Students will learn about energy consumption and production in this lesson. By conducting a simple energy audit and researching wind energy production, they will gain a solid understanding of how much wind energy/how many turbines it would take to power their consumption habits. Students will also learn to differentiate power versus energy.
The Details
Materials
- Real-time data from wind turbines (data websites or supplied data sheets)
- Computer with internet access
- LCD projector (recommended for displaying live data sites)
- Student reading passages and student worksheets
Optional:
- Classroom wind turbine models
- Box fans
- Wind speed meters
- Anemometer
Next Generation Science Standards
Cross-Cutting Concepts
- Energy & Matter
- Proportion
- Scale & Quantity
Disciplinary Core Ideas
- ETS1.A Defining & Delimiting an Engineering Problem
- PS2.A Forces & Motion
- PS3.A Definitions of Energy
- PS3.C Relationship Between Energy & Forces
Learning Objectives
- Understand the relationships among wind speeds, power generation, power consumption, and economic value
- Know how to analyze wind data
- Know how to interpret wind speed and power output graphs
- Understand the difference between energy and power
- Discuss energy consumption concepts