February 1, 2017
Fossil Fuels:
Welcome! I'm going to be starting the new year of 2017 by closing out a section. This article is going to be all about fossil fuels. You've probably heard of fossil fuels. They're the things that scientists talk about with the greenhouse effect, global warming, and those kinds of things. Fossil fuels are materials found in the earth that we burn to get energy. The three main types are coal, oil, and natural gas. These fossil fuels were formed in a time called the Carboniferous Period. This time period was about 300 million years ago and at that time there were a lot of big things. There were tons of trees and dragonflies with three foot wingspans. Gives you an idea of how crazy the time period was. Anyways, these trees all got buried and pushed under the earth. They got compacted and hardened and we eventually ended up with pockets of coal and oil and natural gas. We call those pockets reserves. Fossil fuels are the most commonly used fuel but they're bad for the environment because they're filled with carbon. This carbon goes into the atmosphere when we burn it for energy. Carbon traps the heat inside the earth that comes from the Sun and warms the Earth up, which is bad for the Earth because animals and plants have very specific conditions they can live in. Also, this could melt the polar ice caps and cause many cities to be flooded. Fossil fuels are widely used but they're being replaced by renewable and cleaner energy, such as the energy sources talked about in past articles.
Fossil Fuels:
Welcome! I'm going to be starting the new year of 2017 by closing out a section. This article is going to be all about fossil fuels. You've probably heard of fossil fuels. They're the things that scientists talk about with the greenhouse effect, global warming, and those kinds of things. Fossil fuels are materials found in the earth that we burn to get energy. The three main types are coal, oil, and natural gas. These fossil fuels were formed in a time called the Carboniferous Period. This time period was about 300 million years ago and at that time there were a lot of big things. There were tons of trees and dragonflies with three foot wingspans. Gives you an idea of how crazy the time period was. Anyways, these trees all got buried and pushed under the earth. They got compacted and hardened and we eventually ended up with pockets of coal and oil and natural gas. We call those pockets reserves. Fossil fuels are the most commonly used fuel but they're bad for the environment because they're filled with carbon. This carbon goes into the atmosphere when we burn it for energy. Carbon traps the heat inside the earth that comes from the Sun and warms the Earth up, which is bad for the Earth because animals and plants have very specific conditions they can live in. Also, this could melt the polar ice caps and cause many cities to be flooded. Fossil fuels are widely used but they're being replaced by renewable and cleaner energy, such as the energy sources talked about in past articles.
December 24, 2016
Nuclear Power:
Welcome back! Today, we're diving in to nuclear power. Nuclear power is energy created by breaking atomic bonds, which come from atoms. Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything. If you don't know, atoms make up everything. They are so small even the best microscopes can barely see them. To generate nuclear power, we have nuclear power plants that make the energy. A process called nuclear fission creates the energy. In nuclear fission, atoms are split and this lets energy out. The atom that they usually split is called Uranium. Uranium is radioactive, which means that it emits radiation, which is bad for us and can cause diseases. When these Uranium atoms are split, they release a lot of energy and we use that energy to power different things in our lives. An example is that there are nuclear submarines, which have these nuclear reactors on board to make energy without them having to go to a port to refuel. Now you know how nuclear power works!
Nuclear Power:
Welcome back! Today, we're diving in to nuclear power. Nuclear power is energy created by breaking atomic bonds, which come from atoms. Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything. If you don't know, atoms make up everything. They are so small even the best microscopes can barely see them. To generate nuclear power, we have nuclear power plants that make the energy. A process called nuclear fission creates the energy. In nuclear fission, atoms are split and this lets energy out. The atom that they usually split is called Uranium. Uranium is radioactive, which means that it emits radiation, which is bad for us and can cause diseases. When these Uranium atoms are split, they release a lot of energy and we use that energy to power different things in our lives. An example is that there are nuclear submarines, which have these nuclear reactors on board to make energy without them having to go to a port to refuel. Now you know how nuclear power works!
