Thursday December 18

Following up....

1. Which part of the discussion from yesterday gave you the most difficulty? Why?
2. What mistakes did you make in your data acquisition? Explain.
1. Can you calculate the percent error in your data set?
2. Where (maybe which solar panel) would the error cause the most 

Moving forward....

1. Create a google doc (and share it with me and chris.gorrie@ecotechinstitute.com ) to complete each of the sections from yesterday. 
2. For the questions that require math, please provide me with a "cheat sheet" that provides an explanation of your answer. Please treat this as an FRQ training opportunity and explain your math as you go. If you need me to refresh your understanding of that, please ask.
3. You should expect (over Winter Break) a review of your thinking from Mr. Gorrie. Please treat this as a professional learning opportunity and send him an email thank you note along with any follow-up questions that you might have. 

The last 10 Minutes....

1. Explain in your own words what the graphic to the right means. 
2. Select 3 areas (including Denver) and identify the amount of electricity that strikes a solar panel in each area.
3. Does this map predict how much electricity that any solar panel in a specific region will generate? Why or why not?
4. What does the phrase "flat plate tilted at Latitude" mean?

Wednesday December 17

Warm-Up Video (3:00 minutes)

Break into 4 groups and assign an individual to one of the following roles of responsibility. Be sure to read your responsibilities for the position that you have (handouts are available at the front of the room): (5:00 minutes)

1. Quality Assurance/Quality Control
2. Spokesperson
3. Data Collection/Analysis
4. Group Facilitator

When you have assigned your roles, complete/answer the following: (8:00 minutes)

1. Measure the area of each of the 4 types of photovoltaic (PV) panels that are in the classroom.
2. Look at the electrical specifications label on the back of the PV and find the maximum wattage.
3. Find the amount of daylight that we will experience in Denver today.
4. Calculate (in kWh) the amount of electricity that each of the PV cells could generate.
5. Calculate electrical generation/area (kWh/m2) for each of the PV cells.

In your group discuss and answer the following questions: (12:00 minutes)

1. There are 60 fluorescent bulbs in this classroom that are each rated at 32 watts. How much electricity is consumed by using those lights for a full school calendar year? (Assume 8 hours per day and 185 days each year.)
2. If those 60 bulbs were to be replaced with LED (light emitting devices) that are rated at 12 watts, how much electricity would be saved?
3. The fluorescent lights cost $3.95 per bulb and last for 10,000 hours. The LED's cost $39.95 and last 50,000 hours. 
1. What is the cost to light this room with both of these options? (Electricity in Colorado costs (on average) $0.12/kWh.) 
2. How long (payback period) does it take for the LED option to be less expensive?
4. How many (of the most effective) PV cells would be needed to meet the electrical demand for each of (fluorescent and LED) options?

Use the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) model to shape your answer to the following questions. (10:00 minutes)

1. If each of the PV cells receives the same energy input (sunlight) can you rate the relative efficiencies of them?
2. Why do you think the solar panels are as efficient (or inefficient) as they are?

Presentation of CER to Christopher Gorrie (President of Eco-Tech). (10 minutes)

Wrap-Up/Close-Out & Next Thoughts (5:00 minutes)

Monday December 15

From this diagram, please be sure that you understand 

1. the relationship between the rotor (blades) and the gear box;
2. the role of the anemometer and the wind vane;
3. the characteristics of blade design;
4. the need for a braking system.

Friday December 12

Good morning APES and happy Friday!
Please remember that we are working today on the triple bottom line...

People = black
Planet = blue
Profit = green

Please review the information below and then review the questions on this google doc and answer the questions on your own doc. You will then share your answers with another person in class (verbally) and with me (electronically).

Issue Topic #1: Promotion of wind turbines by pointing out the negative issues associated with other resources.

1. Which of the 3 P's are used in this "advertisement"? Provide an example of any that you identified.
2. What is your reaction to this video? Why do you think that you reacted in this way?
3. Do you think that you should question any of the information from this "advertisement"? Why? Why not?

Issue Topic #2: A manufacturer of wind turbines makes an "advertisement".

1. Which of the 3 P's are used in this "advertisement"? Provide an example of any that you identified.
2. What is your reaction to this video? Why do you think that you reacted in this way?
3. Do you think that you should question any of the information from this "advertisement"? Why? Why not?

Issue Topic #3: Wind Power

1. Which of the 3 P's are used in this "advertisement"? Provide an example of any that you identified.
2. What is your reaction to this video? Why do you think that you reacted in this way?
3. Do you think that you should question any of the information from this "advertisement"? Why? Why not?

Wednesday December 10

The Gear Ratio & Wind Turbines (aka Warm-Up/Write-Up #12)

1. What is the definition of a gear ratio?
2. Draw a diagram of the "beginner" level clock that you built.
3. How does gear ratio relate to wind turbine design?
4. How does the electric car, wind power and the smart grid relate?
5. How does the use of technology allow for the integration of these ideas?

Tuesday December 9

Howdy folks! Happy Tuesday (or happy whenever you are reading this)....

I am having a hard time deciding how much (or little) background material that I want you to know about electrical generation before we start working on how specific resources are used to generate electricity. So I will make a list here for us to work from.

