Teacher's Notes
Objective:
Each student 1) decides upon uses for solar and wind energy; 2) designs and constructs an energy collage; and 3) titles the collage.
Teaching Suggestions:
1. Students are given magazines, catalogs, and newspapers to cut out pictures for an energy collage.
2. After the collage is complete, a title should be given. A contest could be held to see which collage shows the most ways of using solar or wind energy.
3. Winners could be rewarded with a solar powered clothes dryer (clothes line and pins).
Extend the Activity:
Have students write the "message" their collage represents and present their products to the class.
Problem:
How does our world use wind and solar energy?
Materials:
1. Magazines, catalogs, and newspapers
2. Construction paper or poster board
3. Glue
Activity:
1. On paper, list uses of wind or solar energy.
2. Look through magazines, catalogs, and newspapers for pictures depicting the use of solar and wind energy. Cut out these pictures.
3. Glue pictures onto poster board or construction paper to make a collage.
4. After the collage is finished, decide upon a title for it.
Use What You Learned:
Write a message or short story about your collage and what it represents.
Teacher's Pages
Objectives:
Students will locate data in almanacs or other resources regarding wind velocity and number of sunny days for various cities in the United States. The students will accurately display this data on a map of the United States. Students will decide which regions of the continental United States seem to be best suited for wind/solar energy development.
Background:
Solar energy is the oldest form of energy and the original source of almost all forms of energy. There are more than 6000 passive solar residential structures
estimated to exist in Iowa. The extent to which a residence benefits from the sun's energy depends on the structure's efficiency, orientation and landscaping. No reasonable estimate exists at this time on the number of active solar energy
systems in use in Iowa. It is known that the number of active solar energy systems dramatically declined after the expiration of the federal tax credit in 1985. Along with the loss of the tax credit, mechanical failures and lack of a support industry have been typical problems.
Even wind energy is derived from solar energy. The uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun gives rise to large scale circulation within the
atmosphere and also to small scale or local winds. Obviously areas of the continental United States that receive the most sunlight and areas having sufficient average wind speeds are the prime areas for development of solar and wind energy use. In this activity students plot wind speed data and also solar data to identify areas of the U.S. they think seem to be good areas for wind and solar energy use. There are typical wind speeds or classes of wind throughout
the U.S. Classes range from 1 (the lowest) to 7 (the highest), with Iowa falling in the range of Classes 2, 3, and 4. Studies have shown that the northwest corner of Iowa has the most consistent winds and highest average wind speeds. The cost of generating electricity in this area of Iowa with wind turbines has been estimated to cost as much as 12 cents per kilowatt hour. This is not a competitive rate when compared with fossil fuel generated electricity. But new technology in wind generation is expected to result in turbines which
can efficiently generate electricity at a competitive rate. These turbines might be usable in other areas of the state where wind speed averages are lower.
Materials:
Almanacs or other resources showing wind and solar data in the U.S.
Copies of continental United States map outline
Atlas, or U.S. road map
Teaching Suggestions:
1. Have students use current almanacs to find data on average wind speeds and also the number of sunny days for U.S. cities.
2. Students should then locate each city for which data is given on the blank U.S. outline map and display the data. They could use one color for wind velocity and another color for number of sunny days. Also they could use two separate maps.
3. If data is sufficient, students could draw lines around areas of the U.S. that appear to have the highest number of sunny days and the highest wind speeds.
4. Ask students to summarize in paragraph form what they found out about the sunniest and windiest areas.
Extended Activities:
Have students obtain data on average wind speed for various cities in Iowa. Contact your nearest National Weather Service office to obtain the data. The state forecast office in Des Moines should have some wind data for the state.
Teacher's Pages
Objectives:
Students collect wind speed data at different locations on the school grounds and correctly display the data on a map of the school grounds.
Background:
One of the problems with wind power is the inconsistency of wind strong enough to generate electricity. Placement of windmills has to be in an area that is
clear of buildings and trees that might make the wind slow down or constantly change direction. Winds near the ground swirl and change because of trees, hills, and buildings. In this activity students gather data about wind speeds
at various locations on the school ground. The side of the school facing the wind is called the windward side, the opposite side is called the leeward side. Of course as general wind direction changes, so do the sides of the building
receiving wind and the protected sides. Students should notice that the wind seems to change direction and swirls around buildings. Tree rows and shrubs can serve as effective windbreaks, reducing wind speeds to near zero, even on fairly windy days.
Windmills have to be built in open areas, away from the blocking effects of trees and buildings. The top of a hill is usually a good place for locating a
windmill. The other alternative is to build the windmill on a tower that is high enough above the ground so that the effects of trees and buildings are minimized. Current wind research in Iowa is identifying wind speeds in key locations around the state and at heights of about 150 feet above the ground.
At these heights, ground interference with the wind is minimized.
Properly placed trees and large shrubs can provide protection from the summer sun, reducing demand on air conditioners. Also, properly planted trees can reduce the strength of winds blowing against a building on cold winter days. This reduces the heat loss from the building and consequently lowers heating demand.
Materials:
Wind speed devices from Math Activity -- Measuring Wind Speed.
Copy of school ground map
Teaching Suggestions:
1. This activity should be done on a fairly breezy day.
2. Assign pairs of students to start their observations at different locations around the school grounds. Give them an amount of time you think reasonable to collect the data around the school.
3. You can make a rough sketch of your school building on graph paper. Leave room on the paper for students to sketch location of trees, shrubs and other objects that might interrupt wind flow.
4. Have the class create a large map of the school grounds placing their data in the appropriate locations.
5. Students should discuss reasons why winds speeds might vary at different locations around the school.
6. Conduct the activity on more than one windy day to check for consistency of data. Also they can contrast data collected on days when the general wind direction has changed.
Extended Activities:
Many farms have windbreaks protecting the main buildings. Have students contact a local extension agent to come into class to discuss the reasons for windbreaks and their placement around farm houses. Most wind breaks are plantings of several rows of trees, especially tall evergreens, that protect the west and north sides of buildings.
Problem:
How does wind speed vary at different locations outside your school?
Materials:
Wind speed measurer, Sketch of school grounds showing outline of school building.
Follow This Procedure:
1. Your teacher will assign you to teams and starting locations.
2. Use the wind-speed measurer to observe the wind speed in different locations around the school. Also record the direction the wind is from.
3. On your map record your wind speed observations and the locations at which they were observed.
4. Note on your map the location of trees and shrubs that might interrupt wind flow.
5. Following your teachers directions, place your data on the large classroom map of the school grounds.
Think About It:
1. What differences in wind speeds or directions did you notice around the building?
2. If your class observed changes in wind speed and direction in different locations, discuss possible reasons for these changes.
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