PNW Energy Sources
Energy Education Resources
Conservation and utilizing renewable energy is at the heart of our education partnership. In the Eugene area 70% of our electricity is created by hydropower. Developing an understanding of where our local energy comes from, as well as, water and energy conservation education gives 4J students experiences to help them become better informed as they grow into our future leaders and decision makers.
Below you will find links to resources, activities and lessons pertaining to PNW Energy sources-hydropower, solar and wind.
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What is Renewable Energy?
What is Hydropower?
Hydropower is using water to power make electricity or run machines. Water constantly moves through a vast global cycle, evaporating from lakes and oceans, forming clouds, precipitating as rain or snow, then flowing back down to the ocean. The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be tapped to produce electricity or for mechanical tasks like grinding grain. Hydropower uses a fuel—water—that is not reduced or used up in the process. Because the water cycle is an endless, constantly recharging system, hydropower is considered a renewable energy.
When flowing water is captured and turned into electricity, it is called hydroelectric power or hydropower. There are several types of hydroelectric facilities; they are all powered by the kinetic energy of flowing water as it moves downstream. Turbines and generators convert the energy into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to be used in homes, businesses, and by industry.
Source: energy.gov
The Journey of Hydropower
Follow the journey of hydropower from a water drop falling as snow in the mountains to an energy watt traveling on an electricity superhighway to your doorstep. Learn why the Northwest has the cleanest energy in the nation and the important role hydropower plays in supporting other renewables like wind and solar. Have you ever thought about a career in the energy sector? Learn about the people behind the power who work to keep the lights on in the Northwest. #HydroFlowsHere
How Hydroelectricity Gets to Your Home
How Hydropower Works
Rivers to Power: This nine minute video provides an overview of how hydropower generates up to 75% of the electricity used in the Northwest. The history of water power, the water cycle, how hydropower is generated, the benefits of water to various community interests, and environmental considerations are features of this video.
A Guide to Understanding How Hydropower Operates in the Pacific Northwest:
FWEE Walk Through Hydro Project: A series of ten extremely short videos that show various aspects of a hydro electric facility.
Hydropower for Teachers
Foundation for Water and Energy (FWEE) is the PNW go to site for the latest info about Hydropower and its connection to wind and solar energy. This link will take you to the Following Nature resource above, as well as hydro project maps and hydro power tour videos.
Favorite: Climate Change and Carbon Free Energy Generation
NGSS aligned Lessons from FWEE and Teach Engineering
Teach Engineering-Powering the U.S. -4th grade This lesson provides students with an overview of the electric power industry in the United States. Students also become familiar with the environmental impacts associated with a variety of energy sources.
Teach Engineering-Dams 5th grade unit
Through eight lessons, students are introduced to many facets of dams, including their basic components, the common types (all designed to resist strong forces), their primary benefits (electricity generation, water supply, flood control, irrigation, recreation), and their importance (historically, currently and globally). Through an introduction to kinetic and potential energy, students come to understand how dams generate electricity. They learn about the structure, function and purpose of locks, which involves an introduction to Pascal's law, water pressure and gravity. Other lessons introduce students to common environmental impacts of dams and the engineering approaches to address them. They learn about the life cycle of salmon and the many engineered dam structures that aid in their river passage, as they think of their own methods and devices that could help fish migrate past dams. Students learn how dams and reservoirs become part of the Earth's hydrologic cycle, focusing on the role of evaporation. To conclude, students learn that dams do not last forever; they require ongoing maintenance, occasionally fail or succumb to "old age," or are no longer needed, and are sometimes removed.
Clean Energy:Hydropower 5th grade Using the associated activities, Hydropower generation is introduced to students as a common purpose and benefit of constructing dams. Through an introduction to kinetic and potential energy, students come to understand how a dam creates electricity. They also learn the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy.
The Nature of Water-grades 6-8
The science activities in this curriculum are written to the latest science standards. Select activities will engage students in the science process, and encourage scientific thinking, hypothesizing, experimental design, collection, organization and interpretation of the data. As students experience the activities, they are provided the opportunity to move to higher levels of investigation. Thus students are better prepared to apply the processes of science to analyze, understand, and solve problems dealing with the standards.
Solar Power
NOVA Labs-
Energy is a pretty mysterious concept. This lab investigates what energy is, how it can be converted into useful forms and why some sources are running low.