(Where do we get it from?)
renewable (adj.)
non-renewable (adj.)
hydroelectricity (noun)
generator (noun)
solar (adj.)
turbine (noun)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Renewable:
You already know what renewable means. Break the word into re+new+able.
re = again
new = new, make new
able = able to / can
renewable = able to make new again
Just think, what do you do when you have a library book and you haven't finished reading it? You renew it. You get it again so you can keep on reading it.
A renewable energy resource is one that you can use again. It does not get finished up after you use it. The sun is an example of a renewable energy resource -- you can use the sun's energy over and over. It does not get finished up when you use it.
Non-renewable:
What does the "non" part mean? It means "not." So non-renewable means not renewable. You cannot renew it. A non-renewable energy resource cannot be used over and over. You use it once and it's finished. Coal is an example of a non-renewable energy resource. When you burn up the coal, it gets used up, it's finished.
ENERGY RESOURCES
Hydroelectricity
o hydro = water
o The water in a lake or river flows through a dam. The dam blocks the river and controls how much water goes through the dam.
o A generator is inside the dam.
o Inside the generator, there are magnets inside copper coils.
o The water flowing through the dam makes the generator spin.
o When the generator spins, the magnets spin inside the coils. This makes electricity.
o The electricity goes through transformers and is sent through transmission lines to the cities.
Ottawa/St Lawrence Plant Group
* We are lucky in Canada -- there are a lot of rivers and lakes.
* The water that is blocked can be used for fun things like swimming (recreational purposes) and for farms.
* Generators don't make pollution and are not very expensive to run.
* However, the dams are expensive to build.
* And the dams are big, so there are not a lot of different places you can choose to build them.
* The dams change and damage the ecosystem around it (the ecosystem is the environment and the animals who live there).
* Sometimes all the water is too much for the farm land and it floods the land, which is not good for growing crops.
* The generating stations are usually very far away, and the transmissions lines have to be very long to be able to reach the cities. They are expensive to build.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
o solar = sun
o We take the energy from the sun and change it into other kinds of energy, like electricity.
o Have you seen pictures of a solar energy car? Or a house that has solar panels for heating?
o Many of you already use solar energy for power. Do you have a calculator that needs light for it to work? That is a solar-powered calculator.
* The sun is in the sky. It is everywhere.
* Solar energy is easy to use. You can add solar panels to your house very easily.
* Solar energy does not make pollution. It is very good for the environment.
* But if the sun is not shining, how can you get solar energy? What about nighttime? Or when it is cloudy?
* You use a solar cell to make electricity. A solar cell is expensive.
* You need a lot of space to make solar energy.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
o The wind turns the blades on a windmill or wind turbine.
o The turbine takes the wind power and changes it into electricity.
* Wind is free.
* It is all around us.
* Wind turbines are easier to build than dams and power plants.
* But what if the wind is not blowing today? Or it is very light?
* Wind turbines can break down.
* Birds can fly into them.
* Wind energy does not make pollution. It is very good for the environment.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
All photos on this page � 2003, Ontario Power Generation Inc.