Introduction

Don't you just enjoy our lifestyle? Our parents weren't so lucky, and their parents weren't either! Should we just luxuriate in it and not worry about the consequences? Are there consequences? Scientists tell us we have limited sources of fossil fuels and we have to start looking at alternative ways of generating energy. Otherwise our hairdryers, microwaves, washing machines, and, heaven forbid, Sony Playstations and Television Sets will be useless! Help is at hand. Proceed energetically. 

Questions

1. Imagine life without the Sun. Is this possible?
2. If you were shopping for photovoltaic panels, what might you be going to build?
3. My Mum says the solar panels on our roof don't work as well on cloudy days. Is this true?
4. Can you think of six appliances in your house which could be powered by photovoltaic cells?
5. List three ways in which electricity can be generated from water. How many 'pluses' (good things) can you find about this method? How many 'minuses' (bad things) can you find? What did you find most interesting about the information on this page?
6. There are many design issues and problems associated with the building of hydroelectric dams. List four of these problems/issues.
7. Can you think of anywhere nearby which would be a suitable site for a windfarm? Why?
8. How can we keep renewing biomass?
9. What sort of organic matter would be converted to electricity at the Rocky Point Sugar Mill?

Web Resources Links

1. Solar School Little Bay Page 2
2. Solar School Little Bay Page 3
3. Solar School Little Bay Page 4
4. Solar School Little Bay Page 6
5. Energy from Water
6. Hydroelectric Dams
7. The Energy Story - Wind Energy
8. Biomass - the Growing Energy Source
9. Ways of Extracting Biomass Energy

The Big Question

Boy, you've learned heaps! Congratulations! You can see we have to think of alternative sources of energy to sustain our lifestyles. Which of the above four sources (solar, water, wind, biomass) do you think will dominate as an energy source in the future? Why?

Conclusion

People used to think that learning was all about gaining information and memorizing facts. We hope you've learned some important information in this Knowledge Hunt, but more than that, it would be great if you saw ways to use this knowledge to expand your understanding of the topic. Remember, with so much info exploding all around us, finding a nugget of knowledge is not as important as doing something with it. What will you do with your learning?