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Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Next Generation Science StandardsNGSS Science and Engineering Practices:
Askingquestionsanddefiningproblems Developingandusingmodels Planningandcarryingoutinvestigations Analyzingandinterpretingdata Usingmathematicsandcomputational thinking Constructingexplanationsanddesigning solutions Engaginginargumentfromevidence Obtaining,evaluating,andcommunicating information
NGSS Cross-cutting Concepts:
Patterns Causeandeffect Scale,proportion,andquantity Systemsandsystemmodels Energyandmatter Structureandfunction Stabilityandchange
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas:
ESS3.CHumanImpactsonEarthSystems
ESS3.DGlobalClimateChange
Initial Prep TimeWillvarysubstantiallydependingonnumberofexperiments,5-20minutespergroup
Lesson Time1–5classperiods,dependingonexperimentscompleted
Assembly Requirements• Scissors• SmallPhillips-headscrewdriver(inEnergyBox)• Smallhexwrench(inEnergyBox)
Materials (for each lab group):
• HorizonEnergyBox• Reagents:
• Distilledwater• Ethanol• Tablesalt• Ice
• AABatteries• Variousbeakers• Hotplateorotherheatingdevice
• Electricfan• Hairdryerorsmallspaceheater• MeasuringDevices:
• Metricruler• Celsiusthermometer• Balance• Protrator• Stopwatch
Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Lab Setup
• Werecommendcompletingstep1inExperiment2andsteps1and2inExperiment3intheAssemblyGuideforeachelectrolyzersoyourstudentsdonothavetoassemblethefan,cuttubing,orfilltheelectrolyzerinitially.
• Labincludessmallpartsthatcangomissingeasily.Setuparesourceareaforeachlabtableorfortheentireclasstominimizelostpieces.
• Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstoamultimeterorHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitor,omittheMeasurementssectionofthisactivity.
Safety
• Batterypackscanshortoutandheatupiftheredandblackcontactstoucheachotherwhiletheunitisintheonposition.Besuretokeepthemoffwhennotinuse.
• Usingregulartapwaterinsteadofdistilledwaterwillseverelyshortenthelifespanofthefuelcells.Distilledwatercanbefoundatmostpharmaciesordrugstores.
• Runningelectriccurrentthroughdryfuelcellsorattachingthebatterypacksbackwardscandestroythefuelcells.Besuretoalwaysconnectredtoredandblacktoblack.
• Bewareofwaterspills,anddon’tbesurprisedifsomeonetriestostartasyringewaterfight.
Notes on the Renewable Energy Science Kit: • Directsunlight,orastrongelectriclight,isnecessaryforoperation.Overcastandindirectsunlightmaynot
providesufficientenergy.Besureanyartificiallightsourceisclosetothesolarpanel.
• BesuretolineupthegapsontheinnercylindersoftheH2andO2tankssothatbubblescanescape.
• YoumayneedtoinjectmorewaterintotheO2sideofthecelliftheelectrolysisreactionisbeingsluggish.Wait3minutesandthentryagain.
Common Problems
• Themotor’sfansometimesneedsalittlepushtogetstarted.
• Ifthere’shydrogenleftbutthemotordoesn’trun,youmayhavetopurgethefuelcell.Unplugtheblackplugandthenquicklyreplaceittopurgeimpuregases.
• If thewater level doesn’t changeafterpurging the cells,make sure the gapson thebaseof the innercylindersareopensothatwatercanfillthem.
Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Goals ᄏ Assembleandexperimentwithdifferenttypesofrenewableenergygenerators ᄏ Understandtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofdifferentgenerators ᄏ Makecalculationsbasedondata
BackgroundFormost of human history, almost all energywasrenewable.Heatandlightwerecreatedbyburningbiomass, first in wood fires and then in wood-burning stoves. Transportation was provided byourown feetorbyanimals suchashorses. Winddroveourshipsandranourmills. Spinningwaterwheelspoweredourindustries.Thoughoilandcoalhadbeenknownaboutsinceancienttimes,itwasn’tuntil the Industrial Revolution that they becameimportantenergysources.
