Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Renewable Energy/Answer Key"

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<!-- 1. What is renewable energy? -->
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Renewable energy is energy whose origins are continually and naturally replenished without human intervention. Examples of renewable energy sources include sunlight, wind, and waves.
  
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As the demand for energy resources continues to climb, mankind is faced with the dilemma of depleting the earth's resources to meet the demand. With the discovery of processes designed to harness clean and renewable energy, depletion of such resources will not be an issue, since they are naturally replenished. In addition, these processes have much less of an environmental impact than conventional methods used to harness resources such as oil.
  
===Renewables as solar energy===
 
  
Most renewable energy sources can trace their roots to solar energy, with the exception of [[gethermal energy|geothermal]] and [[tidal power]] -- yet even these can be attributed to the sun's gravity. For example, wind is caused by the sun heating the earth unevenly. Hot air is less dense, so it rises, causing cooler air to move in to replace it. Hydroelectric power can be ultimately traced to the sun too. When the Sun evaporates water in the ocean, the vapor forms clouds which later fall on mountains as rain which is routed through turbines to generate electricity. The transformation goes from solar energy to potential energy to kinetic energy to electric energy.
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<!-- 3. Describe how each of the following sources is used as a renewable source of energy. Draw an illustration depicting the usage of at least 3 of these renewable sources of energy. -->
  
==Modern sources of renewable energy==
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Wind Power is energy that has been converted from the natural movement of wind by the use of devices such as wind turbines. It is clean, largely available, and produces no greenhouse gas emissions.
  
===Solar energy===
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''Main article: [[Solar power]]''
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Bioenergy is biomass energy, which is energy from organic matter. Wood, plants, even the fumes from landfills can be used as a biomass energy source.
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Ethanol is a fuel made from corn, sugar cane and other sources used in auto and jet fuel.
  
Since most renewable energy is "Solar Energy" this term is slightly confusing and used in two different ways: firstly as a synonym for "renewable energies" as a whole and secondly for the energy that is directly collected from sunlight. In this section it is used in the latter category.
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Geothermal energy is energy that is created and stored in the earth. It can be used for heating for large areas, mineral recovery, and industrial process heating.
  
There are actually two separate approaches to solar power, termed [[active solar]] and [[passive solar]].
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Hydropower is energy that is comes from falling water. Most commonly electricity from dams or run of the river generation turbines is created. Other uses are irrigation and (in pioneer times) falling water was directly harnessed with water wheels for the operation of gristmills and sawmills.
  
====Solar electrical energy====
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Ocean Energy is energy that is comes from the ocean, which can be responsible for two types of energy: mechanical energy from the tides and waves, and thermal energy from the heat of the sun. It can be used for generating electricity.
  
For electricity generation, ground-based solar power has serious limitations because of its diffuse and intermittent nature. First, ground-based solar input is interrupted by night and by cloud cover, which means that solar electric generation inevitably has a low capacity factor, typically less than 20%. Also, there is a low intensity of incoming radiation, and converting this to high grade electricity is still relatively inefficient (14% - 18%), though increased efficiency or lower production costs have been the subject of much research over several decades.
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Solar Power is light and heat that is derived from the sun and collected through solar panels. It can be used to generate electricity for a variety of useful applications.
  
[[Image:Solar_panels_on_yacht_at_sea.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The solar panels (photovoltaic arrays) on this small yacht at sea can charge the 12 V batteries at up to 9 amperes in full, direct sunlight.]]Two methods of converting the Sun's radiant energy to electricity are the focus of attention. The better-known method uses sunlight acting on photovoltaic (PV) cells to produce electricity. This has many applications in [[satellite]]s, small devices and lights, grid-free applications, earthbound signaling and communication equipment, such as remote area [[telecommunications]] equipment. Sales of solar PV modules are increasing strongly as their efficiency increases and price diminishes. But the high cost per unit of electricity still rules out most uses.
 
