Activity 11.1

PREDICTING THE IMPACT OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES

Aim:

When you have completed this activity
you will have predicted the impact of
some renewable energies on people and
the environment.

Procedure:

If you live near the coast, use a tide
book or your local newspaper to check
the height of high and low tides. What
is the tidal range?

Make a device to produce energy from waves.

• Remove the base from a two litre fruit juice container. Make a hole for a straw in the lid and put it in. You may need some help with this. If it’s too hard to make a hole in the lid take the lid off and use waxed card from a milk container or styrofoam to fill the bottle neck and push the straw through this.
• Put the open bottom of the container just under the water level in a bath, pool or large tub of water. Now make some waves.
• You should feel a rush of air in and out through the straw, as the water level inside the container rises and falls. On a large enough scale this moving air can be used to drive a propeller or turbine to produce electricity.
• Read through the information about the different forms of renewable energy described in the Fact Sheet. Use this information to complete the following table.

Available as:

PDF – Activity 11.1

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