Solar/Solar/Geothermal Geothermal

EnergyEnergyBy: Levi, Teah, Josh and Hannah L.By: Levi, Teah, Josh and Hannah L.

Introduction: Solar Energy! Definition (noun) Radiant energy emitted by the sun. Earth receives 174 petawatts of solar radiation on the upper atmosphere, but 30% of that is reflected back into space, and the part that does enter earth’s atmosphere is absorbed by clouds, land, and oceans. Only a very small percentage of the energy that enters earth’s atmosphere is absorbed by solar panels. Therefore, it is VERY, VERY hard to harness solar energy!

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Solar panels are helping BC economically because with the use of them, we are reducing the charge of electricity to it’s minimum, and with solar powered cars we are reducing the use of gas. For the people who have these cars, this completely eliminates the cost of gas for solar-powered cars. So solar energy is beneficial to the economy in two ways, as an alternative fuel, and an alternative electricity source.

Purple indicates solar farms

products

Solar Charger Solar backpack Solar Cellphone

Solar power trashcan Solar cooker Solar Dryer

Products

Solar Fan Solar Keyboard

Solar Streetlight Solar Flashlight

Environmental Impacts #1

Sustainability

• The aboriginal people used their resources very wisely and would be considered sustainable. Being sustainable means only using resources when we actually need them and not wasting any part of the resource. For example the Aboriginals would use the whole Moose and not just the meat. They would use the fur for clothing, the hide for shelter and the bones and antlers for tools and decorations. Another example would be not over fishing. This means that the aboriginals would catch one fish at a time and when they wanted more they would go back and get some more.

• Today we are not sustainable. This means that we take more then we need and we don’t use all parts of the animal. For example we over fish so every year there will be less and less fish in the ocean. We also cut down too many trees and we don’t always use all parts of the trees.

• In the future if we are not sustainable there will not be enough resources for people in the next few generations. Some ways that we can be sustainable is we can make more serious laws about taking less fish. Nowadays we take a lot of oil out of the ocean and it ends up spilling and killing animals so we should only take small bits at a time.

Why we need to be sustainable

• We use many resources in our daily lives. Water to drink and to wash your hands with, wooden chairs and desks, paper to write on and create art projects on, and many more. We don’t think about how many resources we use up every day, or how the things we use daily are connected to the environment. Our resources are slowly draining away, non-renewable, and renewable. There gets to be a point when you cut down so many trees, that you can’t plant more. Or when we use up so much of Earth’s water, that the water cycle can no longer work. In our world today, very few people actually take the time to be sustainable, but we all need to be. Sustainability is very important because these are the only resources we, and future generations are going to have! We can start being sustainable by using less of things, and recycling. For instance, reducing the amount of paper you use, like using both sides of a piece or more scrap paper. Or, not keeping the tap on while you brush your teeth, and taking shorter showers. We have to join the people who are being sustainable, and work together as a whole to save Earth’s resources for future generations and ourselves.

How we get Solar Energy• Solar panels are produced in factories for use in power plants,

some houses, and some other household appliances. To harvest solar energy, we must place these panels in a good place, where they can absorb the greatest amount of solar energy possible, and then convert it to power. The best place for that, on a building, would be on the roof. The roof of a building would absorb the most solar energy, because it has almost nothing foreshadowing it. But, a south facing roof would be even better because it would get the most direct sunlight. Solar energy is generated by photovoltaic cells, or solar cells. Solar panels are made up of these cells. The cells convert the solar energy to solar power, to power many things. The first solar cells were created in 1889, by inventor Charles Fritts. The solar power, created by these cells is then transmitted into a device, or to a house, to power it.

Quiz• Solar energy is energy from what?

What percentage of solar radiation is reflected back to space?(A) 45%(B) 30%(C) 75%(D) 10%

What does Geo Thermal mean?

Why is it hard to harness solar energy?

Why is solar energy a better use of power?

What are the two ways that solar energy is beneficial to the economy?

Where is the best place to install solar panels on a building?• in the garden• a south facing roof • a north facing roof• in a window

In what year were the first solar cells created?(A) 1900(B) 1989(C) 1889• 1967

Who created the first solar cells?• Alexander Graham Bell(A) Albert Einstein(B) Charles Fritts(C) William Brown

What are two names for the cells that make up a solar panels?

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