Kids Facts About Solar Energy

I sat down with my kids and talked to them about solar energy being inexpensive, friendly to the environment, and lasts for a very long time. Obviously, solar energy is important to our planet and the technology needs to become widespread. I explained to my kids that they need to know about solar energy because it plays an important part in our future plans.

At first, I wasn't sure my kids were understanding what I was saying about solar energy. I thought to myself, "How can I talk to my kids about solar energy? How can I make the subject Solar Energy fun for them to know and understand?" Perhaps, some classrooms bring the subject up for discussion or as a science project. But, I felt it was important to talk to my kids about solar energy.

I decided to bring it up as simple as I could without being too complicated. I just needed to know where to look for more information, and figure out how to explain what solar power at a kid’s level of understanding.

I have brought up solar energy while driving in the car with my kids and at family meals. We talk about the environment and how solar energy plays an important part in keeping the planet clean and free from greenhouse warming. I explain what is green housewarming. We talk about the sun as a clean source of energy compared to biofuels. I didn't say "biofuels" and kept it simple and explain how bad it is to use biofuels.

I explained gasoline or oil is a dirty energy. It comes from the ground and burns chemicals into the air whereas the sun is not dirty and leaves the air clean.

The Internet is full of information about solar energy for kids. I highly recommend surfing the Internet and discovering some awesome facts about solar energy that can be very light, fun, and almost not educational.

Magazines, Newspapers, and Journals contain current information about alternative energy. Scan the publications and look for information about solar energy. When you find an article or anything that relates to solar energy, cut the clipping out and pin it to the refrigerator for everyone in the family to read.

I discovered that simply bringing up solar energy with my kids will draw their attention to the fact that it does exist. The more I talk about it the more they will understand the value of solar energy. Pretty soon, they were bringing me articles on the subject - especially my oldest daughter.

Bill Hurd is a college professor in Southern California. He has started a class on installing PVs because Hurd recognizes that the solar power industry is a growing field and more jobs will be available in the very near future. This is an indication of where we are headed in alternative-energy. Your kids might consider a career in the field of alternative energy.

It’s not too hard to see the handwriting on the wall, particularly when former President Obama subsidize alternative-energy in government buildings. You and your kids can peruse career sites of alternative-energy companies like BP Alternative Energy and Alliant Energy. They are definitely promoting for people to help shape the evolution of energy industry on this planet. Some job listings I found are a geologist, conversation program engineer, and hydrologist.

So it appears that Bill Hurd is a smart, calculating professor and knows that solar power is here to stay and our future.

Another way to get your kids interested in solar energy is to mention a celebrity doing his or her part in solar energy. Johnny Depp purchased an island for $3,000,000 with no power lines available to stretch that far to the remote island in the Bahamas. So, being green-minded he plans to use solar and hydrogen to power his home on the island. This is a far better way than using a diesel generator.

Diesel exhaust is one of the most dangerous pollutants of fine particulate matter. The matter not only wears down the body’s defense system and embeds in the deepest recesses of the lungs, but also disrupts cellular growth. Diesel is strongly linked to premature deaths, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and asthma attacks.

Depp is consulting with Mike Strizki to help him build the system that will produce an efficient amount of power to satisfy his exuberant lifestyle. Strizki is very familiar with such a system because he built one for his home in New Jersey. You can view a video of Strizki’s system by clicking here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEdQRVQtffw here].

Just like Strizki’s the system on Depp’s island stores excess energy as hydrogen for sunless days and nights. Storing the hydrogen is a tricky matter because it is a terrible gas to store in a small space unless it’s compressed. The problem lies in the fact that little energy comes from large amounts of hydrogen. The solution is to get large quantities of hydrogen into a small space. Strizki uses propane tanks to store the hydrogen at his home, which is not a bad idea.

I am sure Depp and Strizki will sort the potential problems that can arise with a venture in solar and hydrogen power system. The fact that it’s green is important and sets a good example for the rest of us.

Every day the sun comes up and goes down. It’s clean, simple, and free. I had a real easy time explaining this to my kids, and so can you.