MATERIALS: ESSENTIAL: Computers for each student or for each pair of students. Worksheets for each student.

Transcription

1 Powering the Future: Investigating Alternative Energy Lesson #1: What s Your Carbon Footprint? Created for SPICE by Caitlin Hicks and Julie Hughes April 2010 TITLE: What s Your Carbon Footprint? KEY QUESTION(S): What is your carbon footprint? How does your carbon footprint compare to people s footprints in other countries? How can you reduce your carbon footprint? SCIENCE SUBJECT: Physics, Environmental Science, Geography GRADE LEVEL: 6-10 SCIENCE CONCEPTS: Energy, Climate Change OVERALL TIME ESTIMATE: One 50-minute class period LEARNING STYLES: Visual, Auditory VOCABULARY: Carbon Footprint, Carbon Dioxide, Climate Change LESSON SUMMARY: Students will learn why energy use and carbon are related and why carbon dioxide in our atmosphere causes climate change. Students will use an online calculator to determine their carbon footprint and compare their carbon footprint to the average footprints of people in their home state and in other countries. They will then think of ways to reduce their carbon footprint. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Understand what a carbon footprint is. 2. Calculate their carbon footprint. 3. Create a table and a graph that show how their carbon footprint compares to the average carbon footprint in other countries. 4. Understand ways they can reduce their carbon footprint. MATERIALS: ESSENTIAL: Computers for each student or for each pair of students. Worksheets for each student. SUPPLEMENTAL: Colored pencils to make graphs. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The vast majority of scientists agree that global climate change is occurring and is due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas emissions, mainly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane. Most of the anthropogenic increase in CO 2 is due the burning of fossil fuels. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide have increased by 100 ppm from 280 in pre

2 industrial times to about 380 in 2005 (IPCC, 2007). Rates of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels were about 26.4 Gigatons (26.4 trillion kilograms) of CO 2 per year in the early 2000 s (IPCC, 2007). This increase in greenhouse gases resulted in a 0.74 degree Celsius increase in global mean temperatures over the 20 th century. Global temperatures are predicted to continue to rise by 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Increases in temperature cause decreases in glaciers, snow cover, sea ice, and permafrost (soil frozen for two or more years), the loss of which exacerbates global warming by either making the earth less reflective to the sun s rays or releasing more CO 2. Global climate change is also leading to increases in sea level, heavy rain events, heat waves, droughts, all which threatens people s livelihoods worldwide. Furthermore, increases in CO 2 concentrations are causing the oceans to acidify, which will likely endanger many marine animals with calcium carbonate skeletons such as corals. In light of this information, it is now imperative that our policymakers act to curb CO 2 emissions. Since the majority of the emissions are due to the burning of fossil fuels coal, natural gas, and oil to power our houses, cars, basically everything that runs on electricity or gas, we have to develop alternative sources of energy that do not release CO 2 such as solar, wind, and hydropower. But we must also curb our own dependence on fossil fuels by reducing our energy use. A carbon footprint calculator helps you calculate how much CO 2 the energy you use puts out into the atmosphere. By making an inventory of your energy use, you become more aware of where you can save energy. For example, it may show you that by riding your bike to work, changing your light bulbs to compact fluorescents, living in a smaller house, lowering your thermostat in winter, buying energy star appliances, or cutting back on your meat consumption you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Energy conservation is cheaper and easier to attain then changing from fossil fuels to renewable energy and is an important step towards lessening our dependence on fossil fuels. ADVANCE PREPARATION: Sign up for the computer lab or computer carts for your classroom. Make copies of worksheets. PROCEDURE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH TIME ESTIMATES: Step 1: Introduce the Lesson (10 minutes). Hand out the worksheets and ask the class to describe how we get energy to power our homes. With their input create a flowchart on the board like the one below: sun (electromagnetic energy) plants under high temperature and pressure for millions of years (chemical energy) coal (chemical energy) coal is burned to heat water into steam (kinetic energy) steam turns turbine (kinetic energy) turbine turns generator (electromagnetic) generator creates electricity (electric energy) Emphasize how energy is transferred from one form to another and how long it takes for the oil to form. The students should be filling out the top of their worksheets during the next part of the discussion. Then ask the students what the connection between energy and carbon is. The answer should be something like when the oil is burned, carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere. Emphasize that when any fossil fuels are burned (gas, oil,

