Energy Resources and Systems
Rooftop photovoltaic panels provide a low-cost, renewable energy source to homes and buildings.Copyright Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, House of Representatives, US Congress http://giffords.house.gov/legis/solar-events.shtml
Several activities are included to teach and research the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources and various energy resources. Students work with a quantitative, but simple model of energy resources to show how rapidly finite, non-renewable energy sources can be depleted, compared to the ongoing availability of renewable resources. Then they complete a homework assignment (or a longer, in-depth research project) to learn how various technologies capture energy resources for human uses, and their pros and cons. Fact sheets help them get started on their investigations of assigned energy sources.
Engineers are primarily responsible for the research, development and design of the equipment that captures energy from renewable and fossil fuel resources for human use. Given the eventual decline in the availability of fossil fuel resources, engineers are currently designing technologies for capturing renewable energy resources that are more efficient, reliable and economically competitive.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify at least five sources of energy.
- Explain why an increased dependence on renewable energy sources is an inevitable part of our future.
- Describe how the depletion of fossil fuels is a serious global issue.
- Graphically represent data and explain the trends.
- Use and explain a mathematical model of a real-life phenomenon.
- Identify and describe the parts of an energy system.