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Renewable Energy

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FCJJ 37 - Renewable Energy Science KitHIGH SCHOOLLab

Earth Sciences

TEACHER GUIDE

Next Generation Science StandardsNGSS Science and Engineering Practices:

Askingquestionsanddefiningproblems Developingandusingmodels Planningandcarryingoutinvestigations Analyzingandinterpretingdata Usingmathematicsandcomputational thinking Constructingexplanationsanddesigning solutions Engaginginargumentfromevidence Obtaining,evaluating,andcommunicating information

NGSS Cross-cutting Concepts:

Patterns Causeandeffect Scale,proportion,andquantity Systemsandsystemmodels Energyandmatter Structureandfunction Stabilityandchange

NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas:

ESS3.CHumanImpactsonEarthSystems

ESS3.DGlobalClimateChange

Initial Prep TimeApprox.5min.perapparatus

Lesson Time1–4classperiods,dependingonexperimentscompleted

Assembly Requirements• SmallPhillips-headscrewdriver• Smallhexwrench

Materials (for each lab group):

• HorizonRenewableEnergyEducationSet• Electricfan• Metricruler• Stopwatch• HorizonRenewableEnergyMonitorormultimeter(optional)

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Lab Setup

• Werecommendcompletingstep1inExperiment2andsteps1and2inExperiment3intheAssemblyGuideforeachelectrolyzersoyourstudentsdonothavetoassemblethefan,cuttubing,orfilltheelectrolyzerinitially.

• Forthisactivity,yourstudentswillnotneedthewindturbineorsolarpanelpartsofthelabkit.

• Labincludessmallpartsthatcangomissingeasily.Setuparesourceareaforeachlabtableorfortheentireclasstominimizelostpieces.

• Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstoamultimeterorHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitor,omittheMeasurementssectionofthisactivity.

Safety

• Batterypackscanshortoutandheatupiftheredandblackcontactstoucheachotherwhiletheunitisintheonposition.Besuretokeepthemoffwhennotinuse.

• Usingregulartapwaterinsteadofdistilledwaterwillseverelyshortenthelifespanofthefuelcells.Distilledwatercanbefoundatmostpharmaciesordrugstores.

• Runningelectriccurrentthroughdryfuelcellsorattachingthebatterypacksbackwardscandestroythefuelcells.Besuretoalwaysconnectredtoredandblacktoblack.

• Bewareofwaterspills,anddon’tbesurprisedifsomeonetriestostartasyringewaterfight.

Notes on the Renewable Energy Science Kit:

• Directsunlight,orastrongelectriclight,isnecessaryforoperation.Overcastandindirectsunlightmaynotprovidesufficientenergy.Besureanyartificiallightsourceisclosetothesolarpanel.

• BesuretolineupthegapsontheinnercylindersoftheH2andO2tankssothatbubblescanescape.

• YoumayneedtoinjectmorewaterintotheO2sideofthecelliftheelectrolysisreactionisbeingsluggish.Wait3minutesandthentryagain.

Common Problems

• Themotor’sfansometimesneedsalittlepushtogetstarted.

• Ifthere’shydrogenleftbutthemotordoesn’trun,youmayhavetopurgethefuelcell.Unplugtheblackplugandthenquicklyreplaceittopurgeimpuregases.

• If thewater level doesn’t changeafterpurging the cells,make sure the gapson thebaseof the innercylindersareopensothatwatercanfillthem.

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Goals ᄏ Assembledifferentrenewableenergygenerators ᄏ Comparethewaysinwhichtheygenerateelectricity ᄏ Makecalculationsbasedondata

BackgroundFortwoweeks inDecember2015,theresidentsoftheChinesecapitalofBeijing,asinglecityhometomorepeoplethananyUSstateexceptCaliforniaorTexas,hada“RedAlert”forairpollution.Thicksmogfrom factoriesand themore than5millioncars inthe region hadmade the air unsafe for people tobe outside and the government was forced tocloseschoolsandlimittraveltokeepthe22millionresidentsfrombeingexposedtodangerousamountsoftoxinsintheairtheywerebreathing.Anyonewhodared to venture outside wore protective masksover their faces inanattempt to limit thedamagethisseverepollutioncausedtotheirbody.

This isanextremeexampleofhumandependencyon fossil fuels, but it’s exactly the kindof situationthatscientistsaroundtheworldhavebeentryingtopreventbyresearchingthepotentialofcleansourcesofenergytoreplacethecoalandoilfuelsthatcausethepollutionfoundinBeijingandelsewhere.

Threepromisingtechnologiesarewindpower,solarpower, and hydrogen fuel cells. They each havelimitationsanddrawbacks,butnoneofthempollutetheairliketheirfossilfuelcounterparts.

If our cars, factories, and power plants could relyonclean,renewableenergy,notonlywouldourairbe cleaner but our planetwould be healthier too.WithouttheneedtomineourfuelsfrominsidetheEarth,andwithouttheclimate-alteringgreenhousegasesproducedfromexhaust,thehumanimpactonEarth’senvironmentwouldbesignificantlyreduced.