3 coal), CO 2 is always released. Next ask why we should be concerned about the amount of carbon going into the atmosphere. Students should answer something about global climate change, but they may mention that it hurts the ozone layer, which is a common misconception (CFC s from aerosols and refrigerants destroy the ozone layer, CO 2 does not). You can briefly describe that CO 2 in the atmosphere acts as a blanket that makes the earth warmer by trapping in infrared radiation (heat), which is good to some extent because it keeps our earth at livable temperatures (not too cold, earth would be -18 degrees C without greenhouse gases) but in excess is bad because it makes the earth too warm. You may want to ask why a warmer earth is detrimental to humans and other species. The reasons are numerous but include extinctions of ice-dependent animals like polar bears, extinctions of numerous other species, unpredictable weather (drought in some areas, floods in others), increased disease, glacier melt, rising sea levels, decreased food production due to stressed plants, etc. Step 2: Calculating carbon footprint and graphing (40 minutes). The students will go work on the computers singly or in pairs if there are not enough computers (if they are in pairs, still have each calculate their own footprint, it shouldn t tale too long.) The Meet the Greens carbon calculator is specifically geared towards kids, so you will have to do a lot less explaining than for other carbon calculators, which are probably not relevant given that their parents are making the majority of energy choices for them. There may still be questions about some terms in the calculator, such as what a top versus front loading washer is, what the difference between fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs is, and what is compost. This particular calculator breaks their questions up into 5 categories, so the worksheet asks students to see in which category they use the most energy and to think of ways to reduce energy use in each category. Have the students start on the transportation category and from there they will be walked through all the other categories. Once they finish the questions, the calculator will show them how many tons (metric ton or 1000 kg) of CO 2 per year they put into the atmosphere and also break it down by category. They can then compare their CO 2 footprint with the average in the U.S., states, and other countries. They will create a table and graph with their CO 2 footprint, and the average footprints of their home state, the United States, and two countries of their choice. The teacher should go around and assist students who are having trouble setting up the table or graph and also gently remind students to title and label the units on their graph. Step 3: Wrap Up (5 minutes at end of class or beginning of next class). Ask the students again why we should be concerned about putting carbon into the atmosphere and brainstorm with them ways they can reduce their carbon footprint by conserving energy. ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS: Describe specific assessments for EACH objective: o Collect and grade the worksheet. Make sure the students have answered all questions including units where applicable. Make sure their graphs have a title and labeled axes (giving titles and units). EXTENSIONS: 1. Have students come up a simple way their school can reduce its carbon footprint and have them write letters to the administration outlining their plan.

4 RESOURCES/REFERENCES: Carbon Footprint Calculator for kids: Info about Global Climate Change from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Look specifically at their Summary for Policymakers: This summary explains the issues for the layman not familiar with climate science. SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS: SC.B.2.3.2: The student knows that most of the energy used today is derived from burning stored energy collected by organisms millions of years ago (e.g., nonrenewable fossil fuels). SC.6.E.7.9: Describe how the composition and structure of the atmosphere protects life and insulates the planet. SC.7.E.6.6: Identify the impact that humans have had on the earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air and water quality, changing the flow of water. SC.8.N.4.1: Explain that science is one of the processes that can be used to inform decision making at the community, state, national, and international levels.

5 Student Worksheet Name: Answer these questions at the start of class. What is the connection between energy and carbon? Why should we be concerned about the amount of carbon we put into the atmosphere? Go to Click on the transportation category and answer all the questions to the best of your ability. It will automatically bring you through all the categories after you finish the transportation section. After the last question, it will tell you your carbon footprint. What is your total carbon footprint? (remember to put units) In which category do you create the most carbon? How much? In which category do you create the least carbon? How much? Go to the pull down menu to the right of your carbon footprint results to see carbon footprint averages from other countries and states.

6 Create a table showing the total amount of carbon you produce, the United States average, the Florida average, and the averages from two countries of your choosing (remember to use units).

7 Create a bar graph displaying the data in the table you just made. Remember to label the axes with titles and units and to title your graph. List one way you could save energy and reduce your carbon footprint in each of the following categories. Transportation: What you eat: Home & School: What you use: What you throw away:

8 Powering the Future Lesson #2: Lobbying for Energy Created for SPICE by Caitlin Hicks and Julie Hughes April 2010 TITLE: Lobbying for Energy KEY QUESTION(S): What are the advantages and disadvantages of coal and alternative energy sources? SCIENCE SUBJECT: Physics, Environmental Science GRADE LEVEL: 7-10 SCIENCE CONCEPTS: Energy sources, energy types, renewable energy, the connection between science and policy (social studies). OVERALL TIME ESTIMATE: Two 50-minute class periods LEARNING STYLES: Auditory, Interactive VOCABULARY: Energy, Nuclear, Hydropower, Wind Power, Solar Power, Biomass, Coal, Lobbying LESSON SUMMARY: This lesson covers the pros, cons, and hows of six types of energy that are currently being used or being considered for use by power plants in the United States. The class is split into 6 groups who research and then lobby the congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce to provide funds for their energy type. Three students are chosen as congressmen or congresswomen who will ask each group questions and ultimately award funds with the instructor s guidance. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Draw a flowchart to show how a power plant functions from the energy source (e.g., coal, biomass, wind, etc.) to electricity. 2. Describe which types of energy are clean and renewable, which types are not, and why (including carbon emissions, pollution, land use issues, and threats to wildlife) 3. List problems with clean energy (including cost, inadequate technologies, and location considerations). 4. Be able to argue on behalf of their assigned energy source while understanding potential cons. 5. Choose the energy they think is best for the U.S. and be able to support their argument. MATERIALS: ESSENTIAL: Computers connected to the internet for research, at least one per group and up to one per student; Smartboard, overhead transparencies, or