December 23, 2016
Hydroelectric Energy:
Welcome to the next article! Today, we're learning about a type of energy called hydroelectric energy. Basically, hydroelectric energy uses water and its movement to create electricity. How it works is that a dam is built. The dam blocks the flow of water so the area on one side of the dam is much higher up than the other end. The water then falls down into an opening in the dam. The energy it is generating from falling is then caught by the turbine, which rotates. The turbine rotates the generator, which creates electricity. Then, we have energy! Hydroelectric dams are usually built on rivers because rivers are always flowing. Hydroelectricity is a great way to get energy because it is renewable and we can't run out of it.
Hydroelectric Energy:
Welcome to the next article! Today, we're learning about a type of energy called hydroelectric energy. Basically, hydroelectric energy uses water and its movement to create electricity. How it works is that a dam is built. The dam blocks the flow of water so the area on one side of the dam is much higher up than the other end. The water then falls down into an opening in the dam. The energy it is generating from falling is then caught by the turbine, which rotates. The turbine rotates the generator, which creates electricity. Then, we have energy! Hydroelectric dams are usually built on rivers because rivers are always flowing. Hydroelectricity is a great way to get energy because it is renewable and we can't run out of it.
November 26, 2016
Wind Power:
Welcome to the next article in the Fueling Our Lives spotlight. Today, we'll be learning about another source of energy: wind power. Have you ever seen those big, giant poles with the spinning blades on top of hills? When the wind blows, it moves those blades and energy is created when those blades move. Those machines are called wind turbines. When the wind pushes on the blades, it causes the blades to move. This makes what is called mechanical energy. Sometimes this energy will be turned into electricity. Wind power is a great source of energy because it is a renewable resource, meaning we can have infinite energy from wind power because the wind is always flowing and that means that it'll always make energy. Wind energy is also clean energy and doesn't pollute our environment. Basically, it doesn't put bad gasses into the air.
Wind Power:
Welcome to the next article in the Fueling Our Lives spotlight. Today, we'll be learning about another source of energy: wind power. Have you ever seen those big, giant poles with the spinning blades on top of hills? When the wind blows, it moves those blades and energy is created when those blades move. Those machines are called wind turbines. When the wind pushes on the blades, it causes the blades to move. This makes what is called mechanical energy. Sometimes this energy will be turned into electricity. Wind power is a great source of energy because it is a renewable resource, meaning we can have infinite energy from wind power because the wind is always flowing and that means that it'll always make energy. Wind energy is also clean energy and doesn't pollute our environment. Basically, it doesn't put bad gasses into the air.
August 28, 2016
Geothermal Energy:
Welcome to the Fueling Our Lives spotlight, where we'll learn about all the different places the energy we use to fuel our homes comes from. Today, the topic is geothermal energy. The word geothermal can be broken apart to understand what it means. Thermal means of or relating to heat and geo is of or relating to the Earth, so geothermal means heat from the Earth, which is what geothermal energy is. Magma flows beneath Earth's surface and sometimes a pocket of it will sneak up closer to Earth's surface. These magma pockets generate heat and that heat will rise up to Earth's surface. If there is enough heat under a lake it becomes a geothermal lake. We can find these lakes in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark as well as at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where there is a giant volcano heating everything. There is enough heat within 33,000 feet of the Earth's surface that there is 50,000 times more geothermal energy than there is all oil and natural gas in the world. Geothermal is a great power source that is, for the most part, renewable which means we can use it again and again.
Geothermal Energy:
Welcome to the Fueling Our Lives spotlight, where we'll learn about all the different places the energy we use to fuel our homes comes from. Today, the topic is geothermal energy. The word geothermal can be broken apart to understand what it means. Thermal means of or relating to heat and geo is of or relating to the Earth, so geothermal means heat from the Earth, which is what geothermal energy is. Magma flows beneath Earth's surface and sometimes a pocket of it will sneak up closer to Earth's surface. These magma pockets generate heat and that heat will rise up to Earth's surface. If there is enough heat under a lake it becomes a geothermal lake. We can find these lakes in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark as well as at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where there is a giant volcano heating everything. There is enough heat within 33,000 feet of the Earth's surface that there is 50,000 times more geothermal energy than there is all oil and natural gas in the world. Geothermal is a great power source that is, for the most part, renewable which means we can use it again and again.