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Teacher's Centre : Older Children
What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is an integral part of the Government's longer-term aim of reducing CO2 emissions. The Government has set increasing targets for the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources.
ScottishPower is contributing to a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide by operating its power stations as efficiently as possible, using hydro, wind and burning cleaner fuels such as natural gas, renewables, biomass and moving to more modern technology.
Renewable energy is the term used to describe energy flows that occur naturally and continuously in the environment, such as energy from the wind, waves or tides. The origin of the majority of these sources can be traced back to the sun. This means that these sources are essentially inexhaustible.
The key issue is how to extract this energy as effectively as possible and convert it into more useful forms of energy. This can range from directly using the energy from the sun to heat water to using mechanical devices, such as wind turbines, to convert the kinetic energy in the wind into electrical energy.
Biomass is produced from organic materials either directly from plants or indirectly from industrial, commercial, domestic or agricultural products. It falls into two categories - woody and non-woody biomass.
Burning of biomass fuels is considered better for the environment as the carbon dioxide given off when the fuel is burnt to make power is balanced by the carbon dioxide taken in while the plant or tree was growing making it carbon neutral. Burning Biomass can also contribute to waste management.
Why use renewable energy?
Energy underpins virtually every aspect of our day-to-day lives. However, the use of fossil fuels, which currently provide the bulk of our energy, releases greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. Due to factors such as population growth and changes in lifestyle, the demand for energy has increased to levels where the burning of fossil fuels is releasing enough greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to begin to directly affect our climate system and why alternative sources for producing energy are so important.
Theme
Understand why renewable energy sources are so important.
Aims
- Recognise alternative energy sources
- Understand how these sources are harnessed to create electricity
- Begin thinking about turbines and generators
Suggested Activities
Build a turbine. Punch a hole in the bottom right hand corner on every side of a milk carton. Put cellotape over the holes. Hang it from a tree by string. Pour water into it. Take the cellotape from each hole one by one, watch what happens. The water will turn the carton.
