Renewables, Fossil Fuels and Energy Resources

Lab Brief #10

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Speed isn't the same as force. Don't mix them up.

What you'll learn

Fossil fuels are energy-dense and reliable but finite and release carbon dioxide. Renewables such as wind, solar and hydro do not deplete and emit little carbon in use, but most are intermittent, which is why storage and grid design matter so much.

Key words

renewable resource
An energy resource that is replenished as fast as it is used.
intermittent
Available only at some times, such as solar power at night.

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

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

Get ready

🧰 What you need

electricity meter readings
graph paper
clock

⚠️ Safety first

Read the meter only — do not open any electrical panel or cover.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "renewable resource" and "intermittent" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Track your household electricity meter every hour for one day and plot demand against time. Overlay a typical solar output curve and identify the hours when solar alone could not meet the demand.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

Which is a renewable energy resource?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

The main drawback of solar and wind generation is that they are:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔥 A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

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: This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

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