9 whiteboards for each group to present a diagram of how their energy source gets turned into electricity. SUPPLEMENTAL: Cards with the name of each energy source to mark the groups during the congressional hearing; candy as the money congress is doling out, make sure it is in small pieces that can be divided up among each student in the winning group(s). BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The vast majority of scientists agree that global climate change is occurring and is due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas emissions, mainly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane. Most of the anthropogenic increase in CO 2 is due the burning of fossil fuels. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 100 ppm from 280 in pre industrial times to about 380 in 2005 (IPCC, 2007). Rates of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels were about 26.4 Gigatons (26.4 trillion kilograms) of CO 2 per year in the early 2000 s (IPCC, 2007). This increase in greenhouse gases resulted in a 0.74 degree Celsius increase in global mean temperatures over the 20 th century. Global temperatures are predicted to continue to rise by 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Increases in temperature cause decreases in glaciers, snow cover, sea ice, and permafrost (soil frozen for two or more years), the loss of which exacerbates global warming by either making the earth less reflective to the sun s rays or releasing more CO 2. Global climate change is also leading to increases in sea level, heavy rain events, heat waves, droughts, all which threatens people s livelihoods worldwide. Furthermore, increases in CO 2 concentrations are causing the oceans to acidify, which will likely endanger many marine animals with calcium carbonate skeletons such as corals. In light of this information, it is now imperative that our policymakers act to curb CO 2 emissions. Since the majority of the emissions are due to the burning of fossil fuels coal, natural gas, and oil to power our houses, cars, basically everything that runs on electricity or gas, it makes good sense to look to alternative sources of energy that do not release CO 2. This lesson is a mock meeting of the congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce where the Congress is trying to decide which sources of energy to subsidize. This lesson focuses six types of energy that can be used to run power plants and therefore our electric grid: coal, nuclear, biomass, hydroelectric, solar, and wind. All these types of energy have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of their cost, ecological impact, and how developed the technology is (i.e., can this energy be implemented today to run power plants or is the technology still being developed for use at such a large scale?). ADVANCE PREPARATION: Sign out computer lab or setup computers in your classroom. Make photocopies of internet research guides and research worksheets. If desired, you can update the internet research guides with web pages from your own searches. Decide how you will choose the three Congressmen from each class. PROCEDURE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH TIME ESTIMATES: DAY 1 Step 1: Introduce the Lesson (5-10 minutes). This lesson assumes that the students have already learned about climate change and why greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are an

10 environmental problem. Briefly explain what the students will be doing on the first day and how the congressional committee will be run on the second day. Explain what the Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce does and what they are in charge of and explain what subsidies are. Choose a source of energy different from what is assigned to the students such as oil or natural gas. With the students go through how the sun contributes to that energy to how that energy generates electricity for a power plant. Ask your students what they think oil is made of, they should say millions of year old dead plants and animals, then ask where plants get their energy from, the sun. Include the types of energy in each step to emphasize how energy can be converted from one form to another. You may also want to include the form of energy whether potential or kinetic in each step. Your flowchart should go something like this one on how gas powers a car: sun (electromagnetic energy) plants under high temperature and pressure for millions of years (chemical energy) oil (chemical energy) oil is refined into gas (chemical energy) gas is burned motor turns car wheels (mechanical energy) Step 2: Assign the groups (5 minutes). Choose 2-3 students to be the members of Congress. This can either be done randomly, by volunteers, or by choosing the students with the best work ethic or public speaking ability. It will be the congressmen and women s' job to come up with and ask the groups questions about their forms of energy and then assign the money to the best groups. Alternatively, the teacher could come up with questions and randomly choose three students to act as the congressmen the second day. Those students would then ask the prepared questions to the groups. It is up to the teacher and the level of the class. Have your students get into pre-assigned groups either in the computer labs or at lab tables set up with computers. Hand out the research guides for the energy groups and for the congressmen if you are having them come up with their own questions. Go around and have a member of each group randomly pull an energy source (coal, nuclear, wind, solar, hydroelectric, or biomass) out of a cup. The energy source they pull is the one their group is responsible for becoming experts on. Step 3: Have the students research their energy source in groups (the rest of class). Have internet research guides at each of the lab tables with list of pertinent websites to speed up their searches. Each student will be filling out the Energy Source Research or Congressional Committee Preparation sheets. Although each group member needs to fill out their own sheet, group members can and should share information. Highly encourage the groups to split up the research among group members (so one person researches how the energy works, one researches the advantages of their energy source, one researches the disadvantages, and one researches the weaknesses of the other energy sources). If a class struggles with finding the information they need or alternatively gets really into the research, you can add part of or another whole day to research. While the students are researching, you need to circulate among groups to encourage them to stay on task, answer questions, and help with technical difficulties. At the end of the class period, collect the congressman's' sheets to make sure their questions are appropriate and on point.

