Renewable Energy How can we keep the lights on?

Commonwealth Class

In collaboration with

Renewable Energy

How can we keep

the lights on?

Commonwealth Class

Introduction

Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural

gas) are non-renewable energy

resources, which means their

supply is limited and they will

eventually run out. Fossil fuels do

not renew themselves, while fuels

such as wood can be renewed if

new trees are planted. Coal and oil

release sulphur dioxide gas when

they burn, which causes breathing

problems for living creatures and

contributes to acid rain.

Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide

when they burn, which adds to the

greenhouse effect and increases

global warming. Of the three fossil

fuels, for a given amount of energy

released, coal produces the most

carbon dioxide and natural gas

produces the least.

Carbon capture and storage is

developing technology that

separates carbon dioxide from

the waste gases produced when

burning fossil fuels. The carbon

dioxide is then transported and

stored underground, for example

in old oil ﬁelds or gas ﬁelds such as

those found under the North Sea.

One of the UN’s Sustainable

Development Goals is to ensure

access to affordable, reliable,

sustainable and modern energy

for all.

Commonwealth values: Sustainable development, protecting the environment, valuing the

importance and contributions of young people

Curriculum links: Science, English and drama, design and technology, geography,

citizenship, ICT, personal social and health education

Core skills: Communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, digital

literacy, global citizenship and civic responsibility

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Contents

Overview: importance and scientiﬁc background 3

Activity 1: what keeps your lights on? 7

Activity 2: windmill energy challenge 8

Activity 3: solar heating 9

Cross-curricular activities 10

Appendix 12

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OVERVIEW

Why is it important?

Greenhouse gases such as carbon

dioxide absorb heat (infrared

radiation) emitted from the Earth’s

surface. Increases in the

atmospheric concentrations of

these gases cause Earth to warm

by trapping more of this heat.

Detailed analyses have shown that

the warming during this period is

mainly a result of the increased

concentrations of carbon dioxide

and other greenhouse gases.

Continued emissions of these

gases will cause further climate

change, including substantial

increases in global average

surface temperature and important

changes in regional climate.

Human activities have signiﬁcantly

disturbed the natural carbon cycle

by extracting long-buried fossil

fuels and burning them for energy,

thus releasing carbon dioxide to

the atmosphere. The additional

carbon dioxide from fossil fuel

burning and deforestation has

disturbed the balance of the

carbon cycle – the natural

processes that could restore the

balance are too slow compared to

the rates at which human activities

are adding carbon dioxide to the

atmosphere. As a result, a

substantial fraction of the carbon

dioxide emitted from human

activities accumulates in the

atmosphere, where some of it

will remain not just for decades

or centuries, but for thousands

of years.

The present level of atmospheric

carbon dioxide concentration is

almost certainly unprecedented in

the past million years, during which

time modern humans evolved and

societies developed. The

atmospheric carbon dioxide

concentration was, however,

higher in Earth’s more distant past

(many millions of years ago), at

which time palaeoclimatic and

geological data indicate that

temperatures and sea levels were

also higher than they are today.

Fossil fuels are also limited in

supply. Different estimates are

given for when oil, natural gas and

coal are likely to run out. It

depends on estimates of demand,

estimates of supply available (often

in remote areas) and use of

renewable energy.

In December 2015, 195 nations

from around the world came

together in Paris and adopted a

new and universal agreement on

climate change. The new

agreement aims to put the world

on track to a low-carbon future

that holds global temperature rise

well below 2

C, with individual

countries submitting national

climate action plans. Example

actions include increasing the

amount of power produced by

geothermal and solar sources, and

increasing the use of energy

efﬁcient lighting.

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Scientiﬁc background

to the problem

Energy sources are either

non-renewable or renewable.

Non-renewable energy is

produced by burning fossil fuels

(coal, gas or oil). This also

produces carbon dioxide as a side

product, which contributes to

climate change. Nuclear sources

can also be a non-renewable

energy. They generate electricity

in a similar way to fossil fuels,

although they do not produce

carbon dioxide. Renewable energy

sources include: wind turbines,

solar panels and hydroelectric

power (dams). Biomass is also a

renewable fuel but it is burnt in a

similar way to fossil fuels and also

produces carbon dioxide.

Most ways of generating electricity

work by having a magnet and a coil

wire, and creating movement

between the two. This movement

induces a current in the coil of

wire. When fossil fuels burn, it

heats water, producing steam. The

steam turns turbines, which causes

the magnets to move in relation to

the coil of wire, generating

electricity. Similarly, nuclear power

uses the energy produced from

splitting nuclei to heat water to

produce the steam. Wind turbines

and hydroelectric power use wind

and water to turn the turbines.

Solar power however uses special

material in photovoltaic cells to

produce electricity. Solar power

can also be used directly for

heating water.

Possible solutions

There are a number of existing

renewable energy sources, but

they have different advantages

and disadvantages (see page 6).

As yet, they are not enough to

produce all the world’s energy

supply. There are also measures

that could be taken to use energy

more efﬁciently and changes to

behaviour that could reduce

energy demand.

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ENERGY SOURCE ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Solar cells. Inﬁnite energy supply.