1. Electricity is defined as the flow (or movement) of electrons. 
1. You all know this and so what, but it is really important.
2. The movement of electrons (electricity remember?) can be characterized in three ways:
1. Current (amperes or amps)
2. Energy (voltage)
3. Resistance (ohm's)
3. Of the 11 resources that I introduced last week (see list below) all of the resources (EXCEPT solar and hydrogen) generate electricity in the same way, namely by spinning a turbine.
1. Wind
2. Solar
3. Hydro
4. Tidal
5. Geothermal
6. Biomass
7. Hydrogen
8. Coal
9. Petroleum
10. Natural Gas
11. Nuclear
4. Okay, that being said, if 9 out of 11 require the spinning of a turbine, we should start with what a turbine is right? Of course it's right, I'm the teacher! 
1. Here is a link that explains shows a turbine spinning. I know that it looks like a water wheel, this is of course because it is a water wheel!
1. To reiterate, all of the resources listed above (EXCEPT solar and hydrogen) require a spinning wheel.
2. Some of these resources use water to spin the wheel...
1. hydro
2. tidal
3. Some use wind
1. wind (duh)
4. But most use super heated and pressurized water (steam)
1. coal (mostly)
2. natural gas
3. petroleum (rarely...too precious as a transportation fuel)
4. biomass
5. nuclear (mostly uranium)
6. geothermal
5. Big deal right? We have had water wheels and windmills for 1,000's of years. So what is different about the water wheels and windmills today? (Tilting at windmills for my literary APES?)
1. The whole goal of evaluating all of these resources is really about one thing: "How can we make a wheel spin?"
2. It is what they are connected to!
3. The wheel is connected to a generator.
1. A generator is composed of coiled conductive metal wire (usually copper) that rotate inside of a magnetic field.
2. The movement of the copper within the field induces the electrons in the copper to move....ELECTRICITY!
4. Why Copper?
1. Go back to your chemistry days and riddle me this....where are the valence electrons in copper?
5. Why magnets?
1. What do you know about magnets?
1. You should have come up with a North/South or positive/negative thing.
2. What does this have to do with electricity?
1. What is the charge of an electron?
2. Why does the magnetic field not cause a reaction in (of) protons?
6. Now we have the electromagnet! This is still just a generator and it turns out that the design of a generator is the same as the design of an electric motor. The difference between the two? The direction of the energy input!
7. WOW! That was a lot of information for the first five minutes of class... 
8. Now we can get to the spinning part!
6. First up?  Wind Power. I know that you all think that there is nothing wrong with wind, but we need to look at all sides of the issues.
1. Take a look at a little known (and poorly researched) danger of using wind turbines.
7. The key to understanding wind turbines is the idea of the gear ratio...
1. How did you do? 
2. How did your construction of the gears of a clock relate to the workings of a wind turbine?
3. Seriously though, explain how you calculated the gear ratio for the second hand:minute and the minute hand to the hour hand. This is Warm-Up/Write-Up #12! Better pay attention APES!
1. Part II of the question is to explain why this is relevant to our conversation about the use of windmills and electrical generation.
8. Is all of this enough for a Tuesday? Are you Super Happy It's Tuesday? I know that I am.

Monday December 8

Introduction to Electricity
Conductors and Insulators
Electrical Current
Amperage
Voltage
Resistance
Ohm's Law
Circuit Diagram

At the top of each of the pages (which are linked above) there are questions in red print. Please be able to answer these questions in your notes. The last link covers how to diagram circuits. Please review that and then use a 9-volt battery and a light to diagram and create your own circuit.

1. What are the properties of electricity?
2. How are those properties measured?
3. What is the relationship between voltage and amperage?
4. What is the mathematical relationship between current, amperage and resistance?

Use this worksheet to practice working on the Ohm's Law equation.

Thursday December 4

All of the resources that we looked at yesterday can be described as a specific type of potential (PE) or kinetic energy (KE).

1. What are the 4 forms of PE that we discussed in class? How would you define each?
2. What are the 5 forms of KE that we discussed in class? How would you define each?
3. Be able to identify which form of energy each of the available resources is.
4. The First Law of Thermodynamics governs the movement (flow) of energy. W
1. What are the 3 parts of the 1st Law?
2. Why is the 1st Law important in the discussion of efficiency?
5. What are the energy transformations for an internal combustion engine?

Here is the article that we talked about in class today. It is a very interesting discussion on the ability to be sustainable and the issues with the functionality of sustainability.

Wednesday December 3

Below is a list of questions that we covered in class today. You can use this link to the Energy Information Administration for additional information or if you were absent.

• What are the natural resources that are (could be) used for transportation, electrical generation and heating/cooking? Be able to delineate between renewable and non-renewable. 
• What is an energy mix? What is the energy mix in Colorado? 
• Why do you think that the resources (for electrical generation) are used in the percentages that they are? 
• How are the different areas of use defined? 
• Which sectors use the most and least energy? 
• What is interesting (to  you) about the differences between the sectors? 
• What is efficiency? 
• What is conservation? 

Monday December 1

Welcome to December!
In class today, we will finish our soil experiment using a "new" thinking tool called "CER".

Claim
Evidence
Reasoning

Use these to guide your thinking about our discussion of soil porosity and soil classification.

Warm-Up/Write-Up #11
Discuss how changing soil conditions in the American mid-west (Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado) might impact the rate of groundwater infiltration and water level of the Ogallala aquifer. This is due typed-up on Friday 12/5

Coming up next....
Chapter 15 (in Chiras, pages 308-337) Renewable Energy

Vocabulary/Concepts
everything on page 337 (a lot I know, but these are specialized terms that you are unlikely to find elsewhere and there are several terms that you will also see below).
Alphabet Soup

Legislation
Motor Vehicle Safety Act
National Appliance Conservation Act
National Model Energy Code
Energy Efficiency Act
Energy Star (Home & Appliance)
Efficiency and Alternative Energy Program
Super Energy-Efficient Home Program