  
Several experimental PV power plants mostly of 300 - 500 kW capacity are connected to electricity grids in [[Europe]] and the [[United States|USA]]. [[Japan]] has 150 MWe installed. A large solar PV plant was planned for [[Crete]]. In 2001 the world total for PV electricity was less than 1000 MWe with Japan as the world's leading producer. Research continues into ways to make the actual solar collecting cells less expensive and more efficient. Other major research is investigating economic ways to store the energy which is collected from the Sun's rays during the day.
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<!-- 4. Individually or as a group, discuss some of the earliest forms of renewable energy. Are there energy forms that might have been used before sin? By Noah? By the patriarchs? -->
  
Alternatively, many individuals have installed small-scale PV arrays for domestic consumption. Some, particularly in isolated areas, are totally disconnected from the main power grid, and rely on a surplus of generation capacity combined with [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]] and/or a fossil fuel generator to cover periods when the cells are not operating. Others in more settled areas remain connected to the grid, using the grid to obtain electricity when solar cells are not providing power, and selling their surplus back to the grid. This works reasonably well in many climates, as the peak time for energy consumption is on hot, sunny days where air conditioners are running and solar cells produce their maximum power output. Many U.S. states have passed "net metering" laws, requiring electrical utilities to buy the locally-generated electricity for price comparable to that sold to the household. Photovoltaic generation is still considerably more expensive for the consumer than grid electricity unless the usage site is sufficiently isolated, in which case photovoltaics become the less expensive.
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The earliest form of renewable energy was probably the burning of biomass in the form of wood and dried animal dung. The fuel could be stored, and energy was available for immediate use, but the energy could not be kept in storage for afterwards.
  
====Centralization and decentralization====
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Some people believe that the pre-flood culture had advanced technologies. Out of place artifacts like machined balls and gold chains inside coal suggest this. Consider how much knowledge a person living hundreds of years and so close to God's perfect creation of Adam and Eve could amass and what they could create with that knowledge. The world had one language as well, and many overlapping generations, facilitating communication.
  
Frequently renewable electricity sources are disadvantaged by regulation of the electricity supply industry which favors 'traditional' large-scale generators over smaller-scale and more distributed generating sources.
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Additional references are available from the Bible which can provide further insight into this. For example, the sun, the movement of water through rivers, etc.
  
====Solar thermal electric energy====
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For this requirement, you will need to research the history of renewable energy, and then present your findings using one of the techniques listed in the requirement.
  
The second method for utilizing solar energy is solar thermal. A solar thermal power plant has a system of [[mirror]]s to concentrate the sunlight on to an absorber, the resulting heat then being used to drive turbines. The concentrator is usually a long mirrored [[parabolic trough]] oriented north-south, which tilts, tracking the Sun's path through the day. A black absorber tube is located at the focal point and converts the solar radiation to heat (about 400 °C) which is transferred into a fluid such as synthetic oil. The oil can be used to heat buildings or water, or it can be used to drive a conventional turbine and generator. Several such installations in modules of 80 MW are now operating. Each module requires about 0.5 km&sup2; of land and needs very precise engineering and control. These plants are supplemented by a gas-fired boiler which ensures full-time energy output. The gas generates about a quarter of the overall power output and keeps the system warm overnight. Over 800 MWe capacity worldwide has supplied about 80% of the total solar electricity to the mid-[[1990s]].
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Prior to the development of coal in the mid 19th century, nearly all energy used was renewable. Almost without a doubt the oldest known use of renewable energy, in the form of traditional biomass to fuel fires, dates from the beginning of history.
  
One proposal for a solar electrical plant is the [[solar tower]], in which a large area of land would be covered by a greenhouse made of something as simple as transparent foil, with a tall lightweight tower in the center, which could also be composed largely of foil. The heated air would rush to and up the center tower, spinning a turbine. A system of water pipes placed throughout the greenhouse would allow the capture of excess thermal energy, to be released throughout the night and thus providing 24-hour power production. A 200 MWe tower is proposed near Mildura, Australia.
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Probably the second oldest usage of renewable energy is harnessing the wind in order to drive ships over water. This practice can be traced back to ships on the Nile.
  
====Solar thermal energy====
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The primary sources of traditional renewable energy were human labor, animal power, water power, wind, in grain crushing windmills, and firewood, a traditional biomass. A graph of energy use in the United States up until 1900 shows oil and natural gas with about the same importance in 1900 as wind and solar played in 2010.
  