Does not produce carbon dioxide.

No fuel costs.

Currently costly to

manufacture panels.

Not sufﬁcient power at

higher latitudes.

Currently not very efﬁcient.

Need storage methods to

store overnight.

Wind farm. Inﬁnite energy supply.

Does not produce carbon dioxide.

No fuel costs.

Can cause local opposition due to

visual impact on the landscape.

Not always sufﬁcient wind.

Amount of electricity

produced depends on the

strength of the wind.

Better wind offshore, but more of

a challenge in technology.

Tidal energy works by using a

tidal barrage (a kind of dam) and

building this across estuaries,

forcing water through gaps.

Reliable and can be easily

switched on.

Does not produce carbon dioxide.

No fuel costs.

Can destroy the habitat of

estuary species.

Wave energy works by

harnessing the power of

seawater moving in and out of

cavities which drives a turbine.

Does not produce carbon dioxide.

No fuel costs.

Difﬁcult to scale up technology

to produce large amounts

of electricity.

In volcanic parts of earth it is

possible to use the natural heat

of the earth. Cold water is

pumped underground and comes

out as steam. Steam can be used

for heating or to power turbines,

creating electricity.

Potentially inﬁnite supply.

No fuel costs.

Currently expensive to set up.

Only works in parts of the world

where there is volcanic activity. It

can also be dangerous; the

elements found underground must

be disposed of carefully.

Biomass is decaying plant or

animal waste.

Readily available. Only a renewable source if crops

are replaced.

Depending on the type of biomass,

fuel production could be in

competition with food production.

Hydroelectric power is produced

through the movement of water

through lakes, rivers

and dams.

Reliable and can be easily

switched on.

Does not produce carbon dioxide.

No fuel costs.

Currently costly to build.

Can cause ﬂooding to communities.

Wood. Readily available. Only renewable if trees are

replanted.

Gives off greenhouse gases when

burnt.

Can reduce natural habitats.

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ACTIVITY 1: WHAT KEEPS YOUR LIGHTS ON?

Overview

This is a research activity

to investigate the electricity

supply local to you. Students

will need to research online as

well as ask questions and should

share their ﬁndings with schools

in other countries.

Activity

Different countries across the

world have different sources for

their electricity. This can lead to a

difference in the amount of

electricity that is available in

homes and schools. Some areas

may be connected to mains

electricity supplies, while others

may have a separate generator or

run off solar powered lights.

Ask your students to investigate

what the electricity supply is like at

their home and school. If mains

electricity is available, the

investigation should include what

sources of electricity their country

uses to generate mains electricity

(online sources may need to be

used for this).

Sample questions to investigate

and record might include:

• Do you have access to electricity

all the time at home and school?

• Where does that electricity

come from?

• Do you know anyone who

gets their electricity from a

different source?

• Is mains electricity available

in your area?

• What source(s) are used to

generate the mains electricity?

• How often do you use electricity

and for what?

• Do you know how much

electricity your school uses in a

week, term or year? How might

energy demand be reduced in

your school?

Extension: If you have access to an

energy monitor, you can measure

the amount of electricity used in

your school and see what you can

change to reduce it.

Sharing your results

Results should be shared and

discussed with other countries via

the teacher forum on Schools

Online or through your links with

partner schools. You might like to

consider what differences there

are between your area and other

countries and why that might be.

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ACTIVITY 2: WINDMILL ENERGY CHALLENGE

Overview

Students will build a basic windmill

and investigate how to make it

more efﬁcient.

Learning objectives

To construct miniature wind

turbine blades and evaluate

their proﬁciency. To develop

practical skills by investigating

the blades and recording and

presenting their data.

Activity

Lead a class discussion on how

electricity is produced using fuel to

heat water into high-pressure

steam, which then turns a turbine.

This movement is used to produce

electricity by a generator. A visible

example of this process is a wind

turbine. The rotating blades turn a

generator and produce electricity.

You can demonstrate to your

students that a turning motion can

be converted into electricity by

using a bicycle dynamo and cycle

wheel, or a wind-up electrical

device such as a wind-up torch.

Organise students into small

groups for the investigation. Give

each group a copy of the activity

sheet (Appendix A) with

instructions and equipment to

carry out their investigation.

Encourage them to make and test

a range of different wind turbine

blades for comparison using

different materials, shapes or

angles of blades.

Ask them to think about and

discuss the following questions

when planning their investigation:

• How will you make a

fair comparison between

different designs?

• What will you keep the same?

• What will you change?

• How will you decide which

is the best?

• What measurements will

you take?

Challenge your students to

suggest ways that the amount

of electricity produced by the

dynamo or wind-up device could

be increased (greater speed of

turning). They could also consider

how efﬁcient these would be as

power sources in their area.

After sharing their designs,

compare with those produced at

other schools:

• How similar are they?

• Do you think yours works better

or worse than theirs?

• Why might that be?

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ACTIVITY 3: SOLAR HEATING

Overview

Students will build a solar heater

model and investigate how to make

it most effective.

Activity

Challenge students to ﬁnd the best

way of heating water from the sun.

