson, students will learn about alternative sources of energy. They will explore the pros and cons of several different alternative energy sources. They will also become designers and engineers as they create an alternative energy source to save their school through the STEM activity.

This lesson is engaging and hands-on, ensuring that students will be excited about learning about alternative energy sources. They’ll love getting to put their design and engineering skills to the test as they create a working model of an alternative energy source. Plus, they’ll be proud to know that they’re helping to save their school money and make it more sustainable!

Description

Additional information, what our alternative energy stem lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Alternative Energy STEM explores the various sources of energy that we can use instead of traditional forms. Students will discover the pros and cons of each source. They will also learn how to differentiate between a traditional and an alternative energy source. This lesson is for students in 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. For this lesson, you will need poster board, markers, blindfolds, containers, and 92 of one type of bean and 8 of a different type of bean for each pair of students.

Options for Lesson

In the “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page, you’ll find several suggestions for additional activities or exercises to incorporate into the lesson if you want to. One idea is to have an expert on alternative energy sources come discuss renewable forms of energy with the class and answer their questions. Another option is for students to track things they use each day that require energy; you can then have them figure out ways that they could reduce their energy use. If possible, you could have students use energy bills to understand how people are charged for their energy usage. This can also be incorporated into a math lesson. One more suggestion is to create a school energy awareness campaign during which your students will teach other students about renewable energy sources.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson. You can use the blank lines to write down any other ideas or thoughts you have about the topic as you prepare.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STEM LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Why we need alternative energy sources.

The Alternative Energy STEM lesson plan contains a total of four content pages. First, students will learn why we need alternate sources of energy in the first place. We use energy to heat our homes, power our cars, and light up buildings. The traditional energy sources we use now are fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas. But the problem is that there is a limit to these sources, so there are only so many on Earth before we run out.

Additionally, traditional sources of energy cause damage to the Earth by harming the natural environment. When we burn fossil fuels, they release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The result is that the planet heats up. Burning fossil fuels also releases other dangerous pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Because of this, people have started thinking of other ways to create energy.

Energy sources that don’t run out are what we call renewable energy sources. Many people also refer to them as “green” forms of energy. There are many types. This lesson describes solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, and nuclear energy sources. It explains what the pros and cons are of using each of these six sources.

Solar and Wind Energy

Students will learn that the giant panels on the roofs of houses and other buildings are called solar panels. The purpose of these panels is to convert sunlight into energy, hence the name solar energy. A solar panel harnesses the heat and light from the sun and turns it into energy that people can use. Utility companies use photovoltaic systems to capture the heat and light to accomplish this goal.

Using solar energy has many pros. It’s affordable, creates lots of energy, and works in lots of climates. It can also produce electricity or heat and produces minimal pollution. However, there are cons as well, the biggest being that it doesn’t work at night. It also uses a lot of space, and some roofs are not built to capture sunlight. Lastly, people can’t install solar systems themselves.

Wind energy simply involves using the moving air in the atmosphere. Scientists harvest wind through windmills to create power. They collect energy through the kinetic energy of the wind itself.

When it comes to the pros of wind energy, the turbines spin only from the wind. It’s a very clean energy source that is extremely efficient and does not disrupt farmland. However, it is dangerous to some wildlife. It’s also noisy and unpredictable, and it’s expensive to build and install.

Hydro and Geothermal Energy

The next energy sources students will learn about is hydro. Hydro power converts kinetic energy from falling water into fuel. Collecting hydro energy doesn’t actually use up water. It simply uses its power to create energy. When a lot of water moves very fast, it can cause a generator to turn, producing electricity. Students will discover that hydro power is the oldest form of energy collection. Many dams were made to help humans capture the power of water.

This energy source is reliable, renewable, and clean (no pollutants). It even creates recreation by building lakes. However, it interrupts the natural flow of the water. Power plants for hydro power are expensive to build. They emit carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere and can lead to droughts.

Geothermal energy comes from the heat of the earth itself. We can find heat almost anywhere in the world. Geothermal energy simply involves moving heat from one place to another rather than creating new heat.

Using geothermal energy is efficient in small applications. It’s sustainable, affordable, and provides the smallest carbon footprint of any energy source. On the other hand, consumers have to be close the heat source. Large-scale geothermal power plants are dangerous to the Earth’s surface. In addition, we would still need electricity to operate heat pumps.