Even in theearliestyearsof the20thcentury,coaland oil were relativelyminor parts of the averageperson’senergyusage. Though factoriespoweredby coal were commonplace by then, most lightwasstillprovidedbycandlesandhomeheatingbyfireplacesandstoves.Electricitychangedallofthatalmostovernight.
Bythe1920s,mosthomesincitieswereelectrified,andelectricstreetcarsweretransportingpassengersdownthestreetsofNewYork,Chicago,andhundredsofothercities. Butnearlyallofthatelectricitywasbeinggeneratedfromcoaloroilpowerplantsthatwerepouringpollutionintotheair.Theearlysolutiontothiswassimple:buildthepowerplantsfarfromthecities,wherenotmanypeoplewouldcomplainaboutthepollution.Butafarlargerproblemsoonpresenteditself.
As we’ve learned more about the Earth’s climatesystem, we’ve come to realize that those powerplants, as well as cars and factories, have beenpumping an invisiblepollutant into the air: carbondioxide.Thoughit’sodorlessandcolorless,itactsasagreenhousegastotrapheatandcausetheentireplanettowarmup.
Soaftermorethanacenturyofexploitingfossilfuelsforourenergyneeds,theworldisonceagainturningtorenewablesourcesofenergy,butthistimewithalloftheknowledgeofmodernsciencebehindit.Ournewformsofrenewableenergyborrowfromtheold(we still usewind andburnbiomass, for example)and utilize new materials to generate energy inways that would seem likemagic for people fromcenturiespast,suchasthermoelectricandfuelcellgenerators.
But each of these new technologies has its ownlimitations and drawbacks, even though none ofthemproduce theharmfulpollutionof fossil fuels.Soareanyofthemappropriatesubstitutesforourexisting energy sources or are there options wehaven’tconsideredthatwouldworkbetter?
In this activity, we will generate electricity withmany different renewable energy generators anddetermine which of them make good sources ofelectricityandwhichneedtogobacktothedrawingboard.Someofthemcanbemodifiedinmanyways,othershavefewvariableswecanchange,butwewilltry tomaximize their electrical output to comparethem.Wewillusetheresultsofourexperimentstobegincompilingourenergyportfolio.
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Fuel Cell Procedure1. Youcanusetheelectricity fromthebatterypacktogeneratehydrogengasusingtheelectrolyzer. The
electrolyzeristhesquarewith“H2”and“O2”printedoneitherside.Whatdoyouthinkwillhappenifyouconnectittoasourceofelectricitylikethebatterypack?
2. Yourelectrolyzer isalsoahydrogenfuelcell thatcangenerateelectricity fromhydrogenandoxygen. Ithastwosmalltubesattachedtoit.Isthereanywhereelseonthefuelcellthatyoucouldattachthelongertubes?
3. Lookattheremainingpiecesofyourkit.Ifthefuelcellsplitswaterintohydrogenandoxygengases,whatcouldyouusetotrapthegasessotheydon’tfloataway?Connectthetubesofyourfuelcellsothatyoucantrapthegases.Togeneratehydrogen,you’llneedtosupplyanelectriccurrent.Youcandothiswiththebatterypackorthesolarcell.Tryboth.Whichisbetteratproducinghydrogen?Howdoyouknow?
4. Whenyou’veproducedhydrogen,youcanusethefuelcelltopowerthemotorjustlikeyoudidwiththesolarcell.Plugthemotorintothefuelcellanditshouldstartturning.Noteinyourobservationsifyouseeanydifferenceinhowthemotorworkswiththefuelcellinsteadofthesolarcell.
Observations
Fuel Cell Experimentation
1. Howcanyou increase theoutputofyourhydrogen fuelcell? Discusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeanduse theHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitor todeterminehow theoutputof your fuel cellchanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Fuelcelltemperature,amountofhydrogenused,etc.
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
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7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Solar Procedure
1. Useyoursolarcelltopowerthesmallmotorthatcontrolsthefan.You’llneedtoconnectthesolarcelltothefanusingwirestocarrytheelectricity.Whydoyouthinkyouneedtwowires?
2. Movethesolarcellsothatit’sfacingyourlightsource.Thesolarcellwillworkbestindirectsunlight.Whathappenstothefanwhenyouexposethesolarcelltoalightsource?
