Preface: |
Today’s consumer demands effective energy management. Consumers rely on efficient and accessible energy to power automobiles, homes, appliances, and electronics. National trends regarding energy management include appliance and home energy star ratings and the development of alternative and renewable energy sources. Energy conservation states that energy cannot be gained or destroyed but instead transferred from one form to another. Understanding how energy is transferred from one form to another allows engineers to design efficient applications utilizing energy. We know that many sources of energy won’t last forever and that many sources have negative consequences on the environment. In the past individuals were forced to harness power that humans or animals created from the energy stored in food. Power could also be harnessed from surrounding resources like wind, flowing water, heat from the sun, or from combustible materials like wood.
This lesson is designed to provide students with an opportunity to investigate thermo energy and alternative energy applications. Students will explore and gain experiences relating to solar hydrogen systems and thermo energy transfer through materials. |
Essential Questions: |
Students will keep considering:
1. In what innovative ways could the efficiency of electricity production using solar cells be maximized throughout the day? 2. Describe how hydrogen fuel cells could become a viable way of producing energy for vehicles. What advancements in technology and infrastructure need to take place to make its usage more common? 3. A hydrogen fuel cell by itself is not sufficient to power much of anything in our society. How could fuel cells be configured to produce enough voltage and current to a system? 4. What are some materials in your home that provide prevent energy transfer from inside your home to the outside environment? Which of the three forms of energy transfer are they attempting to limit? 5. Which of the three forms of energy transfer are the materials in your home inhibiting the least? What could be done to change that? |