Working individually or in teams,

ask your students to make a small

watertight container. Depending

on the materials available, this

could be a can, a plastic pot or a

glass beaker. They should then

choose whether to paint it, before

ﬁlling it with water and leaving it in

the sun. They should measure the

temperature of the water regularly

at times throughout the day. They

can plot a graph of temperature

against time.

Equipment:

• container e.g. cans, pots,

beakers, bottles

• water

• paint in a number of different

colours (optional)

• thermometer.

Instructions:

1. Select the type of container

you want to use. You should

consider the material the

container is made of and the

area of the container compared

to the volume.

2. Paint the pot if you wish to.

Consider what colour paint

might be most effective.

3. Fill the container with water.

4. Measure the temperature

of the water.

5. Place the container

in the sunshine.

6. Measure the temperature

of the water regularly

throughout the day.

Extension: you could also bring

the water back inside once it

has warmed up and continue

to measure the temperature to

see how fast the water cools.

Share your results

You could share your results

with schools in other countries.

Compare your designs and see

which was more effective. Why

might this have been? How does

the weather in your country relate

to your results?

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CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Research and raising

awareness:

Ask your students to ﬁnd out

more about The Paris Agreement

on Climate Change and the

new Sustainable Development

Goals (2015).

If possible, show the animated ﬁlm

written by Sir Ken Robinson and

introduced by Malala Yousafza

which champions these goals at:

https://vimeo.com/138852758.

Discuss why Goal 7: ‘Ensure access

to affordable, reliable sustainable

modern energy’ is so important to

the future of everyone.

Ask your students to design a

creative campaign poster or

product to raise awareness of this

goal. They could make a piece of

artwork or a slideshow, take

photographs, or create a podcast

or music video.

Role-play:

New developments that affect the

production of energy can be

controversial. Find out about

examples such as The Three

Gorges project in China or the

proposals for a wind farm on the

Scottish island of Lewis.

Research the arguments that have

been made both for and against

these developments. Set up a

role-play debate in your class

where students take on the roles of

characters that will be affected by

the building of a new wind farm in

their locality. Roles could include

local farmers who own the land,

owners of the plant, local

councillors and Members of

Parliament, bird watchers,

scientists, local business owners

and unemployed local residents.

Ask students to decide how their

character might be affected if the

new development goes ahead and

the points they might raise within

the debate. At the end of the

session, take a vote in role for

whether the new scheme should

go ahead and evaluate which

side produced the most robust

arguments.

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Student Energy

Champions:

The government’s carbon

management strategy for schools

in the UK has set an ambitious

target to cut schools’ current

emissions from energy use by 53%

by 2020.

Can you ﬁnd out if your country

has targets to cut energy use in

schools? Encourage your students

to become Energy Champions to

help their schools save energy and

money and combat climate

change. Groups could carry out

activities such as:

• Checking if lights and

whiteboards are left on in

classrooms when people aren’t

using them and computers

turned off when not in use. They

could make and award

certiﬁcates to the most

eco-friendly class or year group.

• Finding out the total heating cost

for the school, carrying out an

energy audit and recording and

sharing the results with the rest

of the school.

• If they usually have access to a

constant source of electricity, try

experiencing what a day or even

a lesson in school would be like

without any electricity.

Examples and case studies of

schools who have achieved the

Eco-schools energy award by

working to reduce energy

consumption and their carbon

emissions can be found on the

Eco-Schools website at:

http://www.eco-schools.org.uk/

One secondary school’s energy

saving initiatives have led to an

£88,000 annual cost saving and an

increase in the uptake of science,

technology, engineering and

mathematics (STEM) subjects.

On some days their energy

supplier now pays them when they

generate more electricity from

solar panels than they use.

In India, the Centre for Science and

Environment also organises a

Green School Programme

environmental audit which

encourages students to carry out

a survey of their school’s

environmental practices to help

conservation and minimise

wastage. It gives annual local

and national awards to recognise

schools who are leaders in

this ﬁeld.

If you are working with a partner school you could:

• Share your posters or products to promote Sustainable Development Goal 7

• Exchange photographs and results of your wind farm debate

• Swap results of your energy audits and plans to reduce your school’s energy consumption.

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APPENDICES

One of the largest wind turbines in

the world is in Hawaii. It stands 20

stories tall and has blades the

length of a football ﬁeld. Follow the

instructions below to make your

own miniature wind turbine.

Equipment:

• straws / lollipop sticks /

wooden rods

• card / corrugated plastic

• ﬂat-ended push pin

(or drawing pin)

• sellotape and glue

• scissors

• wind source such as a desk fan.

Instructions:

1. Draw the turbine blade patterns

you want to use onto thick card

and cut them out.

2. Use a push pin or similar to

attach these to a wooden rod.

3. Place the windmill in the

stream of air from a desk fan

or hairdryer.

4. Measure the number of rotations

in a set period of time.

Share your results

Take a picture or video of your

best design and present your

ﬁndings to the rest of the class.

Appendix A: activity sheet

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Find Out More

Further activities and teacher

resources

• Climate change project:

http://www.metlink.org/climate/

climate-change-schools-project/

• Practical action:

http://practicalaction.org/stem