Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007

Energy Where Does it Come From? Finding the balance between Renewable and Non-Renewable energy sources

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 Background information Potential Energy: is energy that is not “in use” and available to do work. Potential Energy: is energy that is not “in use” and available to do work. Example: The Chemical energy in fossil fuels is potential energy until it is released. Example: The Chemical energy in fossil fuels is potential energy until it is released. Kinetic Energy: is energy that is “in use” – the energy a moving object has is due to its motion. Kinetic Energy: is energy that is “in use” – the energy a moving object has is due to its motion. Example: Moving water and wind have kinetic energy Example: Moving water and wind have kinetic energy

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 Renewable Energy Renewable energy resources are those that can be used or made over and over again from other resources—they are unlimited. Renewable energy resources are those that can be used or made over and over again from other resources—they are unlimited.

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 Non-Renewable Energy Nonrenewable energy resources cannot be created over again and our supply of them is limited; once they run out, the resource is gone forever. Nonrenewable energy resources cannot be created over again and our supply of them is limited; once they run out, the resource is gone forever.

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 Types Of Energy Sources Renewable Renewable Solar Power Solar Power Hydro Power Hydro Power Wind Power Wind Power Nuclear Power Nuclear Power Hydrogen Power Hydrogen Power Biomass Power Biomass Power Non-Renewable Coal Natural Gas Oil Solar power is the renewable energy we get from the sun. When the sun's rays are transformed into electricity, it is called photovoltaic (PV) energy. PV panels can be put on the roof of a house to provide electricity or can be used in remote places where there is not electricity from other sources. A common example of PV electricity is the calculator. Nearly all calculators made today have a small PV panel that converts light into electricity to power the device. Hydro means water. Hydro-electric means making electricity from water power. Hydroelectric power uses the kinetic energy of moving water to make electricity. Hydro is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States. Water power supplies about 10 percent of the entire electricity that we use. Wind Power can be used to do work. The kinetic energy of the wind can be changed into other forms of energy, either mechanical energy or electrical energy. Nuclear power is the energy trapped inside each atom. An atom's nucleus can be split apart. When this is done, a tremendous amount of energy is released. The energy is both heat and light energy Hydrogen power, hydrogen as a fuel is high in energy, yet a machine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost zero pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to propel rockets and now the space shuttle into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle's electrical systems, producing a clean by-product - pure water, which the crew drinks. Biomass power is matter usually thought of as garbage. Some of it is just stuff lying around -- dead trees, tree branches, yard clippings, left-over crops, wood chips, bark and sawdust from lumber mills. It can even include used tires and livestock manure. Coal is a hard, black colored rock-like substance. It is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and varying amounts of sulphur. Coal is found in many of the lower 48 states of U.S. and throughout the rest of the world. Coal is mined out of the ground. Natural Gas is lighter than air. It is mostly made up of a gas called methane. Methane is a simple chemical compound. This gas is highly flammable. Natural gas is usually found near petroleum underground. It is pumped from below ground and travels in pipelines to storage areas. Oil or petroleum is another fossil fuel. It was also formed more than 300 million years ago. Some scientists say that tiny diatoms is the source of oil. Diatoms are sea creatures the size of a pin head. They do one thing just like plants; they can convert sunlight directly into stored energy.

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 The Air Powered Car These are two examples of the futuristic MiniC.A.T. which is an air powered car developed by a French engineer. Some of these cars are already in use as taxis in Mexico City. Photo credit:

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 Nuna3 a solar powered car built by the Dutch Photo credit: Nuon/Hans-Peter van Velthoven

Fueling the Future ©MathScience Innovation Center 2007 Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world –stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. - Albert Einstein