3. NowtryusingthesolarcelltopowertheLEDs.Recordyourobservationsbelow.
Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Observations
Solar Experimentation
Howcanyouincreasetheoutputofyoursolarpanel?DiscusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeandusetheHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitortodeterminehowtheoutputofyoursolarpanelchanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Angle of panel, distance to light source, type/color of light used, color of background, etc.
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
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7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Wind Procedure1. Lookatthethreedifferenttypesofbladesavailable(labeledA,B,andC).Howaretheysimilar?Howare
theydifferent?Discusswithyourgroupwhichtypeofbladeyouthinkwouldworkbestwithyourturbineandrecordyourobservationsbelow.
2. Selectthetypeandnumberofbladesyouwanttotest.Whydoyouwanttotestthistypeofbladefirst?Doyouthinkitwillbebetterorworsethantheothertypes?
3. Checkthatthebladesareinthesamepositionusingthethreenotchesnearthewhitebasesoftheblades.Rotatetheindividualbladesifneededtogetallthebladesintothesameposition.Wouldyourturbinestillworkifthebladeswereindifferentpositions?
4. InsertthebladesintotheRotorBaseandputtheBladeHolderandtheBladeAssemblyLock,thenattachtheBladeUnittothemetalshaftoftheturbine.Canyourbladesbepositionedbackwards?Howdoyouknowifthere’sa“rightway”forabladetobepositioned?
5. ConnectthebaseoftheturbinetotheLEDlightsusingtheblackandredwires.Whydoyouthinkthelightsneedtwowirestowork?
6. Turnonthefanandpositionit infrontoftheturbine. Itwillworkbest ifyoukeepthefanclosetotheturbineandlineupthecenterofthefanwiththecenteroftheturbine.Whywouldchangingthepositionofthefanaffectthewindhittingtheturbine?
7. RecordyourobservationsintheDataTablebelow:Didthelightsturnon?Weretheydimorbright?
8. Discusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeaboutyourwindturbine,thenmakeyourchangesandrecordyourresultsinthedatatablebelow.
Observations
Wind Data Table
BladeType(A,B,C): NumberofBlades: BladeAngle(6°,28°,56°): Observations:
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Wind Experimentation
Howcanyouincreasetheoutputofyourwindturbine?DiscusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeandusetheHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitortodeterminehowtheoutputofyourturbinechanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Number of blades, blade angle, type of blades, different patterns/combinations of blades, distance of fan, etc.
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Salt Water Battery Procedure
1. Lookatthetwopartsofthebatteryandhowtheyfitoneinsidetheother.Doesitmatterwhichwayyouputoneinsidetheother?Howwillyougetthemapartonceyouputthemtogether?
2. Thelargeflatpiecewiththebluetopistheanodeforourexperiment.Electronswillbeflowingoutfromtheanodeintoawireonceyoustartthebattery.Wherewouldyouattachawireontheanode?Whatcolorofwiredoyouthinkyoushouldyouuse?
3. Measureout15mLofsaltwaterusing thegraduatedcylinderanduse thesyringe to transfer it to thebottompartofthebattery.Whydoyouthinkwedon’tfillitupalltheway?
4. Takeyouranodeandclipitintothebottompartofthebattery.Whereshouldyouputwirestoletelectronsstartflowingthroughyourfuelcell?
5. Youhavetworedwires,butonlyoneneedstoconnectthebatterytothefanmotor.Wherewouldyouputtheotherredwire?
6. Attachtheblackandoneredwiretothefan.Attachtheotherredwiretotworedsocketsonthefrontandbacksidesoftheanode.Thisshouldstartthefanrunning.WritedownanythingyouobserveintheObservationssectionbelow.
Observations
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Salt Water Battery Experimentation
Howcanyouincreasetheoutputofyoursaltwaterbattery?DiscusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeandusetheHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitortodeterminehowtheoutputofyourbatterychanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Solution concentration, solution temperature, volume of solution, etc.
