<aside> 📺 Hello Ecowarriors! Over the past two days, we've explored the different ways energy can be generated for human use. These methods aren't perfect, though. Every type of energy generation causes some sort of problem. Hydroelectric power can wreck local ecosystems, nuclear creates dangerous waste, and coal and oil mess up the carbon cycle and cause climate change, a dangerous world-wide issue you'll learn about later.

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Introduction to Renewable Energy Challenges

For today’s activity, you will watch a few short videos and answer some questions. First, watch this video for an introduction to challenges of switching to renewable energy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC-BYhuFUtY&ab_channel=AsapSCIENCE

Review Questions

<aside> 💡 Feel free to respond to these questions on a sheet of paper, or use this Google Doc

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  1. What are the three things that are required for a major economic shift such as the industrial revolution?
  2. Why weren't renewable energy sources being used on a larger scale until recently?
  3. What is the biggest challenge that countries face when switching to the widespread use of renewable energy sources?

Challenges with Wave Energy

Next, watch this video to learn about the reason why the use of wave energy isn't widespread yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMRiKmgxrh0&ab_channel=MinuteEarth

Review Questions

<aside> 💡 Feel free to respond to these questions on a sheet of paper, or use this Google Doc

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  1. What is the best way to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy?
  2. What is a wave, and why can't they spin turbines well?
  3. What are some inventions that have been created to try to capture energy from waves?
  4. What is the main reason why there isn't a commercially successful design for capturing waves?

Issues with Wind Turbines

Now, watch this video for an explanation about the consequences of using wind turbines.