LESSON PLAN SNAPSHOT
Draft: May 3, 2011
SOLAR CAR CURRICULUM
SUMMARY
LESSON ONE: Introduction to Solar Energy
TOPIC(S):
ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS:
45 minutes
Plus extended learning
TIME:
What is Solar Energy
Non-renewable Energy vs. Renewable Energy
MATERIALS
Active Solar Energy vs. Passive Solar Energy
NEEDED:
Solar Design Exercise
What is solar energy?
How does it compare to other types of energy sources?
When did people begin using solar energy?
What is the difference between active solar vs. passive solar?
What is the difference between non-renewable energy vs. renewable energy?
Projector
Notebooks & paper
Activity Handouts
Colored Pencils
Students should understand the basic concept of solar energy, different types of solar energy and how it
OBJECTIVES: compares to other forms of energy production.
ACTIVITY
ESTIMATED TIME EXERCISE
DESCRIPTION
5 min.
WARM-UP DISCUSSION
What do we know about solar and energy production?
Can you name places where you have seen or used solar energy?
20 min.
PRESENTATION
Intro to solar energy PowerPoint & short video
15 min.
TEAM ACTIVITY
Students divide into small teams and chart pros and cons of renewable
vs. non-renewable energy choices, then present their findings to the
class. Teams can be organized by energy sources.
5 min.
CLOSING QUESTIONS
How does solar compare to other types of energy sources?
What are the pros and cons of different energy sources?
What is the difference between active and passive solar?
30 min.
EXTENDED LEARNING
Option One
Have the school's energy/facility manager or administrator speak to the
students about the PV arrays on the school and show them how they
work. If possible, have the students monitor the electrical output of the
arrays and correlate the output to weather conditions.
30 min.
EXTENDED LEARNING
Option Two
Students explore the difference between passive and active solar energy
(see worksheet), then work in small teams to design a solar powered
object or building. Students present and explain whether they utilized
passive or active solar in their concept.
ADDITIONAL INFO
SUGGESTED Do students understand the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy?
Do students understand the difference between Active Solar vs. Passive Solar?
ASSESSMENTS Did students participate in activity and class discussions?
VOCABULARY
Non-renewable
Fossil-fuel
Nuclear Energy
Natural Gas
Coal
Oil
SUGGESTED LINKS http://www.diykyoto.com
Junior Solar Sprint Kit
Design e2: Energy
www.greenmyparents.com
www.toptenusa.org
www.campaignearth.org
www.greenmap.org
Renewable Energy
Solar Energy
Bio-fuels
Biomass Energy
Hydroelectric Power
Wind
Geothermal Energy
Tidal Forces
Active Solar
Photovoltaic (PV) panels
Solar Thermal Collectors
Passive solar
Solar Hot Water
Solar Cooking
Passive Solar Design
National Renewable Energy Lab
Solar Energy Calculator
U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=kids.kids_index
http://solar1.org/education/energy/
State incentives for Renewables and efficiency
TEACHER GUIDE WITH STUDENT ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Questions:
What kind of power do you use in your home, school, and community?
Send student to austinenergy.com
Austin Energy’s NON-RENEWABLE Energy
 Natural gas powered plants in the Austin area. (Decker Creek Power Station, Sand Hill Energy Center)
 Austin Energy is part owner of the Fayette Power Project which is a coal power plant in La Grange, Texas
 Austin Energy is part owner of a nuclear fuel plant called South Texas Project in Bay City, Texas
RENEWABLE ENERGY
 Wind farms in West Texas
 Methane from landfills from Austin and San Antonio
 Solar rebate program for Austin homes and businesses
What have you heard about non-renewable or renewable energy in the news recently?





Solar Energy projects are growing across the country
Wind turbines are increasing across the country
Oil spill
Earthquakes leading to nuclear emergency in Japan
Natural Gas Hydro-fracking
Pros and Cons of Energy Choices:
ENERGY TYPE
COAL-FIRED POWER
PLANT
PROS
 Coal's energy is easily released.
 The world has more coal, than oil and gas
reserves.
 Coal is a major source of carbon emissions.
 Strip-mining and mountain-top removal to extract
the coal destroys the landscape.
 Natural gas burns much more cleanly than other
fossil fuels.
 Produces carbon emissions
 The extraction and delivery of natural gas poses
the risk of damage to natural habitats through
pipeline leaks, water contamination through
fracking
 The weather can affect the efficiency of solar cells.
 Large areas of land or rooftops are required for
the panels to be mounted.
 There are high initial costs to build and install solar
collectors.
 The investment of a solar hot water heater is more
expensive than electric or gas heaters
NATURAL GAS
 Solar energy is everywhere the sun shines
 Solar panels give off no pollution beyond their
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR HOT WATER
WIND
NUCLEAR ENERGY
CONS
manufacture and transportation.
 A solar hot-water heater requires little
maintenance
 The technology for harnessing the wind's energy
is well-developed.
 Wind turbines, although tall, do not have a large
footprint so land can be used for other purposes
 Emits no carbon
 High energy density of the fuel
 Wind must move at speeds greater than 7 m.p.h.
 Possible damage to the environment: tree
removal, hill alteration to promote winds, and
turbines pose a hazard to migrating birds.
