Lesson
2: What are the Benefits of Renewable Energy?
Objectives
Background
Activity 1: How Much Can Solar Energy Reduce Pollution?
Wrap-up
Objectives
Students will explain the benefits of renewable energy systems compared to
conventional fossil fuel energy sources.
Background
Renewable energy has many benefits,
including:
- Environmental benefits:
Because renewable energy technologies
are clean, or non-polluting, sources of energy, they have a much lower environmental
impact than conventional energy technologies.
- Reliable supplies:
Renewable energy will never
run out. Other sources of energy are finite and will some day be depleted.
- Economic benefits:
Most renewable energy investments
are spent on materials and workmanship to build and maintain the facilities, rather
than on costly energy imports. Renewable energy investments are usually spent
within the United States, frequently in the same state, and often in the same
town. This means your energy dollars stay home to create jobs and boost local
economies, rather than going overseas. Meanwhile, renewable energy technologies
developed and built in the United States are being sold overseas, helping to reduce
the U.S. trade deficit.
- Energy security:
After the oil supply disruptions
of the early 1970s, our nation has increased its dependence on foreign oil supplies
instead of decreasing it. Relying more on renewable energy systems allows us to
reduce our dependence on foreign sources.
In comparison, fossil fuels are
available only in limited supplies, costly to extract, and contribute to greenhouse
gas emissions. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while
others result from human activities. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include
water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human
activities, however, add to the levels of most of these naturally occurring gases:
- Carbon dioxide
is released to the atmosphere when
solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), and wood and wood products
are burned.
- Methane
is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil.
Methane emissions also result from the decomposition of organic wastes in municipal
solid waste landfills, and the raising of livestock.
- Nitrous oxides
are emitted during agricultural and
industrial activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and fossil
fuels.
Activity
1: How Much Can Solar Energy Reduce Pollution?
Renewable energy systems are non-polluting.
Find out how much solar energy can reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions in
the atmosphere.
Materials:
- Computer with Internet access.
- Calculator
- Colored markers or pens
- Paper or poster board to chart
results
Method:
- Break class into several teams.
- Each team will determine how
much pollution they contribute to the atmosphere through energy and water use
at home.
- (Hint: for help, each team should
complete the online calculators at this website: Atmospheric
Carbon: What's Your Share? Because every household is different, ask each
team to determine an average value for their group.
- Plot this information on a chart.
- Determine how much pollution
emissions will be avoided by using solar energy to provide a portion of this energy
use. Assign a different solar energy percentage to each team for comparison purposes.
- (Hint: students can calculate
pollution savings for solar water heating, photovoltaics (solar electricity),
and solar pool heating at EPA’s
Environmental Benefits of Solar Energy website
- Chart this information on the
same graph as step 2 but in a different color for comparison.
- Have each team share their results
with the class.
Wrap-up
Lead a class discussion on what
this reduced pollution might mean for your town. Your students might conclude
that the air would be cleaner, the school would spend less money on its energy
bills, or similar things. How can your family, school, and community reduce pollution
by using less energy?
Students will define/explain renewable
energy resources
- Students will demonstrate how
two types of renewable energy systems work.
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