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Unit 12: Alternative Energy Page 17 of 31
supply of fossil fuels so they will heat transfer, and requires a fluid
last longer. (the wind, in this case) to move
the energy (heat) around. Radiant
Plants are the most important heat explains how the sun can
biomass energy source. Plant warm the earth through the
material can be burned directly-as vacuum of space. The sun doesn’t
with wood-or it can be converted need to touch (conductive) the
into a fuel by other means. We’ll earth or even share in the same
learn how water can be heated by fluid atmosphere to transfer the
composting grass, how a peanut energy (convective) – it warms us
burns, and how corn syrup can be up through radiation, or light.
made into ethyl alcohol in our
experiments for this section. Solar energy (power) refers to
collecting this energy and storing it
for another use, like driving a car.
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The sun blasts 174 x 10 watts
Lesson 2: Advanced (which is
Alternative Energy 174,000,000,000,000,000 watts)
of energy through radiation to the
Solar Energy earth, but only 70% of that
amount actually makes it to the
This is the kind of energy surface. And since the surface of
most people think of the earth is mostly water, both in
when you mention ocean and cloud form, only a small
'alternative energy', and fraction of the total amount makes
for good reason! Without the sun, it to land.
none of anything you see around
you could be here. Plants have A solar cell converts sunlight
known forever how to take the straight into electricity. Most
energy and turn it into usable satellites are powered by large
stuff… so why can’t we? solar panel arrays in space, as
sunlight is cheap and readily
There are three different ways to available out there.
conduct heat energy: conduction,
convention, and radiation. When I While solar cells seem 'new' and
sit on a cold bench, I conduct heat modern today, the first ones were
to the bench through touch. Wind created in the 1880s, but were a
chill factor is a form of convective mere 1% efficient. (Today, they
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