Solar energy need not be converted to electricity for use. Many of the world's energy needs are simply for heat; space heating, water heating, process water heating, oven heating, and so forth. The main role of solar energy in the future may be that of direct heating. Much of society's energy need is for heat below 60 °C (140 °F) - e.g. in hot water systems. A lot more, particularly in industry, is for heat in the range 60 - 110 °C. Together these may account for a significant proportion of primary energy use in industrialized nations. The first need can readily be supplied by solar power much of the time in some places, and the second application commercially is probably not far off. Such uses will diminish to some extent both the demand for electricity and the consumption of fossil fuels, particularly if coupled with [[energy conservation]] measures such as [[insulation]].
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By 1873, concerns of running out of coal prompted experiments with using solar energy. Development of solar engines continued until the outbreak of World War I. The importance of solar energy was recognized in a 1911 Scientific American article: "in the far distant future, natural fuels having been exhausted [solar power] will remain as the only means of existence of the human race".
  
=====Solar water heating=====
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The theory of peak oil was published in 1956. In the 1970s environmentalists promoted the development of renewable energy both as a replacement for the eventual depletion of oil, as well as for an escape from dependence on oil, and the first electricity generating wind turbines appeared. Solar had long been used for heating and cooling, but solar panels were too costly to build solar farms until 1980.
  
Domestic solar hot water systems were once common in [[Florida]] until they were displaced by highly-advertised natural gas. Such systems are today common in the hotter areas of [[Australia]], and simply consist of a network of dark-colored pipes running beneath a window of heat-trapping [[glass]]. They typically have a backup electric or gas heating unit for cloudy days. Such systems can actually be justified purely on economic grounds, particularly in some remoter areas of Australia where electricity is expensive.
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The source of most renewable energy comes from the sun.
  
=====Solar heat pumps=====
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Renewable energy such as solar energy can be used to supply power larger communities through a solar power station. Tanks of molten salt can be used to store the energy harnessed from the sun for the purpose of generating electricity during cloud cover, or through the night. Renewable energy can also be used for agricultural purposes, providing social services, education, and health care.
  
With adequate insulation, [[heat pump]]s utilizing the conventional refrigeration cycle can be used to warm and cool buildings, with very little energy input other than energy needed to run a compressor. Eventually, up to ten percent of the total primary energy need in industrialized countries may be supplied by direct solar thermal techniques, and to some extent this will substitute for base-load electrical energy.
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Fuel made from bio sources like corn is now a common ingredient in automotive fuel.  
  
=====Solar ovens=====
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Hydro electric power (electricity) is a renewable energy used everywhere the grid goes.
  
Large scale solar thermal power plants, as mentioned before, can be used to heat buildings, but on a smaller scale [[solar oven]]s can be used on sunny days. Such an oven or solar furnace uses mirrors or a large lens to focus the Sun's rays onto a baking tray or black pot which heats up as it would in a standard oven.
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There are positive incentives for governments to invest in renewable energy sources.
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===The Overall Impact on the Planet=== <!--T:27-->
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Most sources of renewable energy pose no noxious by-products (the main exception being the burning of biomass). As a result, there is less pollution, waste, and less of a threat concerning extremely destructive natural disasters.
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The reality of global warming has also become a considerable factor with regard to the harmful effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the balance of the planet’s ecosystem. The less CO2, the better of our planet would be.
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===The Failure of its Technology More Minimized=== <!--T:29-->
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The technology used to harness energy from renewable resources is essentially stable. As a result, insurance companies are more inclined to issue warranties for performance of panels and turbines for 20 years or more. Once these items are installed, they can be relied upon to start working straight away and not stop for years.
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<!-- 9. What are some of the issues facing the use of renewable energy? What are some of the advantages and potential disadvantages of moving away from fossil fuel energy sources to renewable energy? -->
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Although renewable energy has many advantages with regard to its environmental impact, there are concerns that must be considered as well. The ability to supply energy to meet the demand may pose a problem. Providing renewable energy requires designing and building equipment that will harness and extract it once found. The entire manufacturing process must be considered as well.
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The general population has grown accustomed to current resources such as oil for heating. As such, although the development of an cleaner, alternative means that present less of an environmental impact may not gain the momentum desired. Some renewable resources have not been around long and tested long enough for individuals to give up what they are comfortable with for something that may be cleaner.
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<!-- 10. Individually or as a group, build, not from a kit, a device to harness some form of renewable energy. These devices may include:<br>a. Potato clock<br>b. Solar or wind powered motor<br>c. Hydropower lift<br>d. Your choice. -->
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Note: Internet search engines provide tons of information when you type one of the sources of renewable power and “science experiment.” Thus for hydropower you would search for “hydropower science experiment.”
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<!-- 11. Brainstorm a list of at least four Biblical texts/stories that illustrate the use of renewable energy. -->
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===Wind - to move ships through the waters.=== <!--T:34-->
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{{Bible verse
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“But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”
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===In Job, Satan used a wind power for evil.=== <!--T:35-->
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“And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
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===Biomass - from firewood=== <!--T:36-->
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{{Bible verse
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“And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar.”
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}}
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|book=1 Kings
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|version=KJV
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|text=
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“And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
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So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
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}}
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{{Bible verse
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|book=2 Kings
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|chapter=1
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|verse=12
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|version=KJV
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|text=
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“And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
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[[Category:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Do at home{{GetLangSuffix}}]]
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Latest revision as of 23:36, 3 January 2023

