TEK 5.

7C Identify alternative energy resources such as wind,

solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels.

Alternative Energy Resources

Alternative Energy Resources are energy resources that can be used instead of
nonrenewable resources or fossil fuels. They produce energy without the
consequence of the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) to provide
electricity, heat, and run cars.

There are 5 types of Alternative Energy Resources

-biofuel
-hydroelectric
-geothermal
-wind
-solar
 Solar Power:

Solar energy is energy that comes from the sun. This energy gives us light and heat. We can
also use sunlight to make electricity.

Solar cells are one way to use the sun's energy. Solar cells change sunlight to electricity. Lots
of cells are put together in a solar panel. When sunlight hits the panel, it generates electricity.
Many people are putting solar panels on their roofs to help power their homes and businesses.

What if there is no sun?

Since there is no sun at night you can purchase a battery that can store electricity.
You can find solar panels in large fields like at the Denver International Airport.
You also find solar panels on the roofs of buildings and homes.
Advantages:
Solar energy will not run out, and does not pollute.

Disadvantages:
It takes a lot of space, and is expensive to buy and install. It also
needs bright light to work.
 Wind Power

How can we use wind to make electricity?

The wind blows directly onto the blade of the turbine, much like wind turns a
pinwheel. The turbine turns the generator to make electricity.

Turbines are built in windy areas - across open plains, on smooth hills, near Click the wind turbine to
shorelines, and between mountain gaps. take a tour of a wind farm.
A wind farm is an area where huge metal fans are set up to catch the wind.
Wind turns the blades connected to a generator which makes electricity.
This is the opposite of a regular fan.

Wind energy does not pollute, but wind turbines are expensive, and the
strength of the wind isn't constant. Some areas are not windy enough to
use wind power. Electrical energy produced by wind is more expensive
than from other sources.
 Hydroelectric Power
What is hydroelectric power? Hint...hydro means water.
Hydroelectric power is electricity produced by moving water.
Falling water can be very forceful. River water can fall over waterfalls and be used to make electricity.
Hydroelectric power plants can be built at the bottom of a dam to take advantage of the high pressure of the
water at the bottom of the reservoir (lake). The water is funneled through a tunnel. The pressure of the
water turns the blades of the turbine, which turns a generator making electricity.

Fun fact:One of the earliest generating

stations was built in 1896 at the bottom
of Niagara Falls.
 Rivers can be used as an alternative
energy resource.

A dam could be built across the river. Water moving through the
dam turns a generator which makes electricity. We call this
hydroelectric
power.
Hydroelectric Dam
 Biofuel

Biofuel is fuel that comes from plants. Plants contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's
energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and
people that eat them.

Today, we can burn garbage in special waste-

to-energy plants and use its heat energy to
make steam to heat buildings or to generate
electricity.

There are about 90 waste-to- energy plants in

the United States. These plants generate
enough electricity to supply almost 3 million
households.
Biofuels are made in two ways. One way is to use plants that are high in sugar or starch
and make them into ethanol. Corn, sugar cane, and sweet sorghum are often used to
make ethanol. Ethanol can be used like gasoline in some car engines. More often, it is
combined with gasoline to make a cleaner fuel.

Another way is to use plants that contain lots of vegetable oil and use them to make
biodiesel. Certain palm trees and soybeans are often used in this way. Biodiesel can be
used in diesel engines. Pure vegetable oil can also be used in certain engines. Both are
usually more expensive than the fossil fuels that they replace, but they are also cleaner-
burning fuels, producing fewer air pollutants.
 Fryer Flyer
The "Fryer Flyer" is a green school bus that runs on waste vegetable oil (WVO - post- consumer grease which
is often disposed of improperly, clogging our sewers and waste water treatment facilities). Dallas County
Schools collects the WVO that is donated by local restaurants and food manufacturers. They then transport it to
their plant, where it is cleaned and contaminants are removed through a filtering process. Once the WVO is
clear of debris and foreign substances, it is ready to be used as fuel or processed into biodiesel, also known as
B100. The use of WVO and B100 reduces the production of greenhouse gases, particulate matter and other
pollutants which are harmful to the environment.
 Biofuels

This bus runs on soybean bio-diesel. Bio-diesel is made from vegetable oils, animal fats or
recycled greases.
 Geothermal
What is geothermal energy? Geo means Earth and
thermal means heat. Geothermal energy is heat from the
Earth's hot interior.

In some places the Earth's heat can make steam for

example near volcanos or near moving earth plates.
Sometimes the steam can be taken directly
from the earth.
Geothermal power plants use deep wells to tap into underground reservoirs of hot
water. These wells bring the hot water to the surface. There it produces steam to
generate electricity. The cooled water is returned underground to be heated again.
Then, the cycle starts over.
Geothermal Energy