Non‑renewable and renewable energy sources

Author: Leokadia Stalewicz

Target group

8th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

General requirements

IV. Reasoning and applying the acquired knowledge to solving biological problems. The student:

1. interprets the information and explains causal relationships between phenomena, formulates conclusions;

2. presents opinions and arguments related to the discussed biological issues.

General aim of education

You will learn the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non‑renewable energy sources

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• distinguish renewable and non‑renewable sources of electricity;

• assess the advantages and disadvantages of various sources of electricity.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• exposing

  • exposition.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher gives the topic, the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.

• Then he writes the subject of the lesson on the blackboard or interactive whiteboard. Students write it in notebooks.

• The teacher reminds the participants of the classes what subject area the lesson will concern.

Realization

• The teacher asks students to read the abstract themselves, paying particular attention to the illustrations.

• The teacher divides the class into several groups whose task is to prepare a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non‑renewable energy sources. Students work using the expert tables method, with each table examining one of the following issues: consequences of using non‑renewable energy sources based on burning fossil fuels; the consequences of using non‑renewable energy sources based on uranium fission; advantages and disadvantages of wind farms and hydroelectric power plants; advantages and disadvantages of solar and geothermal plants.

• The teacher designates a group that will present a list of advantages and disadvantages of individual energy sources. The representative of the group reports the results of the work. Students from other groups supplement his speech as needed.

• Working in the same groups, students discuss the effects of saving electricity (taking into account the fact that in Poland energy is mainly produced from coal). Then they write the conclusions in the notebooks.

• Students carry out the interactive exercises checking the level of knowledge learned during the lesson. The teacher initiates a discussion during which the correct solutions for all the exercises performed by the students are discussed.

Summary

• At the end of the lesson the teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer? If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions.

Homework

• Imagine that you have the opportunity to interview an academic - a specialist in the field of today's lesson. What questions would you like to ask him? Write them down.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Non‑renewable and renewable energy sources

Electricity is traditionally obtained during the process of burning fossil fuel, such as black coal, lignite, crude oil and natural gas. These fuels contain carbon and carbon compounds and are of organic origin. They are called conventional and non‑renewable natural resources.

Acquiring electricity from fossil fuels is relatively efficient, but its impact on the environment is not neutral. Both the mining and burning of fossil fuels have a negative impact on nature. In the case of opencast lignite mines, whole landscapes are destroyed. It also generates a lot of waste: rocks extracted with coal as well as dusts and ashes – products of burning. In addition, during the production of energy from coal, huge amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides and other pollutants that have an adverse effect on the environment and our health are released into the atmosphere. Coal and other fuels will eventually run out. In Poland, for example, we are running out of shallow coal seams and the exploitation of deeper seams is too expensive.

Another raw material for the production of electricity is the uranium, used in nuclear power plants. It is estimated that the world resources are sufficient for the next 300 years. Acquiring energy from uranium is safe thanks to very restrictive regulations regarding technological processes and constantly improved production methods. The problem is the radioactive waste, which is usually put in steel barrels, covered with concrete and then placed in the deepest drifts of inactive salt mines. Waste from nuclear power plants must be safely stored for tens of thousands of years before they stop emitting harmful radiation.

Renewable energy sources include among others wind, solar energy, water energy or geothermal energy coming from inside the Earth. These sources cannot be exhausted and the power stations that generate such energy do not pollute the environment. However, the energy from these sources has its disadvantages. In the case of wind farms, the amount of obtained energy depends on the strength of the wind, so they work only when it blows, and are profitable in countries where the winds are constant and strong. In addition, wind turbines occupy large areas, change the landscape and relatively often require expensive repairs.

One of the disadvantages of hydroelectric power plants is that they are often built on dams that change the natural course of rivers and form a barrier for aquatic organisms. The amount of energy produced by hydroelectric plants depends on the water level, which, in the conditions of the observed climate change, is very variable. Still, their construction, apart from acquiring energy, may bring other benefits such as creating retention reservoirs that can be used during a drought.

The solar and geothermal power plants are the least harmful to the environment. Solar cells, however, are profitable only in strong sunlight, and the energy of the Earth's interior can be used only in those areas where the rocks or water that accumulate heat are located relatively shallow (up to 10 km underground).

Natural conditions in Poland allow primarily for the acquisition of water and geothermal energy. However, it must be remembered that the production of energy from renewable sources is still much more expensive than acquiring it from non‑renewable sources.

Thanks to the multitude of the sources of renewable energy, almost every place on earth can be adapted for electricity acquisition. For example, desert areas with high sun exposure are excellent for solar plant construction, Iceland can use the geothermal energy of its hot springs, and Scotland can benefit from wind energy.

• Coal, oil, natural gas and uranium are non‑renewable sources of electricity; obtaining energy from them is cheap.

• Renewable energy sources include solar radiation, wind, geothermal energy and energy coming from the flow of water; they do not pollute the environment, they won’t run out, but obtaining energy from them is expensive.

• In Poland, most of the energy comes from burning coal.

• In Poland, there are good conditions for the use of the energy of flowing water and geothermal energy.