Other languages:
English • ‎español
Renewable Energy

Skill Level

2

Year

2014

Version

30.12.2025

Approval authority

General Conference

Renewable Energy AY Honor.png
Renewable Energy
Nature
Skill Level
123
Approval authority
General Conference
Year of Introduction
2014
See also


1

What is renewable energy?


Renewable energy is energy whose origins are continually and naturally replenished without human intervention. Examples of renewable energy sources include sunlight, wind, and waves.


2

Why is renewable energy important?


As the demand for energy resources continues to climb, mankind is faced with the dilemma of depleting the earth's resources to meet the demand. With the discovery of processes designed to harness clean and renewable energy, depletion of such resources will not be an issue, since they are naturally replenished. In addition, these processes have much less of an environmental impact than conventional methods used to harness resources such as oil.



3

Describe how each of the following sources is used as a renewable source of energy. Draw an illustration depicting the usage of at least 3 of these renewable sources of energy.



3a

Wind Power


Wind Power is energy that has been converted from the natural movement of wind by the use of devices such as wind turbines. It is clean, largely available, and produces no greenhouse gas emissions.


3b

Bioenergy


Bioenergy is biomass energy, which is energy from organic matter. Wood, plants, even the fumes from landfills can be used as a biomass energy source. Ethanol is a fuel made from corn, sugar cane and other sources used in auto and jet fuel.


3c

Geothermal Energy


Geothermal energy is energy that is created and stored in the earth. It can be used for heating for large areas, mineral recovery, and industrial process heating.


3d

Hydropower


Hydropower is energy that is comes from falling water. Most commonly electricity from dams or run of the river generation turbines is created. Other uses are irrigation and (in pioneer times) falling water was directly harnessed with water wheels for the operation of gristmills and sawmills.


3e

Ocean Energy


Ocean Energy is energy that is comes from the ocean, which can be responsible for two types of energy: mechanical energy from the tides and waves, and thermal energy from the heat of the sun. It can be used for generating electricity.


3f

Solar Power


Solar Power is light and heat that is derived from the sun and collected through solar panels. It can be used to generate electricity for a variety of useful applications.




4

Individually or as a group, discuss some of the earliest forms of renewable energy. Are there energy forms that might have been used before sin? By Noah? By the patriarchs?


The earliest form of renewable energy was probably the burning of biomass in the form of wood and dried animal dung. The fuel could be stored, and energy was available for immediate use, but the energy could not be kept in storage for afterwards.

Some people believe that the pre-flood culture had advanced technologies. Out of place artifacts like machined balls and gold chains inside coal suggest this. Consider how much knowledge a person living hundreds of years and so close to God's perfect creation of Adam and Eve could amass and what they could create with that knowledge. The world had one language as well, and many overlapping generations, facilitating communication.

Additional references are available from the Bible which can provide further insight into this. For example, the sun, the movement of water through rivers, etc.