11 DAY 2 Step 1: (5 minutes) Explain how the congressional committee hearing will work, hand out the Energy Source Comparisons sheet that they will be filling out during the hearing, and let them get into their groups for a few minutes to prepare. Teacher s role: Throughout the committee hearing you will need to be keeping track of the time closely in order to make this activity fit into one period. You should also be keeping track of each group s performance with a grading rubric. The groups can be judged on their ability to work together, equal contributions of members, knowledge of how their energy works and its pros and cons, and their ability to be persuasive. You should also be reminding all students to listen to the conversation and fill out their sheets comparing energy sources. Repeat relevant points as needed to make sure all students are hearing them and to encourage the students to write them down. Step 2: (10-12 minutes) First each group will get one and a half minutes to explain where their energy source comes from and how it is converted into electricity. They are allowed one visual aid for this. They can either draw on a smartboard or overhead or have one prepared slide or overhead. Essentially, they have to explain their energy flow chart Step 3: (30 minutes) Next, the congressmen will ask each group 3 to 4 questions. These questions should cause the groups to explain the pros and cons of their energy source. Each question and answer session should last no longer than 5 minutes per group. The teacher should make sure that questions are relevant and adjust them gently to make sure the conversations stay on point. Step 4: If you have time, allow each group to make a 30 second closing argument as to why their energy source should be given a subsidy by Congress in this statement they can criticize other energy sources (e.g., We think nuclear is better than solar or wind power because solar and wind technology cannot yet power large areas, whereas nuclear technology can. ) Step 5: (5 minutes) Take the congressmen and women aside and discuss which groups should get the money (aka: candy or small trinkets). Up to two groups can get the subsidies. The decision should be made on the basis of which groups knew the most about their energy source and were the most persuasive. A third award can be given out to the energy source that the congressmen think is the best for the United States overall (regardless of how the group did presenting it). ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS: Describe specific assessments for EACH objective: o For objectives one through four, the teacher will be evaluating each group with the aforementioned rubric during the hearing. o To evaluate students knowledge of other energy sources for objectives two and three, collect and grade their Energy Source Comparison worksheets. o To evaluate objective 5, you can ask the students to each write a paragraph or create an add (see below), or you can have the students think, pair, and share, have a class discussion about the hearing, or ask them which energy source they think is best and why on a test or quiz.

12 EXTENSIONS: 2. Have each student write a paragraph in which they choose the energy source they think is the best and back up their opinion with three to four reasons why they think that energy source is best (is it best for the environment, is it the cheapest, etc.) 3. Have each student prepare a print ad for the energy source they think is best. Each ad should include at least 3 facts about that energy source. RESOURCES/REFERENCES: Explore More: The Future of Energy: This website profiles all the different sources of energy. It is a great one to start your research. Energy Kids: Breaks energy sources into nonrenewable and renewable sources and has links to a page about each source. The Energy Story: Scroll down to the Table of Contents to click on the chapter about your source of energy. Energy Sources: The left side of the page has links to pages about the different energy sources. Has videos about each source. Info about Congressional Committees: Info about Global Climate Change from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Look specifically at their Summary for Policymakers: This summary explains the issues for the layman not familiar with climate science. SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS: SC.B.2.3.2: The student knows that most of the energy used today is derived from burning stored energy collected by organisms millions of years ago (e.g., nonrenewable fossil fuels). SC.6.P.11.1: Explore the Law of Conservation of Energy by differentiating between potential and kinetic energy. Identify situations where kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy and vice versa. SC.7.E.6.6: Identify the impact that humans have had on the earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air and water quality, changing the flow of water.

13 SC.7.P.11.2: Investigate and describe the transformation of energy from one form to another. SC.7.P.11.3: Cite evidence to explain that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another. SC.8.N.4.1: Explain that science is one of the processes that can be used to inform decision making at the community, state, national, and international levels. SC.8.N.4.2: Explain how political, social, and economic concerns can affect science, and vice versa. SC.912.P.10.1: Differentiate among the various forms of energy and recognize that they can be transformed from one form to others.