Specialsemiconductorsinsolarpanelsconverttheendless supply of sunlight directly into electricity.A wind turbine uses itsmassive turning blades tocapturetheenergyofmovingairandspinaturbineto create electricity. Hydrogen fuel cells combinehydrogenandoxygengases ina chemicalprocessthatproduceswaterandelectricity.

Is one of these technologies a clear favorite toreplacefossilfuelsasasourceofenergy,orshouldwekeeplooking?

Inthisactivity,wewillgenerateelectricitywiththesethreedifferenttechnologiesandcomparetheresultsto determine which would be the best renewableenergysource.

Wind Turbine Procedure:1. Lookatthethreedifferenttypesofbladesavailable(labeledA,B,andC).Howaretheysimilar?Howare

theydifferent?Discusswithyourgroupwhichtypeofbladeyouthinkwouldworkbestwithyourturbineandrecordyourobservationsbelow.

2. Selectthetypeandnumberofbladesyouwanttotest.Whydoyouwanttotestthistypeofbladefirst?Doyouthinkitwillbebetterorworsethantheothertypes?

3. Checkthatthebladesareinthesamepositionusingthethreenotchesnearthewhitebasesoftheblades.Rotatetheindividualbladesifneededtogetallthebladesintothesameposition.Wouldyourturbinestill

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workifthebladeswereindifferentpositions?

4. InsertthebladesintotheRotorBaseandputtheBladeHolderandtheBladeAssemblyLock,thenattachtheBladeUnittothemetalshaftoftheturbine.Canyourbladesbepositionedbackwards?Howdoyouknowifthere’sa“rightway”forabladetobepositioned?

5. ConnectthebaseoftheturbinetotheLEDlightsusingtheblackandredwires.Whydoyouthinkthelightsneedtwowirestowork?

6. Turnonthefanandpositionit infrontoftheturbine. Itwillworkbest ifyoukeepthefanclosetotheturbineandlineupthecenterofthefanwiththecenteroftheturbine.Whywouldchangingthepositionofthefanaffectthewindhittingtheturbine?

7. RecordyourobservationsintheDataTablebelow:Didthelightsturnon?Weretheydimorbright?

8. Discusswhatyouobservedwithyourgroupanddiscusswhatyouwanttochange:thenumberofblades,theangleoftheblades,thetypeofblades,orsomecombinationofthose.

9. Repeatsteps1-8withasmanychangesasyoucanthinkof.

Observations

Data Table:

BladeType(A,B,C): NumberofBlades: BladeAngle(6°,28°,56°): OtherObservations:

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Wind Turbine Experimentation:

1. Basedonyourdatafromthepreviousexperiment,keeptheanglesofthebladesthesameandtrydifferentnumbersofdifferenttypesofbladestoseewhichworksbest.Recordyourobservationsbelow:

NumberofEachTypeofBlade: Observations:

Whatcombinationworkedbest?

2. Ifyouusedacombinationofdifferenttypesofblades,trychangingthearrangementoftheblades(A,B,A,BorA,A,B,B,forexample)totryandgettherotortoturnfaster.Ifyourrotorspunfastestwithonlyonetypeofblade,youcanskipthisexperiment.

BladeOrder: Observations:

Whatarrangementworkedbest?

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3. Moveyourfanfartherback,toreducethespeedofthewindhittingyourturbine.Testdifferentconfigurationsofbladesandrecordyourobservationsbelow.

BladeType(A,B,C):

NumberofBlades:

BladeAngle(6°,28°,56°): Observations:

Wasthebestarrangementthesameasatthehigherwindspeed?

4. What’sthefarthestdistanceyoucanmoveyourfanandstillturnyourturbine?Useyourrulertomeasurehowfaryourfanisfromyourturbineblades.Trydifferentarrangementstoseeifyoucangettheturbinetoturnatevenfartherdistances.

BladeType(A,B,C):

NumberofBlades:

BladeAngle(6°,28°,56°):

Distance(cm): Observations:

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Solar Panel Procedure:

1. Useyoursolarcelltopowerthesmallmotorthatcontrolsthefan.You’llneedtoconnectthesolarcelltothefanusingwirestocarrytheelectricity.Whydoyouthinkyouneedtwowires?

2. Whenyou’veconnected thesolarcell to themotor, youmayhave togive the fana littlepush toget itstarted.Thesolarcellwillworkbestindirectsunlight.Whathappenstothefanifyoutrythesolarcellwithotherlightsources?

3. NowtryusingthesolarcelltopowertheLEDs.Recordyourobservationsbelow.

Observations

Solar Panel Experimentation:

1. Youcanusecoloredplasticgels,ordifferentlightbulbs,tochangethecoloroflighthittingthesolarpanel.Docertaincolorsworkbetterthanothers?TryusingthesolarpaneltorunthefanandLEDswhilethepanelishitwithdifferentwavelengthsoflightandrecordyourobservationsbelow:

LightColor: Observations:

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2. The solarpanel is dark in color. Does the colorof its surroundings affecthowwell it collects light forgeneratingelectricity?TryusingthepaneltorunthefanandLEDswhilethepanelisinfrontofdifferentcoloredbackgroundsandrecordyourobservationsbelow:

BackgroundColor: OtherObservations:

3. Attachthesolarpaneltothemotoranduseapieceofpaperorothermethodtoshadepartsofthepanelandobservetheeffects.Howmuchofthesolarpanelcanyoucoverbeforethemotorstopsrunning?Doesitmatterwhichsideofthesolarpanelisshaded?