5

Individually or as a group, show at least five important events in the history of renewable energy through:
a. Presentation
b. Video
c. Interactive game
d. Speech
e. Display


For this requirement, you will need to research the history of renewable energy, and then present your findings using one of the techniques listed in the requirement.

Prior to the development of coal in the mid 19th century, nearly all energy used was renewable. Almost without a doubt the oldest known use of renewable energy, in the form of traditional biomass to fuel fires, dates from the beginning of history.

Probably the second oldest usage of renewable energy is harnessing the wind in order to drive ships over water. This practice can be traced back to ships on the Nile.

The primary sources of traditional renewable energy were human labor, animal power, water power, wind, in grain crushing windmills, and firewood, a traditional biomass. A graph of energy use in the United States up until 1900 shows oil and natural gas with about the same importance in 1900 as wind and solar played in 2010.

By 1873, concerns of running out of coal prompted experiments with using solar energy. Development of solar engines continued until the outbreak of World War I. The importance of solar energy was recognized in a 1911 Scientific American article: "in the far distant future, natural fuels having been exhausted [solar power] will remain as the only means of existence of the human race".

The theory of peak oil was published in 1956. In the 1970s environmentalists promoted the development of renewable energy both as a replacement for the eventual depletion of oil, as well as for an escape from dependence on oil, and the first electricity generating wind turbines appeared. Solar had long been used for heating and cooling, but solar panels were too costly to build solar farms until 1980.


6

Discover the source of most reusable energy.


The source of most renewable energy comes from the sun.


7

What are some commercial and industrial uses of renewable energy?


Renewable energy such as solar energy can be used to supply power larger communities through a solar power station. Tanks of molten salt can be used to store the energy harnessed from the sun for the purpose of generating electricity during cloud cover, or through the night. Renewable energy can also be used for agricultural purposes, providing social services, education, and health care.

Fuel made from bio sources like corn is now a common ingredient in automotive fuel.

Hydro electric power (electricity) is a renewable energy used everywhere the grid goes.


8

Why have many governments invested in renewable energy sources? Be able to cite at least two examples.


There are positive incentives for governments to invest in renewable energy sources.

The Overall Impact on the Planet

Most sources of renewable energy pose no noxious by-products (the main exception being the burning of biomass). As a result, there is less pollution, waste, and less of a threat concerning extremely destructive natural disasters.

The reality of global warming has also become a considerable factor with regard to the harmful effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the balance of the planet’s ecosystem. The less CO2, the better of our planet would be.

The Failure of its Technology More Minimized

The technology used to harness energy from renewable resources is essentially stable. As a result, insurance companies are more inclined to issue warranties for performance of panels and turbines for 20 years or more. Once these items are installed, they can be relied upon to start working straight away and not stop for years.


9

What are some of the issues facing the use of renewable energy? What are some of the advantages and potential disadvantages of moving away from fossil fuel energy sources to renewable energy?


Although renewable energy has many advantages with regard to its environmental impact, there are concerns that must be considered as well. The ability to supply energy to meet the demand may pose a problem. Providing renewable energy requires designing and building equipment that will harness and extract it once found. The entire manufacturing process must be considered as well.

The general population has grown accustomed to current resources such as oil for heating. As such, although the development of an cleaner, alternative means that present less of an environmental impact may not gain the momentum desired. Some renewable resources have not been around long and tested long enough for individuals to give up what they are comfortable with for something that may be cleaner.


10

Individually or as a group, build, not from a kit, a device to harness some form of renewable energy. These devices may include:
a. Potato clock
b. Solar or wind powered motor
c. Hydropower lift
d. Your choice


Note: Internet search engines provide tons of information when you type one of the sources of renewable power and “science experiment.” Thus for hydropower you would search for “hydropower science experiment.”


11

Brainstorm a list of at least four Biblical texts/stories that illustrate the use of renewable energy.


Wind - to move ships through the waters.


“But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”
Jonah 1:4 (KJV)

In Job, Satan used a wind power for evil.


“And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
Job 1:19 (KJV)

Biomass - from firewood


“And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar.”
Leviticus 1:6-8 (KJV)



“And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
1 Kings 17:10-12 (KJV)



“And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
2 Kings 1:12 (KJV)



References