Biomass and Nuclear Energy

Another alternative energy source is biomass, which is organic material from the remains of plants and animals. Some of this material stores sunlight as chemical energy. Chemical energy is the energy stored in the bonds between atoms and molecules. The power inside biomass often comes from photosynthesis, and we can use this power to provide energy to humans.

Biomass as an energy source reduces the size of landfills. It doesn’t depend on the weather in any way, and we will never run out of it. But it costs a lot of use and requires a lot of space. It can also result in deforestation.

Finally, students will learn about nuclear power, which comes from the energy stored within an atom. The nucleus of an atom stays together because of powerful forces. When it breaks, it produces a lot of energy. Scientists have figured out how to capture the energy from a broken nucleus and use it to create electricity.

Nuclear energy does not produce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Nuclear power plants can run without any interruptions, and they’re cheap to run as well. However, they do produce dangerous radioactive waste. It’s difficult to safely store the energy, and the plants are expensive to build.

Our planet will eventually run out of fossil fuels, so we will be forced to switch to other sources of energy. We can start using them now, however, so that we don’t run out of those non-renewable sources. Plus, we can help save the planet by finding cleaner, safer ways to create energy.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STEM LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Alternative Energy STEM lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one will reinforce students’ comprehension of lesson material in different ways and help them demonstrate when they learned. Use the guidelines on the classroom procedure page to determine when to distribute each worksheet to the class.

CREATE A NEW ENERGY SOURCE ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Students will get their creative juices flowing for this activity. They must imagine the school is running out of the energy and create a new renewable energy source to keep the lights on and the computers running. After deciding which type of alternative energy they will use, students will create a list of materials and resources they need to implement their chosen source. Then they will list three reasons they chose that type of energy source.

After preparing this information, students will also create posters. The posters must display the type of alternative energy students chose and a drawing or diagram of their energy plan. In addition, they will list the pros and cons for the school and the environment. Finally, they will explain why they believe this is the best source of energy for the school.

PREDICTION TIME PRACTICE WORKSHEET

For the practice worksheet, students will work with a partner. Each pair of students will put 100 beans (92 of one color and 8 of another) in a container. One person will put on a blindfold and represent a population who uses energy without thinking about it. Throughout the assignment, they will pull beans out of the container. Each time it is a renewable resource, they will return it to the container before drawing again.

The students will predict how long it will take before the nonrenewable energy is gone. They will take out 10 beans at a time and mark in the table how many renewable energy sources remain. When all the beans are gone, they will write how many years it took before the nonrenewable energy was gone. Then they will return all the beans to the container and start over, this time taking five more beans out each year. At the end, they will respond to the two prompts at the bottom of the second practice page.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STEM HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

The homework assignment requires students to match definitions and terms. They will review 10 definitions and match them to the correct term from the word bank. You can choose whether or not you allow students to use the content pages for reference.

Worksheet Answer Keys

The lesson plan document provides answer keys for the practice and homework worksheets. Given the nature of the practice worksheet, the answers will vary depending on each experiment. For the homework assignment, however, students’ responses should match exactly. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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• Natural Sources Of Energy

Renewable Energy

Energy is one of the major inputs for the economic development of the country. Any sustainable energy source that comes from the natural environment is a renewable energy source. Renewable energy is inexhaustible and a clean alternative to fossil fuels. In this article, we will learn about the types and sources of renewable energy.

What is Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy is energy that is produced from natural processes and continuously replenished. A few examples of renewable energy are sunlight, water, wind, tides, geothermal heat, and biomass. The energy that is provided by renewable energy resources is used in 5 important areas such as air and water cooling/heating, electricity generation, the rural sector, and transportation.

According to a report in 2016 by REN21, the global energy consumption by the use of renewable energy resources contributed to 19.2% in 2014 and 23.7% in 2015. Many countries have started to invest in these renewable energy resources as these resources will help in maintaining sustainable development. The amount of investment in 2015 was about 286 billion dollars and major sectors were biofuel, solar power, wind, and hydroelectricity.