Students should note that, depending on which side you shade, it doesn’t take much at all to stop the motor. This is the result of how the individual photovoltaic cells in the solar cell are wired together.

Fuel Cell Procedure

1. Youcanusetheelectricity fromthebatterypacktogeneratehydrogengasusingtheelectrolyzer. Theelectrolyzeristhesquarewith“H2”and“O2”printedoneitherside.Whatdoyouthinkwillhappenifyouconnectittoasourceofelectricitylikethebatterypack?

2. Yourelectrolyzerisalsoahydrogenfuelcellthatcangenerateelectricityfromhydrogenandoxygen.Ithastwosmalltubesattachedtoit.Isthereanywhereelseonthefuelcellthatyoucouldattachthelongertubes?

3. Lookattheremainingpiecesofyourkit.Ifthefuelcellsplitswaterintohydrogenandoxygengases,whatcouldyouusetotrapthegasessotheydon’tfloataway?Connectthetubesofyourfuelcellsothatyoucantrapthegases.Togeneratehydrogen,you’llneedtosupplyanelectriccurrent.Youcandothiswiththebatterypackorthesolarcell.Tryboth.Whichisbetteratproducinghydrogen?Howdoyouknow?

4. Whenyou’veproducedhydrogen,youcanusethefuelcelltopowerthemotorjustlikeyoudidwiththesolarcell.Plugthemotorintothefuelcellanditshouldstartturning.Noteinyourobservationsifyouseeanydifferenceinhowthemotorworkswiththefuelcellinsteadofthesolarcell.

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TEACHER GUIDE

Observations

Fuel Cell Experimentation

1. Usethebatterypackandfuelcelltogeneratehydrogengasasbefore.ThenattachthefuelcelltotheLEDsandmeasurehowlongtheyrun.Repeatandnoteanychanges.Recordyourobservationsbelow:

Trial: Runtime(sec): Observations:

1

2

3

4

2. Trythesameexperimentwiththefanmotor.Recordyourobservationsbelow:

Trial: Runtime(sec): Observations:

1

2

3

4

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MeasurementForthissection,youwillneedamultimeterortheHorizonRenewableEnergyMonitor.Foranintroductiontousingamultimeter,clickhere.

1. Measurethecurrent inampsandthevoltage involtswhilethewindturbineat its fastestconfigurationpowerstheLEDs.Recordyouranswersbelow:

(Answers will vary, but check that they are within reason, i.e. not 100V or >1A.)

Current:_______________A

Voltage:_____________V

2. MeasurethecurrentinAmpsandthevoltageinVoltswhilethesolarpanelpowerstheLEDs.Recordyouranswersbelow:

Current:_______________A

Voltage:_____________V

3. MeasurethecurrentinAmpsandthevoltageinVoltswhilethefuelcellpowerstheLEDs.Recordyouranswersbelow

Current:_______________A

Voltage:_____________V

4. Poweristhecurrenttimesthevoltage(P=IV).Basedonyourdata,whichenergysourcegeneratedthemostpower?

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Analysis

1. Makeascientificclaimaboutyourelectricgenerators.

Claim should reference the one or more generator’s capabilities. Example: “The wind turbine would make the best source of renewable energy.”

2. Whatevidencedoyouhavetobackupyourscientificclaim?

Evidence should cite data in Observations and/or Experimentation sections. Example: “With a configuration of three B blades at 28° on the turbine rotor, we were able to generate more current and voltage than any other generator.”

3. Whatreasoningdidyouusetosupportyourclaim?

Reasoning can draw from Background section and/or other materials used in class.Example: “More voltage and current means more electric power is generated.”

4. Designanexperimentthatwouldtesthowtoimprovethepoweroutputofoneofyourgenerators.

There are many possible answers, but students must mention the generator they chose, how they would modify it, and have clear control and experimental groups in their description.

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Conclusions1. Doyouthinkthefuelcell,windturbine,orsolarcellmakesthebestsourceofelectricenergy?Explainyour

reasoning.

Students can choose any of the generators as long as they are able to back up their choice with data from their experiments and observations.

2. Whatisthebiggestlimitationofthepowersourceyouchoseabove?Whydoyouthinkit’sthebiggest?

Answers will vary based on the generator chosen. Anything from cloudy days, lack of wind, small storage space for hydrogen, or any number of factors may be chosen, so long as students can reference a compelling reason for their choice.

3. Whatcouldyoudotopossiblyovercomethatlimitation?

Answers will again vary based on the generator/limitation chosen. Students should describe a feasible way to limit the effects of the limitation they chose such as, but not limited to: connecting many solar panels in series, storing unused energy, pressurized hydrogen tanks, etc.

renewable energy - fuel cell store · systems and system models energy and matter structure and...

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