14 Name: Congressional Hearing on Energy: Research Questions Which energy source are you a scientist for? (circle one) Coal Hydro-power Wind Solar Nuclear Biomass At the start of the congressional hearing tomorrow, your group of scientists will present how your energy source works to Congress. You will be able to draw pictures on the smart board for this presentation. These questions will guide you. What type of energy (such as mechanical, gravitational, electromagnetic, thermal, chemical, nuclear, etc.) is your energy source? How is your energy converted into electrical energy? Drawing a flow chart could be helpful. For example, to show energy that powers a car: sun (electromagnetic energy) plants under high temperature and pressure for millions of years (chemical energy) oil (chemical energy) oil is refined into gas (chemical energy) gas is burned motor turns wheels (mechanical energy) How efficient is your energy source at being converted into electricity? Is there a lot of energy lost as heat? Your group will also have to prove to Congress that your energy source is the best and therefore deserves the most money from Congress. To do this you need to know the pros and cons of your energy source. These questions will guide you. List at least four pros (good things) about your energy source.

15 Does your energy source put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? Does your energy source cause pollution or other environmental problems? If so, list the ways it does. Lastly, your group will have a closing statement where you can say why your energy source is better than the other energy sources asking Congress for money. These questions will guide you. List at least one negative thing about all the other energy sources. (Do they pollute? Are they expensive? Do they put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? Are they nonrenewable?) What makes your energy source better than the other energy sources asking Congress for money?

16 Name: Congressional Hearing on Energy: Congressional Committee Preparation As a member of Congress Committee on Energy and Commerce you are helping to draft a bill deciding which sources of energy the U.S. government should support. You have over 800 million dollars this year to give to the energy industry in the form of tax breaks, subsidies, and incentives. It is your job to decide how to give out the money. Tomorrow groups representing coal, biomass, hydropower, wind, solar, and nuclear energy will present on how their energy sources work and the benefits of their energy sources. It is your job to ask the different groups questions, so you can make a wellinformed decision. Answer these questions to learn more about your role in tomorrow s hearing. Use the following websites to get information: ce What does a congressional committee do? What does the Committee on Energy and Commerce do specifically? Prepare at least three questions to ask each group. Use the Energy Source websites to get ideas for intelligent questions. Questions to ask about Biomass energy: 1. 2.

17 3. Questions to ask about Coal energy: Questions to ask about Hydropower: Questions to ask about Nuclear energy: Questions to ask about Solar energy: Questions to ask about Wind energy: What factors should you take into account when deciding which groups should get the money? Tomorrow, when you make your decision, list which group(s) you gave the money to and why:

18 Congressional Hearing on Energy: Websites for Research Today you are going to prepare research for the congressional hearing tomorrow. Remember the more facts you can gather about your energy source, the better you will be able to convince Congress to fund your kind of energy. Use these websites to gather information. Energy Websites that Cover all Sources Explore More: The Future of Energy: This website profiles all the different sources of energy. It is a great one to start your research. Energy Kids: Breaks energy sources into nonrenewable and renewable sources and has links to a page about each source. The Energy Story: Scroll down to the Table of Contents to click on the chapter about your source of energy. Energy Sources: The left side of the page has links to pages about the different energy sources. Has videos about each source

19 Page: Congressional Hearing on Energy: Energy Source Comparisons Energy Source Energy Form Pros Cons Biomass Coal Hydroelectric Nuclear Solar Wind

20 Cleaning Up Energy Lesson #3: Mapping Alternative Energy Created for SPICE by Caitlin Hicks and Julie Hughes April 2010 TITLE: Mapping Alternative Energy KEY QUESTION(S): Which parts of the United States are best suited to use different forms of alternative energy? SCIENCE SUBJECT: Physics, Environmental Science, Geography GRADE LEVEL: 6-10 SCIENCE CONCEPTS: Renewable Energy, United States Geography, Natural Resources OVERALL TIME ESTIMATE: One 50-minute class period LEARNING STYLES: Visual, Kinesthetic, Oral, Critical Thinking VOCABULARY: Hydroelectric Power, Wind Power, Solar Power LESSON SUMMARY: Students will create a map of the United States that shows which regions are well-suited for solar, wind, or hydroelectric power based on maps of wind speed, solar radiation, precipitation, and elevation. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 5. Create a map showing which regions and states in the United States can have solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. The map needs to have a legend and title, like all proper maps should have. (See end of this lesson for map examples from our class). Maps also should have a scale bar and north arrow 6. Share the map with their classmates and be able to orally justify their reasons for drawing their map like they did. MATERIALS: ESSENTIAL: Color maps showing precipitation, elevation, solar radiation, and average wind speed for the Unites States (a set of these maps can be laminated for each group of four students to share), colored pencils or crayons, outlined black and white maps of the United States for each student (provided at the end of this plan as a worksheet). SUPPLEMENTAL: An ELMO, camera, or scanner that can allow students to show their maps to the class on an overhead projector. BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

