Why+teach+about+Solar+Energy


 * Most of the energy sources on Earth originate from the Sun**, with the exceptions of the energy in the tides, caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun, and geothermal energy, which results from the heat escaping from hot rocks 2 km (1.2 mi) below the Earth’s surface and from the effects of radioactive decay. The Sun's radiation is equivalent to 1.4 kW/sq mi in space before any attenuation due to travelling through the Earth’s atmosphere. This solar radiation is converted naturally into various energy streams. Wave energy results from the interaction between the convection-driven winds and the surface of the sea; hydro-energy is produced by the hydrological cycle; and biological energy (biomass energy) is that which is stored in living organisms by the process of photosynthesis. **All these forms of energy are available as renewable resources** because of the continual replacement of the energy on a daily, or even hourly, basis.

By way of **contrast, fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas,** although originally laid down effectively as biomass, take **millions of years to form and need to be regarded as finite, non-renewable resources**.

Interest in renewable energy came to the fore during the worldwide energy crises of the 1970s, when **high oil prices highlighted the world’s dependence on fossil fuels**. Secure and affordable energy provision is vital for nations’ development, as all industrialization, manufacturing, and building programmes consume vast amounts of energy. Since the oil crises of the 1970s, and largely as a result of the increased exploration and exploitation of fossil fuel reserves, the abundant supply of oil and coal across the world has enabled market forces to drive down the price of fuel, and consequently electricity, to a very low level. However, estimates suggest that approximately half of the world’s oil reserves, and a smaller fraction of coal reserves, have been used in little over 200 years. Oil will never completely run out but, as demand outpaces supply, renewables can play a major role in bridging the gap.

As well as future supply problems, the environmental impact of sources of energy based on fossil fuel is rapidly generating great concern as the impact of **increasing levels of “greenhouse gases” like carbon dioxide (CO2)** on the global weather patterns is becoming more apparent. In addition, unburnt hydrocarbons (fuel) and the products of combustion, such as oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, cause far-reaching damage to health and the environment. Renewable energy is largely available without chemical processes and hence production of CO2 and other gaseous emissions involved in renewable energy is negligible as they are only generated during the manufacturing and installation of the necessary devices. The burning of biomass, such as wood, does, however, directly produce CO2 as a result of combustion but the gas is absorbed by new wood as it grows and hence the net emission is zero, as long as the fuel crop is completely replenished.

In November 1997 representatives from many countries met in **Kyoto**, Japan, to agree a strategy to reduce the impact on climate change resulting from **the burning of fossil fuels that causes the emission of CO2**. The conference called for industrialized nations to adopt a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent of 1990 levels by the year 2010. The Kyoto negotiations settled on reductions between 6 per cent and 8 per cent for a group of six greenhouse gases for the period 2008 to 2012. The agreed target is subject to ratification by all member countries. Subsequent reports submitted to the House of Lords in the UK suggested that this goal is much too low and that a target of 60 per cent reduction by 2050 will be needed to prevent the worst effects of global warming. **What about** **Australia** **and the** **Kyoto** **targets? Current Record Oil Prices? Price at the bowsers?

Other Excellent Solar School Links: Solar Energy Education - [|Sunsite Funsite] Virtual Solar School - http://www.computing.ee.unsw.edu.au/~solar/index.html

Australian Conservation Foundation Resources: national agenda for a sustainable australia [|http://www.acfonline.org.au]

Queensland/Australian Government Websites: [|Energy Smart Zone] (NSW Gov.) Climate Smart: http://www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au/ Australian Greenhouse Office - http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/ National Statement for Sustainable Schools

General Sustainability Resources for Schools: Ollie's World - http://www.ollierecycles.com/index.html**