 Nuclear plants are expensive
 Pose risks of radiation leaks during accidents
 Spent fuel is radioactive for thousands of years
STUDENT VOCABULARY
Non-renewable Energy vs. Renewable Energy
The energy we use to power things like our buildings and transportation comes in two different forms: Non-renewable
and Renewable. Usable electricity travels from its central generation point to the consumer though the electrical grid,
which is the utility’s network of conductors and distribution equipment. An off the grid system like a solar powered
traffic light uses batteries to store and distribute electricity when needed.
NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY: Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas along with uranium used in
nuclear power are examples of non-renewable resources. These energy sources exist in a fixed quantity and cannot be
replaced once they are consumed. Fossil fuels are burnt, which releases carbon dioxide that accumulates in our
atmosphere. Spent nuclear fuel is radioactive and deadly for thousands of years.
A fossil-fuel power station burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity.
A coal-fired power plant burns coal to produce heat. Coal is a fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of
vegetable material trapped underground for millions of years.
Nuclear Energy is produced by splitting atoms of radioactive materials, such as uranium and plutonium.
Natural Gas power production burns natural gas to produce heat. Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed from
layers of buried plants and animals over thousands of years.
Oil is a raw material that is used to make petroleum products. A black liquid fossil fuel found deep in the
Earth. Gasoline, kerosene, propane and most plastics are made from oil.
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
Energy that can be easily made and replenished continually is called renewable energy.
These methods of producing energy are often cleaner and better for the environment than non-renewable energy.
Types of renewable energy sources include:
Solar Energy comes from the radiant energy of the sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy,
such as heat or electricity.
Bio-fuels are refined from biomass (plants, food waste). These are usually mixed with gasoline or diesel fuel.
Some examples are bio-diesel and ethanol.
Biomass Energy: A renewable source of energy that is made from plant material and animal waste. Can be
burned or refined to create methane or “syn-gas” for use in some existing power plants.
Hydroelectric Power uses moving water to power a turbine generator to produce electricity.
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into another useful form of energy. Windmills and wind
turbines use the force of wind to spin their blades and produce energy.
Geothermal Energy is heat energy that is produced by natural processes inside the earth. It can be taken
from hot springs, reservoirs of hot water deep below the ground, or by drilling deep through bedrock itself.
Tidal Forces generate electricity through moving floats anchored to the seafloor or turbines embedded in
seawalls that move as the tidal waves go in and out.
Icon credit:  Green Map System
STUDENT ACTIVITY
Questions:
What kind of power do you use in your home, school, and community?
What have you heard about non-renewable or renewable energy in the news recently?
Pros and Cons of Energy Choices:
ENERGY TYPE
COAL-FIRED POWER
PLANT
NATURAL GAS
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR HOT WATER
WIND
NUCLEAR ENERGY
PROS
CONS
EXTENDED LEARNING
Putting the Sun to Work!
Solar energy operates in one of two ways: Active Solar and Passive Solar
ACTIVE SOLAR ENERGY includes the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy
Photovoltaic Cells - A device, usually made from silicon, which converts some of the energy from light (radiant
energy) into electrical energy. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are arranged in order to create PV panels, which are in
turn used in PV arrays to convert a required energy amount.
Solar Thermal Collectors: A solar collector gathers and stores the sun’s energy via a network of pipes through
which water or brine (salt) solution is heated and can be used immediately to turn a steam turbine or stored in
insulated reservoirs to be pumped out after the sun goes down. Flat plate collectors are the most common
type; they consist of copper tubes fitted to a flat, dark colored absorber plate.
PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY makes the use of sunlight without solar panels or mechanical systems.
Examples
include orienting a building to the south to face the sun or selecting materials with thermal mass or light distribution
properties.
Solar Hot Water: Heats water by converting direct solar radiation energy into thermal energy and transferring
that energy to raise the temperature of water. This system does not use a photovoltaic panel.
Solar Radiation is the energy emitted by the sun from a nuclear fusion reaction that creates electromagnetic
energy. Thermal Energy is the exertion of power that is created by heat, or the increase in temperature. The
Sun is a source of thermal energy.
Solar Cooking: A solar oven is a device that uses sunlight to heat the air in an enclosure to cook food. Because
they use no fuel and they cost nothing to run, solar ovens are popular with humanitarian organizations because
help slow deforestation and stop accidental fires from wood-fired cooking.
Passive Solar Design: A means of capturing, storing, and using the sun to heat, light and cool a building.
Questions:
How do you envision solar power being used in your home and community?
Name three types of passive solar energy and three types of active solar energy?
EXTENDED LEARNING ACTIVITY
Designing with the Sun
Activity: Use your imagination! Design a solar powered object or building with a group of two or more.
DESIGN QUESTIONS
Where will your design be used?
Who will use it? How?
Will it have special features?
Will you integrate photovoltaic
(PV) cells or panels? If so, how?
How will your design work?
What materials will you use?
Use the space below to design and sketch your own solar powered object or building:
Title:
Activity Source: Designing with the Sun, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, NYC
Sources:
Green Map System offers free energy mapping modules for teens at GreenMap.org/youth. Download and use them to chart energy in
your school, to map out ways to get around without a car and to become more eco-efficient and green space savvy. Find out more
about local mapmaking teams in 50 countries who create Green Maps with the globally designed icons (shown here) and how you can
get involved at GreenMap.org