21 The vast majority of scientists agree that global climate change is occurring and is due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas emissions, mainly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane. Most of the anthropogenic increase in CO 2 is due the burning of fossil fuels. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 100 ppm from 280 in pre industrial times to about 380 in 2005 (IPCC, 2007). Rates of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels were about 26.4 Gigatons (26.4 trillion kilograms) of CO 2 per year in the early 2000 s (IPCC, 2007). This increase in greenhouse gases resulted in a 0.74 degree Celsius increase in global mean temperatures over the 20 th century. Global temperatures are predicted to continue to rise by 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Increases in temperature cause decreases in glaciers, snow cover, sea ice, and permafrost (soil frozen for two or more years), the loss of which exacerbates global warming by either making the earth less reflective to the sun s rays or releasing more CO 2. Global climate change is also leading to increases in sea level, heavy rain events, heat waves, droughts, all which threatens peoples' livelihoods worldwide. Furthermore, increases in CO 2 concentrations are causing the oceans to acidify, which will likely endanger many marine animals with calcium carbonate skeletons such as corals. In light of this information, it is now imperative that our policymakers act to curb CO 2 emissions. Since the majority of the emissions are due to the burning of fossil fuels coal, natural gas, and oil to power our houses, cars, basically everything that runs on electricity or gas, it makes good sense to look to alternative sources of energy that do not release CO 2. This lesson demonstrates that each alternative energy is not a one size fits all solution to cutting our dependence on fossil fuels. Instead, some geographic regions are better suited to a certain type of alternative energy than others. To obtain usable, consistent hydroelectric power, rivers with large drops in elevation (i.e., falls) are needed. Therefore areas with high topographic relief and high precipitation, such as the Pacific Northwest, are generally best. For solar energy, areas that get a lot of consistent sunlight, such as the Southwest are best. For wind energy to be a viable source of power on a large scale, annual average wind speeds greater than 6.5 meters per second are needed, so areas like the Midwest are most suitable for wind power. ADVANCE PREPARATION: Print out and laminate the color maps showing precipitation, elevation, solar radiation, and wind speed. You may want to write captions below each map describing what the legend means and what the units used are. Make copies of the worksheet for each student. Caption Examples: Figure 1. The amount of sun energy the United States receives in kilowatt hours per square meter per day. Red means a lot of sun energy, blue means a little sun energy. Map from Figure 2. The average annual wind speeds at 80 m in height for the United States. Purple, blue, and red indicate the highest wind speeds (>8 meters per second) and greens mean the lowest wind speeds (<4.5 meters per second). Wind speeds greater than 6.5 meters per second are generally needed to have wind generated power. Map from

22 Figure 3. Elevation map of the United States. High elevations are yellow to brown to light brown, low elevations are light green to dark green (lowest). Image from USGS. Figure 4. Yearly precipitation in inches of the United States. High precipitation areas are blue to purple and low precipitation areas are yellow to brown. Map from PROCEDURE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH TIME ESTIMATES: Step 1: Introduce the Lesson (5 minutes). This lesson assumes that the students have already learned about climate change and why greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are an environmental problem. Hand out the worksheets and ask the class what natural resources are needed for each form of alternative energy. During this discussion the students can answer the first three questions on their worksheet. Describe the maps the students will be using briefly (like what the colors mean, how to interpret the legends). Describe how the students will have to study the maps and pick out areas that they feel are well-suited to each alternative energy. Emphasize that some areas may be good for more than one alternative energy while other areas may not be good for any alternative energy. Tell them they can designate the different types of energy on their map with any colors they wish and for regions that are good for more than one energy they can use cross hatching, a different color, a different outline, etc. Basically, they can designate the areas however they want as long as they construct a clear legend so other people can understand their map. Have the students get in their groups and start working. Step 2: Creating the maps (35 minutes). Although each student will be creating their own map, they are allowed to discuss ideas with and ask questions to their groups. Go around to the groups and help students as needed. Most likely, they might need help interpreting the maps. Emphasize that they are not to copy a single map but must combine information from each individual map into their composite map. Also, assure students that it is OK if they feel a certain region or state is not suitable for any of the three alternative energies. They can either leave that part of the map blank or color it a different color. Step 3: Map presentations (10 minutes). If the students are taking awhile to finish their maps, then this step can happen at the start of the next class. Make sure that each student at least finishes drawing their map on the first day so they can answer the worksheet questions for homework. Randomly choose several students to share their maps with the class. Ask the students presenting to justify their choices, such as why they thought region was good/was not good for alternative energy. Collect the worksheets at the end of class to grade them. ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS: Describe specific assessments for EACH objective: o Collect and grade the worksheet. Make sure the students have a key (also called a legend) on their map, that their map makes sense (e.g., not saying the Pacific northwest or Northeast are suitable for solar or that the desert is suitable for hydroelectric power). Make sure the students have answered the questions about their map and that the answers reflect what the map shows.

