An amazing resource focused on providing students with a wealth of resources-videos, articles, and other reosurces-focused on a huge variety of applied energy topics. This is an amazing go-to resource for startingto explore enegry, or going deeper into applied energy issues. It is also an opportunity to engage students more deeply in energy advocacy.
Electrical Grid (Transmission & Distribution)
When the Grid Goes Down and Stays Down
Through an examination of media published in the five months following Hurricane Maria in 2017, students will develop an understanding of the electrical grid, the vulnerabilities of a grid system, and the immediate and long-term challenges of living...
Part 1 - Lesson 2: What is electricity and how do we use it?
During this lesson students will learn about how electricity originates at an atomic level and that electricity moves through conductors and can be directed using circuits. Students will used guided reading techniques to explore informational texts and...
Cost Effective Solar Cells: Engaging with Solar Panels
This lesson is designed to span 2 days with 80-minute sections. On the first day, the teachers will challenge the students to assemble circuits with solar panels that can power up 1) a motor with fan, 2) a music-playing circuit, and 3) an LED. Students...
Scaling up to Power Production: Let’s Engineer a Wind Turbine
After working through Lessons 1 and 2 of this Unit, students are now familiar with the physics of how generators work. The next step in Lesson 3 is to investigate how existing power generation systems operate and supply electricity to entire geographic...
Cost Effective Solar Cells: Solar Panel Basics
This lesson is designed to be completed in one 40-minute section. Students will have already learned the concepts of basic circuits, including voltage, current, power, parallel and serial circuits. Teachers will then explain the basic concept of solar...
Scaling up to Power Production Let’s use Data to Optimize the Performance of a Solar Cell Array
Somewhat similar to the first part of the wind turbine project from Lesson 3, students are tasked with optimizing the performance of a photovoltaic system. This objective both allows students to apply the engineering-design process they absorbed in...
Part 2 - Lesson 1: Renewable Energy Panel
Students will meet with local planners or other available energy experts to discuss public policy regarding the use of wind turbines and solar arrays to generate electricity. Students develop questions for a panel of professionals regarding considerations...
How Do We Evaluate Energy Sources?
Building on student’s understanding of energy production methods developed over previous lessons, Lesson 5 asks the class to identify and measure trade-offs between environmental impacts – human needs – and practical costs of different power generation...
What is Our Plan?
With all the pieces in place, this Unit’s final lesson asks students to code a spreadsheet that calculates and mathematically predicts the environmental impacts of different energy sources and strategies over a 50 year timespan. Divided into five...
Contact Us
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
1500 SW 1st Avenue, Suite 710
Portland OR 97201
phone: 503-248-1905