Year 11 have been looking at how electricity is produced during our recent science lessons. The students have been learning how we need energy to start off with. We can’t make or destroy energy – we can only change it.
Our study has involved looking at other energy sources so that we can compare them with the benefits that electricity has to offer. We found that the most common form of energy is fossil fuels that come out of the earth. Year 11 have seen how these produce carbon dioxide which then leads to global warming.
As an alternative we considered how electricity could be made using a natural resource such as wind. We introduced the students to the idea of a wind turbine. Year 11 observed how the natural energy found in the wind is then changed to kinetic energy stored up in the turbine.
No fuel is needed to run a wind turbine and so no carbon dioxide is released. It is also a natural, free source of energy. A problem might be that it isn’t always windy. Some people might object to the appearance of the landscape.
Year 11 have created their own Lansdowne School wind farm. Each pupil has designed and decorated a wind turbine. We wanted our models to look as bright as possible. The science behind wind energy was also incorporated into many of the designs. Our energy work will progress over the coming weeks to look at the benefits of solar energy.