Hands-on Activity Renewable Energy Living Lab:
Energy Experts

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Identify five types of renewable energy.
• Use the Renewable Energy Living Lab to collect data on various energy forms.
• Analyze data to make recommendations for where renewable energy projects are best located.
• Identify the factors contributing to renewable energy feasibility.

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

State Standards

Materials List

Each group needs:

• computer with internet access (or printed or projected renewable energy potential maps as found on the Renewable Energy Living Lab website)
• Energy Experts Worksheet, one per student

Worksheets and Attachments

Pre-Req Knowledge

A basic understanding of map reading and ability to navigate the internet.

Introduction/Motivation

Renewable energy is a hot topic in science today. Many people assume that renewable or "green" energy sources are always the best solution. Today we will explore five types of renewable energy resources and determine where in the U.S. are the best locations to convert these resources into electrical energy.

Why do we need to generate electrical energy? We need electrical energy to power our industries, to move from place to place, to grow and cook our food, and to warm or cool our homes.

Currently, most electrical energy is generated by burning fossil fuels, which has significant negative impact on our environment. One potential solution to this is to use renewable energy sources instead.

What is renewable energy? Renewable energy is generated by resource that do not dwindle because of use or overuse. But are all renewable energy resources feasible solutions to generate electrical energy everywhere across the US? This is the question that we will investigate today.

To consider whether a renewable energy source is feasible, what questions would you ask? Here are a few examples:

• How does it work?
• How much is there/how much power potential?
• How much does it cost?
• What is the environmental impact?
• Is the resource available in the area where we need it?

We will learn more about renewable energy potential sources using the Renewable Energy Living Lab in the next few class periods. We will look at real-world data acquired from the Department of Energy National Laboratories.

Procedure

1. Provide students with background for the activity: Today you will explore five forms of renewable energy and determine where in the U.S. are the best locations to use this energy. However, you must work within some constraints, as in real life. To solve this problem, we'll use real-world data hosted on a website called "a living lab."
2. Pair students to work together. Small groups work best so each student has a chance to explore the data. Give each group an Energy Experts Worksheet as an activity guide.
3. Navigate students to the Renewable Energy Living Lab:

Go to http://www.teachengineering.org/livinglabs/renewable_energy/ and click to enter the Renewable Energy Living Lab.

Review the five energy icons, and discuss why each is appropriate for its energy type. As an introduction to renewable energy, review the descriptive paragraphs about each energy source on the page. Visit the "How It Works" link to explore the engineering involved.

• Choose age group K-12.

  

• Zoom in on your state.

  

• Check the boxes under the Resources folder (located on the left under the Data Layers tab) to switch between the maps depicting the potential for the five different forms of renewable hydropower, biomass, geothermal, wind and solar. Use the icons in the lower left corner to read more information about each form of energy.

  

4. Give students time to explore the living lab before they begin to analyze data. Point out the legend under the Legend tab. Point out the various units and color keys. Point out hot links at the bottom of the legend box for additional resources about each energy type.

   

5. Review the worksheet with the class by reading it aloud. Before they dive into the data, ask students to think about what types of information they will need in order to solve this problem. Direct students to discuss their ideas with their partners.
6. Direct students to study the maps to find areas with high potential to develop solar, geothermal, wind, hydro and biomass energy. Note: Wind speed (m/s) is given on the map as opposed to wind power density. In order to obtain the power density (W/m²), students should use Table 1-1 Classes of Wind Power Density to determine the wind power density in W/m² based off the wind speed (m/s) that they find on the map. This table is also given under the Wind Speed Offshore icon in the lower left corner. Students should use the column on the right to determine the wind power density at 50 m. It is not necessary for this activity to obtain the power density, however if students wish to use that for their analysis in addition to the wind speed, they may do so.
7. Guide students to review the engineering criteria as they go through the worksheet exercise. These include:

• Sites must have a high potential for generating electrical energy from a renewable source.
• Sites should be within a reasonable driving distance, 200 miles, of an international airport.
• No more than two sites may be located within the same state.
• Identify three sites for each renewable energy plant: solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, hydropower and biomass energy.

8. After the worksheet is completed, come together as a class to present solutions and discuss.

Vocabulary/Definitions

biomass: Biological (organic) material from living or dead organisms (especially plants) used as an energy source. Biomass used for electricity generation varies widely by region. Examples: Forest and wild plant growth (trees, branches, stumps), industrial wastes (such as from lumber and paper mills), urban waste (park trimmings, yard clippings, municipal solid waste, animal matter, sewage, food scraps), agricultural residues and fuel crops (corn, sugarcane, bamboo, hemp, wheat, straw, rice husks, grasses, algae, seaweed, animal fats, vegetable oils), etc.

fossil fuel: A type of fuel formed by the decay and decomposition process of dead organisms buried in the Earth for millions of years. Examples: Petroleum, natural gas, coal.

geothermal energy: Thermal (heat) energy from heat present under the Earth's surface.

hydropower: Power created from the movement (falling) of water. Dams are often used to create hydropower that can be converted to electricity.

renewable energy: Energy obtained from natural resources that are continually replenished, for example, regardless of how much of the Sun's heat energy is "used" today, more is received by the Earth tomorrow. Examples: Sunlight (solar energy), water (hydropower), geothermal, biomass.

wind turbine: A device similar to a windmill that moves with the wind to convert the kinetic energy created by the wind to mechanical energy. This mechanical energy can be converted to electrical energy as well.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

Energy Experts Engage: After students complete the ENGAGE section on the Energy Experts Worksheet, a written brainstorming opportunity, have them share with a partner so all voices are heard in the room. Then lead a class discussion to review possible answers and ideas for the prompts.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Energy Experts, Explore and Explain: While students access data and evaluate maps, verify understanding through questioning and monitoring of student work. As students navigate the website, walk around to observe their data. Ask them about units of measure and geographic trends.

Worksheet: As students explore the website, have them complete the data table and questions on the worksheet. Review their answers to gauge their understanding of the data.

Post-Activity Assessment

Energy Experts Elaborate and Evaluate: After students complete the ELABORATE questions on the worksheet, have them share their answers with the class. Point out similarities and differences within their solutions/difficulties.

As part of the EVALUATE portion of the worksheet, pair up partner groups to make groups of four students each. Provide each pair of partners with an opportunity to present their solutions to another group. Then, give students time to process what they learned by sharing solutions. Lead a class discussion to have students compare results. Alternately, have students present their solutions to the entire class and then complete the analysis questions.

Activity Scaling

• For upper grades, have students explore the other resources as well as utilize different reference data.

Additional Multimedia Support

Teacher resources: http://www.teachengineering.org/livinglabs/renewable_energy/educators.php

Other Related Information

This activity is designed around the Renewable Energy Living Lab, a resource of current and real-world scientific data, in this case a culmination of available renewable energy data from across the U.S. The data is available in a database with a graphical interface using a scaling map for viewing of regions as large as the continental U.S. and as small as a town. It is rare that students have access to query such as extensive body of scientific data to support their own inquiry-based questions. Additional background information is provided in the living lab interface including source information used to compile the data.

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program

Acknowledgements

This curriculum was created with the support of National Science Foundation grant no. DUE 0532684. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.