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Renewable Energy
Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Horizon Educational Group
www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Capacitor Procedure
1. Lookatthesupercapacitor.It’sthelongcylinderwithoneredandoneblackplugononeend.Whatwiresdoyouthinkyoushouldattachtoit?
2. Onceyou’vegotwiresattachedtothesupercapacitor,you’llconnecttheotherendofthosewirestothepotentiometer(po-ten-ti-OM-et-er).That’sthedialwithred,yellow,
3. andgreensections.Wheredoyouthinkyou’llattachtheredandblackwires?Willitmatterwhichplugsyouuse?
4. The potentiometerwill tell youwhen you’ve filled the super capacitorwith energy, but you’ll need thehand-crankgeneratortodothat.Lookingatthegenerator,howdoyouthinkyoushouldattachittothepotentiometer?
5. Ifyou’vegotyourgeneratorhookeduptothepotentiometer,turnthehand-crankinaclockwisedirectiontotransferpowertothesupercapacitor.(WARNING:Donotspinitinacounter-clockwisedirectionoryouwilldamagethesupercapacitor!)Whatdoyouobserveasyouspinthehand-crank?
6. Asyoufillthesupercapacitor,you’llnoticethedialonthepotentiometermoving.Howwillyouknowwhenit’sfull?
7. Whenyou’vefilledthesupercapacitor,disconnectthepotentiometerfromthesupercapacitorandconnectthefantothesupercapacitorusingtheredandblackwires.Thefanshouldstartmovingassoonasit’sconnected.
Observations
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Capacitor Experimentation
Howcanyouincreasetheoutputofyourcapacitor?DiscusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeandusetheHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitortodeterminehowtheoutputofyourcapacitorchanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Charging time, level shown on potentiometer
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Thermoelectric AssemblyIfgeneratorisalreadyassembled,gototheProceduresection.
1. Lookatthethermoelectricalsystem(thetwoconnectedcontainerswithredandblackwiresonthetop).Whichoftheotherpartsdoyouthinkwillattachtoit?
2. Howdoesthethermoelectricalsystemfitintoitsbase?Doesitmatterhowyouattachthem?
3. Whydoyouthinkthesealsarecoloredredandblue?Thethermoelectricalsystem’swiresarealsodifferentcolors.Doyouthinkthere’sarightandwrongsidetoputeachseal?Writedownanythingyou’veobservedintheObservationssectionbelow.
Thermoelectric Procedure
1. Filltwobeakerswithwater,onehotandonecold.
2. Beforeyoufillyourgenerator,besuretoputcoldwaterinthesidewiththeredwireandhotwaterinthesidewiththeblackwire,orallofyourresultswillbebackwards!
3. Openthetopsofthetwocontainerstofillyourgeneratorwithhotandcoldwater.
4. Closethelidsandinsertthethermometersintotheseals,pushingthemdowngentlybutfirmlyuntilthey’realmosttouchingthebottomofthecontainers.
5. Startthestopwatchandrecordthetemperaturesofeachthermometerinthetablebelow.
6. Connecttheredandblacksocketsonthegeneratortothefanwiththeredandblackwiresandobservewhathappens.
7. Disconnect thewires fromthe fanandconnect thegenerator to theLED lights instead. Observewhathappens.
8. After2minuteshavegoneby,recordthetemperatureagain,thenrepeatsteps6and7.
9. Repeatstep8untilyou’vefilledinthetablebelow.
Observations
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Thermoelectric Experimentation
Howcanyouincreasetheoutputofyourthermoelectricgenerator?Discusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchange and use the Horizon Renewable EnergyMonitor to determine how the output of your generatorchanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Temperature of either side, adding salt to increase temperature difference, volume of water in either side, etc.
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Ethanol Procedure: 1. Yourethanolfuelcellisattachedtoafueltank,whichwillbemovingtheethanolsolutionintothefuelcell
whenyouremovetheclamponthetube.Fornow,leaveitthereandlookatyourfuelcell.
2. Wheredoyouthinkyou’dfindtheproductsofyourchemicalreactionexitingthefuelcell?
3. Attachtheredandblackwirestothefuelcell.Thenattachtheotherendsofthewirestothefan.Whydoyouthinkweneedtwowires?
4. Opentheclamponthefueltanktubetoletethanolsolutionintothefuelcell.
5. Onceliquidflowsoutoftheunclampedtube,replacetheclamponthefueltanktube.Whathappenstothefuelcellandfan?Recordyourobservationsbelow.