23 o o Randomly choose several students to present their map to the class. Ask them to justify why they thought the different regions were best suited to one form of alternative energy over another. If you can t show the maps on a screen, have the students share in pairs or small groups and then ask general questions to the class. Such as who thought the southwest should have solar power? and then ask a few students why? they thought that. EXTENSIONS: 4. Have students research where in the U.S. the most solar, wind, and hydroelectric power is currently being produced. Have them compare and contrast the actual data to the maps they prepared either in writing or orally. RESOURCES/REFERENCES: Wind Speed Map (and great info on wind power): Solar Radiation Map: Precipitation Map: Elevation Map: Info about Global Climate Change from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Look specifically at their Summary for Policymakers: This summary explains the issues for the layman not familiar with climate science. SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS: SC.B.2.3.2: The student knows that most of the energy used today is derived from burning stored energy collected by organisms millions of years ago (e.g., nonrenewable fossil fuels). SC.7.E.6.6: Identify the impact that humans have had on the earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air and water quality, changing the flow of water. SC.8.N.4.1: Explain that science is one of the processes that can be used to inform decision making at the community, state, national, and international levels. SC.8.N.4.2: Explain how political, social, and economic concerns can affect science, and vice versa.

24 Student Worksheet Name: Where in the U.S. can we use alternative energy? What does an area need to have electricity from wind turbines? What two things are needed to have hydroelectricity? and What does an area need to have electricity from solar energy? Answer these questions after making the map (see other side). Which region(s) is best for wind energy? Which region(s) is best for solar energy? Which region(s) is best for hydroelectric energy? Is there a state that is not in a good area for any type of alternative energy? Which state is it and why? What type of alternative energy is best for Florida? Why?

25 Look at the maps of elevation, precipitation, wind speed, and sun energy to determine where in the U.S. we should have solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. Shade in the areas that would be good for solar energy, wind energy, or hydroelectric energy with different colors. There may be areas that are not good for any of those alternative energies. Make sure to have a title and a legend that shows which type of energy each color indicates. Map from:

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30 Powering the Future Lesson #4: Wind Turbine Design Competition Created for SPICE by Caitlin Hicks and Julie Hughes April 2010 TITLE: Wind Turbine Design Competition KEY QUESTION(S): How do wind turbines work? Why are there so many different wind turbine designs and what are the different uses and advantages of each? SCIENCE SUBJECT: Physics, Environmental Science, Engineering GRADE LEVEL: 6-10 SCIENCE CONCEPTS: Energy, Climate Change OVERALL TIME ESTIMATE: Three to four 50-minute class periods LEARNING STYLES: Visual, Kinesthetic VOCABULARY: Wind Turbine, Blade, Rotor, Generator, Gear, Amp, Volt, Watt LESSON SUMMARY: After learning about wind turbines and discussing various wind turbine designs, students will construct their own wind turbine rotors in pairs. In this competition, they will get two chances to hook their rotor designs up to a small motor in front of a fan, where the electrical output of their designs will be tested. The winners of the competition will receive a prize. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Understand how wind turbines work. 2. Understand why there are many different designs of wind turbines. 3. Create their own wind turbine rotor and understand the physics concepts that explain why some designs succeeded while others did not. MATERIALS: ESSENTIAL: Fan, DC Hobby Motor ($3 from RadioShack, get the one that needs the lowest rpm), Multimeter (from RadioShack), electrical wire, Corks (from a craft supply store), Bamboo skewers (from grocery store), Paperboard (collect your own boxes), Cardstock, Masking tape, Glue gun with glue sticks. SUPPLEMENTAL: Foam craft sheets (from a craft supply store) BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The vast majority of scientists agree that global climate change is occurring and is due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas emissions, mainly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane. Most of the anthropogenic increase in CO 2 is due the burning of fossil fuels. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide have increased by 100 ppm from 280 in pre industrial times to about 380 in 2005 (IPCC,