The existence of renewable energy resources is spread over a wide geographical area in comparison to the conventional energy resources which are often concentrated in a limited number of countries like the oil and gas are mostly concentrated in the Middle East countries. The use of renewable energy resources in energy generation is resulting in less pollution and has a significant effect on economic benefits and energy security.

Examples of Renewable Energy

We can define renewable energy as those energies which can never be depleted. The importance of renewable energy is invaluable. These types of energy sources are different from fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Some examples of renewable energy sources are:

• Wind energy
• Solar energy
• Geothermal energy
• Biomass energy

Sources of Renewable Energy

The sources could sustain for a longer period of time and can easily be renewed often. Sustainable sources are biomass, nuclear power, geothermal, wind energy, solar power, tidal power, and wave power.

The sources of renewable energy are known to be less polluting and therefore the whole world is looking forward to new carbon emission norms, where carbon will play a major role in developing new factories and industries. They will be rated according to the carbon emission and the products that they are producing will be rated accordingly.

Types of Renewable Energy

• Solar Energy:  The radiant light and heat energy from the sun is harnessed with the use of solar collectors. These solar collectors are of various types such as photovoltaics, concentrator photovoltaics, solar heating, (CSP) concentrated solar power, artificial photosynthesis, and solar architecture. This collected solar energy is then used to provide light, heat, and different other forms of electricity.
• Wind Energy:  The energy we get from winds is known as wind energy. For this, windmills have been used for hundreds of years to pump out water from the ground. We use large tall wind turbines that allow winds to generate electricity. The natural airflow on the surface of the earth is used to run the wind turbines. The modern-day wind turbines range from about 600 Kilowatt to 5 Megawatts, for commercial purposes these are rated with an output power of 1.5 to 3 Megawatts. The most preferred locations for these wind turbines to be installed are the areas which and strong and have constant airflows on offshore and sites that are at high altitudes. The power generated from wind energy in 2015 met 4% of global energy consumption.
• Hydroelectricity:  According to statistics, hydroelectricity generated around 16.6% of the global energy resources and constituted about 70% of all renewable electricity. This energy is another alternative source of energy that is generated by the construction of dams and reservoirs on the flowing water, the kinetic energy from the flowing water is used to run the turbines which generate electricity. Tidal power converts the energy of tides and Wave power which captures the energy from the surface of the ocean waves for power generation. These two forms of hydropower also have huge potential in electric power generation.
• Geothermal Energy:  It is the energy that is generated from the thermal energy which is stored in the earth. The heat energy is captured from sources such as hot springs and volcanoes and this heat is directly used by industries for heating the water and other purposes.
• Biomass Energy:  This type of energy is derived from biomass which is a type of biological material derived from living organisms and plant-derived materials which are called lignocellulosic biomass. Biomass can be directly used via combustion to produce heat and indirectly it can be used to convert to biofuels. Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy such as transportation fuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and methane gas.

Important Questions Asked From Renewable Energy

Q.1) What are the 7 types of renewable energy?

• Hydroelectric energy
• Hydrogen and fuel cells
• Geothermal power
• Tidal energy

Q.2) What are the examples of renewable energy?

Q.3) What is considered renewable energy?

Energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.

Q.4) Is renewable energy efficient?

Renewable energy is 100% efficient.

Q.5) What are the benefits of renewable energy?

There are various environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy. They do not produce any greenhouse gas and reduce some types of air pollution.

Q.6) What are the renewable sources of energy?

Q.7) Why we should use renewable energy?

Q.8) What is bad about renewable energy?

One disadvantage of renewable energy is that it is difficult to generate quantities of electricity that are as large as those produced by fossil fuel generators.

Q.9) What are the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy?

Q.10) Is renewable energy good?

Q.11) Is renewable energy sustainable?

All renewable energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, wave and tidal power are forms of sustainable energy.

Q.12) What is the importance of renewable energy?

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• Renewable Energy

What is Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy, as the name suggests is an energy that can be renewed or replenished. It is often referred to as 'clean energy' because it is less harmful to the environment as compared to non-renewable energy. Renewable energy is obtained from natural resources and processes that are constantly replenished.

Whenever a question arises about what is renewable energy, we can simply say that it is the energy obtained from the resources which constantly renew themselves, hence it is available in sufficient amounts for our use such that it would not finish no matter how much we use it. Sunlight and wind energy can be taken as an example. These resources keep flourishing even if their availability is dependent on time and weather respectively.