6. Tocleanoutyourfuelcellafteruse,fillthesyringewithdistilledwateranddisconnectthefueltanktubefromthefuelcell.
7. Attachthesyringetothefuelcellandpushthedistilledwaterintothefuelcell.
8. Disconnectthesyringeanditstubefromthefuelcellandfillthesyringewithair.
9. Usethesyringetopushairintothefuelcell.Yourfuelcellisnowreadytobeusedagain.
Observations:
Renewable Energy
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FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Ethanol Experimentation: Howcanyouincreasetheoutputofyourethanolfuelcell?DiscusswithyourgroupwhatyoucouldchangeandusetheHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitortodeterminehowtheoutputofyourfuelcellchanged.Trymanydifferentchangestomaximizethecurrent,voltage,andpower.Recordyourresultsinthetablebelow.
Ideasforvariablestochange:
Solution concentration, solution temperature, air temperature, volume of solution, etc.
Trial: ChangedVariable: Voltage(V): Current(A): Power(W):
Control Nothing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Atyourbestconfiguration,whatisthelongesttimeyoucangetyourgeneratortorun?
Renewable Energy
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www.horizoncurriculum.com
FCJJ 40 - Horizon Energy BoxHIGH SCHOOLLab
Earth Sciences
TEACHER GUIDE
Data Summary:You’vetestedalotofdifferenttypesofrenewableenergyelectricgenerators.Reviewthedatayou’vecollectedandfillintheanswerstothefollowingquestions. Highestrecordedcurrent:____________Ageneratedbythe_____________________.(typeofgenerator)
Highestrecordedvoltage:____________Vgeneratedbythe_____________________.
Highestrecordedpower:_____________Wgeneratedbythe____________________.
Longestrunningtime:______________secgeneratedbythe_____________________.
Analysis
1. Wasoneofyourgeneratorsbetterthanalloftheothers?Makeascientificclaimaboutyourrenewableenergygenerators.
Claim should reference one or more generator’s capabilities. Example: “No generator was clearly better than all the others.”
2. Whatevidencedoyouhavetobackupyourscientificclaim?
Evidence should cite data in Observations and/or Experimentation sections. Example: “The salt water battery was able to run for much longer time than the others but produced a much lower voltage, current, and power. The highest current we measured came from the wind turbine, while the capacitor had the highest voltage and the solar panel produced the highest power.”
3. Whatreasoningdidyouusetosupportyourclaim?
Reasoning can draw from Background section and/or other materials used in class.Example: “Since no one generator was best at all the categories, there wasn’t one that was a clear favorite.”
Renewable Energy
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4. Designanexperimentthatwouldtesthowefficientlyeachgeneratorchangesitsfuel(hydrogen,sunlight,ethanol,wind,etc.)energyintoelectricenergy.Describeyourexperimentbelow.
There are many possible answers, but students must explain how they would measure energy efficiency, and have clear control and experimental groups in their description.
Conclusions
1. Basedonyourdataandyourobservationsofhoweachofthesetechnologieswork,whichonedoyouthinkwouldworkbestasasourceofpowerforacar?Explainyourreasoning.
Answers can vary, as long as students are able to back up their assertions with data from their observations/experimentation sections. For instance, there is a good reason that no cars are powered by wind turbines.
2. Arethereanytechnologiesamongtheonesyouinvestigatedthatwoulddefinitelynotbeusefulasalarge-scalepowersourceforatownorcommunity?Explainyouranswer.
Again, answers can vary, as long as students are able to back up their assertions with data from their observations/experimentation sections. For example, generators that provided very low current or those that weren’t able to run for a long time might not be ideal.
3. Amongthesourcesofelectricitythatyoufeelwouldbeusefulforatownorcommunity,whichtechnologyortechnologiesdoyoufeelwouldbemostusefulforyourcommunity?Explainwhatcharacteristicsofyourcommunitymakeyourchoicesthemostlogical.
Again, answers can vary, as long as students are able to back up their assertions with data from their observations/experimentation sections as well as their own knowledge about the constraints of their locale: weather/climate, population, geography, etc.