31 2007). Rates of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels were about 26.4 Gigatons (26.4 trillion kilograms) of CO 2 per year in the early 2000 s (IPCC, 2007). This increase in greenhouse gases resulted in a 0.74 degree Celsius increase in global mean temperatures over the 20 th century. Global temperatures are predicted to continue to rise by 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Increases in temperature cause decreases in glaciers, snow cover, sea ice, and permafrost (soil frozen for two or more years), the loss of which exacerbates global warming by either making the earth less reflective to the sun s rays or releasing more CO 2. Global climate change is also leading to increases in sea level, heavy rain events, heat waves, droughts, all which threatens people s livelihoods worldwide. Furthermore, increases in CO 2 concentrations are causing the oceans to acidify, which will likely endanger many marine animals with calcium carbonate skeletons such as corals. In light of this information, it is now imperative that our policymakers act to curb CO 2 emissions. Since the majority of the emissions are due to the burning of fossil fuels coal, natural gas, and oil to power our houses, cars, basically everything that runs on electricity or gas, we have to develop alternative sources of energy that do not release CO 2 such as solar, wind, and hydropower. Wind power is a great alternative because it is renewable and does not pollute. Currently, wind-generated power makes up about 1% of our total energy use, but the wind energy sector is growing and the U.S. department of energy has a goal of getting 6% of the U.S. s electricity from wind by There are two different kinds of wind turbines. There are small scale wind turbines made for individual homes, and there are large scale wind turbines used in wind turbines that are designed to power large areas with a lot of people. These large turbines are expensive to produce and install costing anywhere from 1.2 to 2.6 million dollars, and produce up to two megawatts of electricity. The diameter of a large turbine can be up to 90m on land and 110m on the ocean. The small wind turbines cost from $3000 to $6000 and produce one kilowatt of electricity. The large turbines spin only 15 to 50 rotations per minute (rpm) while the small ones spin much faster 175 to 500 rpm. Each need gears to turn that spin into the >1500 rpm most generators need to turn mechanical energy into electricity. Wind farms of large turbines are located in areas of high and consistent winds such as deserts, the great plains, mountain ridges, and the ocean. Turbines are made up of steel (the tower) and fiberglass-reinforced polyester or wood-epoxy (the blades). Disadvantages of wind power are the startup costs, the noise, the view, threats to flying animals, and ruining habitat. Wind turbines can be very loud, but engineers are working to make them quieter and laws exist controlling how far they can be from homes so that people are not exposed to more than 45dB, about the noise level of traffic. Some people feel that wind turbines are an eyesore because the turbines are very large and prominent. Ruining one s view, however, is a small price to pay compared to the damage that global climate change can cause. Yearly, wind turbines cause up to 40,000 bird deaths annually, but power lines and cats cause 100 s of millions of bird deaths a year. While wind farms do take up a lot of land and therefore can destroy habitat, much of the land below the turbines can be put to other use, or has already been in other use before the installation of turbines, like farms and ranches. ADVANCE PREPARATION: Collect all the materials. Make the PowerPoint. Set up the testing station with a fan, a line 60 cm away from the fan marking where the turbine will be held (distance can be adjusted depending on the strength of the fan), and the small motor connected to the multimeter with wires.

32 PROCEDURE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH TIME ESTIMATES: DAY 1 Step 1: Introduce the Lesson (30 to 40 minutes). Give the wind turbine PowerPoint. You can download the shell of a PowerPoint with this lesson. It has facts about wind turbines including how big, expensive, and safe they are (you can choose to include them in the PowerPoint or have the facts handy when students inevitably ask you questions about those facts). It also has some pictures of wind turbines that you should supplement with ones found on the internet. Make sure to show both vertical and horizontal rotor designs and a variety of designs from those large turbines meant to power communities in wind farms to smaller turbines you can attach to your house. To start, make the now-familiar electricity production energy flow chart with input from the students. sun (electromagnetic energy) differentially warms the earth (thermal energy) wind (mechanical energy) turns turbine (mechanical energy) turbine turns generator (electromagnetic) generator creates electricity (electric energy) Emphasize how energy is transferred from one form to another. Ask why wind energy is considered clean energy. The answer is because fossil fuels are not burned, therefore no CO 2 is put into the atmosphere. Next ask the students to sketch what they think a wind turbine looks like and have some share their drawing with the class. Then show the students slides of old windmills. There are two main designs, the Dutch wooden windmill with the building attached to it and the metal windmills often seen on old farmsteads. Ask the students what they were used for in the days before electricity. The wooden ones were used for grinding grain or pumping water, while the metal ones were usually used for pumping water. Now show the students pictures of modern wind turbines used on wind farms, emphasize their size and expense. They may ask why the blades are so skinny. It is because they do not catch the wind like some designs do (drag style turbines, think windmill blades), but utilize lift, the same way airplane wings do to take off. If the class is more advanced, you could use the opportunity to introduce or reinforce Bernoulli s principle. Then show smaller models made for individual houses. Ask them whether they rotate horizontally or vertically and how they work/differ from the large turbines. Also show them a variety of locations where wind turbines are located (next to roads, deserts, mountain tops, the ocean, on top of houses, etc.) and ask them about the advantages and disadvantages of each location. In my experience, the students will have lots of questions and ideas. The whole point of this PowerPoint is to give them some background and get them to start thinking about their wind turbine designs, so encourage all ideas and questions. Emphasize how this is a relatively new field of engineering where people are trying out all sorts of creative ideas and that their ideas could be the next big breakthrough in wind energy. The PowerPoint should have a discussion feel. The advantages and disadvantages of wind energy should come up naturally through this discussion. To finish show them a diagram of a wind turbine to emphasize vocabulary label the blades, rotor (the blades and the hub to which they are attached), gears, generators, nacelle (what houses the gears and generators), anemometer (measures wind speed and direction), and tower. Ask the students to describe what they think each part does. Step 2: Hand out worksheets and brainstorming wind rotors (10-15 minutes). Hand out the worksheet and introduce the class to the materials available. Tell them that they will be making the rotor only in pairs of their choosing. They will get a cork to act as the hub and will be able to design blades, which they can choose to attach to the cork using the bamboo skewers or can attach to the cork directly. Tell