Sources of energy classroom activities

Look at the video, diagrams, maps, photos and texts from the resources of the possible sources of energy. Complete the chart below using the headings provided. Aim to include at least 6 sources of energy.

1. Energy source eg coal
2. Is it sustainable? (will it get used up or is it renewable?)
3. Its advantages. (Is it efficient, easy to produce, etc?)
4. Its disadvantages or problems. (Is it costly, will it pollute, is it dangerous etc?)

A Energy source	B Sustainable? Y/N	C Advantages	D Disadvantages
Wave	Y	Energy from vertical wave movement.	Very costly to design and build.
Solar	Y	Can be used effectively for water heating or in remote places that don’t have electricity.	Still quite expensive.
Wind	Y	Movement of air caused by sun heating and altering air pressure.	Turbines need to be in places with regular wind.
Fossil fuels	N	Formed from organic matter buried and compressed over millions of years.	Release pollution into the atmosphere :  Coal  Oil  Natural gas
Tides	Y	Water from tide movement trapped in some estuaries. Tides caused by the gravitational pull of the moon.	Not widely used.
Nuclear	N	Energy from splitting atoms.	It is costly and produces radioactive wastes.

Sustainable energy

What sorts of climate would suit the use of solar energy? Solar panels can be in multiple locations and areas with low cloud coverage and that receive large amounts of solar energy are best for solar panels. New Zealand is well suited to the use of wind energy. Why? New zealand's landscapes provide one of the most efficient wind resources in the world. Wind turbines are not producing greenhouse gas emissions as they are generating electricity and are easy to remove, making wind power one of the most environmentally friendly forms of electricity generation. New Zealand in the past has spent a lot of money in prospecting for oil and natural gas, but little on other more sustainable forms of energy such as wind power. Explain! For the future New Zealand would be better if we hadn't spent money looking for oil and instead spent money researching and developing renewable energies such as: Wind, solar, Tides, Wave etc.