Engineering Renewable Energy

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

The first design always fails. That's the point.

What you'll learn

Renewable resources like solar panels and wind turbines generate clean energy. Human innovation in engineering continues to make these technologies more efficient and affordable.

Key words

renewable energy
Energy from a source that is replaced as fast as it is used.
turbine
A machine with blades that spin to generate electricity.

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: what's the weakest part of this build?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

aluminum foil

⚠️ Safety first

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Create a solar oven from a pizza box lined with foil. Measure the temperature inside on a sunny day. Try melting chocolate or cheese.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Question 1 of 2

What is a constraint in engineering?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

What is the first step of the engineering design process?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🚀 The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second at liftoff.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Constraints and Criteria All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: Your phone, your bike, your shoes — all designed with this idea.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Build something — anything — out of stuff in your recycling bin.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's something around the house you'd redesign — and how?”

🛠️Share card

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Engineering Renewable Energy

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