Renewable Energy Definition

It is the type of energy obtained from the resources which do not deplete or replenish themselves within a human's lifetime. It is opposite to the energy obtained from depleting fossil fuels.

Renewable Energy Resources

These are those resources that produce renewable energy. They are mostly present in nature. To the question 'what are renewable energy sources’, we can say that a renewable source is a natural resource that either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes replenishes the depleted or consumed amount of resource within a finite time interval on the human time scale. Solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and water (hydro) are major renewable resources.

Types of Renewable Energy

Here are some major renewable energy examples.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is the energy obtained from the sun. The radiant light and heat energy are harnessed by solar collectors. The sun's energy can be captured to generate electricity or heat through a system of panels or mirrors.

Solar or photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity while solar thermal collectors use heat-absorbing panels and a series of attached circulation tubes to heat water or buildings.

Wind Energy

Wind power or wind energy makes the use of wind to provide mechanical power to electric generators through wind turbines so that they can do operations like milling or pumping. The wind hits two or more propeller-like blades around a rotor. This rotor is connected to the main shaft connected to the generator so that when the rotor moves it moves the shaft in turn, hence electricity is produced as the generator operates. These turbines are installed mostly in high-altitude areas.

Geothermal Energy

Earth has its thermal energy stored in it. The energy that is generated from the thermal energy stored in the earth is called geothermal energy. Hot springs and volcanoes are used to capture the heat energy and this heat is directly used by industries for heating the water and other purposes.

Hydropower or hydroelectricity is the energy generated by the use of water. Dams and reservoirs are constructed on flowing water which uses the kinetic energy of the water to run turbines and in turn, generate electricity. Hydropower is also generated by making use of tides known as tidal energy. Also, energy from the surface of ocean waves is used to produce electricity known as wave energy.

Bioenergy is derived from biomass which is the organic waste of animals and plants. Biomass contains stored chemical energy. It is burnt to produce bioenergy. It may be converted to biofuel and then used or it can directly be used to produce heat through combustion. The heat generated from combustion is used to run generators to produce electricity.

Importance of Renewable Energy

The importance of renewable energy lies in the need for renewable energy over the conventional form of energy. Some important points are given below.

Renewable energy is a source of clean, inexhaustible energy.

It is pollution-free as it does not produce any greenhouse gas and polluting emissions which are otherwise produced in the case of non-renewable sources.

The costs for renewable energy are also falling at a sustainable rate opposite to the rate trend of fossil fuels.

It reduces energy dependence on fossil fuels.

It can be easily generated because renewable sources are mostly present all around, there is no non-availability issue.

Both economically and environmentally, renewable technologies are becoming competitive to conventional sources of energy.

Uses of Renewable Energy

The major use of all renewable energies is to generate electricity. In 2018, 26.2 percent of global electricity requirements were fulfilled by renewable energy which is expected to rise to 45 percent by 2040.

Solar energy can be directly used for heating and lighting homes, for hot water heating, solar cooling, etc.

Biomass is also used to heat buildings and provide heat in industries. It is also used as a fuel when converted to liquid biofuel.

FAQs on Renewable Energy

1. What are the benefits of using renewable energy for small businesses?

Making our business go green can help us avoid big electricity bills. Using renewable energies, we can do a handsome amount of production at a lower cost.

As a reward for the green initiative. The company can get tax incentives from the local government. About 30% of renewable energy system installation costs can be funded with the help of these incentives.

This will make the organisation a healthier place to work for employees. Reducing carbon footprint will have a positive impact on both the environment and the workplace.

2. What are the disadvantages of renewable energy?

The higher upfront cost is the biggest disadvantage renewable energy holds. It includes capital cost, upfront building or land cost, installation cost, etc.

Intermittency is another factor. Renewable resources are not present 24×7 and whole year round which is not the case in fossil fuels.

Because they are not always available they need to be stored which again is a bit difficult and expensive as well.

Renewable energy also has geographical limitations. You need to have a large farmhouse or open land to install a wind turbine or solar energy system for their significant use. All geographies are not suitable for renewable technologies.