High Tech Kids Facts About Popular Solar Energy
Benefits of 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?"
"Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance."
— Isaac NewtonSolar Energy Definition
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. Solar energy is crucial to our planet, and the technology needs to become widespread. I told them that they need to know about solar energy because it plays a massive part in the future.
At first, I wasn't sure my kids understood 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 it.
I decided to bring it up as simple as I could without being complicated. I just needed to know where to look for more information, and figure out how to explain solar power, at a kid's level of understanding.
How Does Solar Energy Work?
I bought a book to read to my son about solar energy called Running on Sunshine: How Does Solar Energy Work?
As I read it to him, I learned about solar energy as well. I found out that there are solar roads where they light up when danger is ahead - like an animal on the road. Tiny solar chips carefully placed in a person's eyes help an otherwise blind person see.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants to teach their children about solar energy and how we currently benefit from its use.
I explained gasoline or oil is dirty energy. It comes from the ground and burns chemicals into the air, whereas the sun is not dirty with energy. The sun comes from above, shining down on us and leaving the air clean.
Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages
I discuss solar energy while driving in the car with my kids and at family meals. We talk about the environment and how solar power plays a significant part in keeping the planet clean and free from environmental impurities, explaining what that means.
We talk about the sun as a clean source of energy compared to biofuels. I avoid the word "biofuels" and keep it simple and explain how bad it is to use biofuels. Gasoline or oil is an energy that is not clean. It comes from the ground and burns poisonous chemicals into the air, whereas the sun is not dirty, and the air stays clean when using the sun.
What Do You Think
If you could afford solar, would you install solar panels on your roof?
Alternative Energy Resources
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.
Articles of Science
I discovered that bringing up solar energy with my kids draws their attention to the fact that it does exist. The more I talk about it, the more they understand the value of solar energy. Pretty soon, they were bringing me articles of science on the subject - especially my oldest daughter.
Solar Energy Companies
Bill Hurd is a college professor in Southern California. He established a class on installing PVs because Hurd recognized that the solar power industry is a growing field, and more jobs are available in the future. More jobs are an indication of alternative-energy growth. Your kids might consider a career in the field of alternative energy.
It’s not hard to see the handwriting on the wall when there is 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 ask people to help shape the evolution of the 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.
Johnny Depp Solar Energy Plans
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, who starred in the Alice and Wonderland movies and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, purchased an island for $3,000,000 with no power lines available to stretch 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. It's a better way than using a diesel generator.
Diesel exhaust is a dangerous pollutant of very 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 causes premature deaths, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and asthma attacks.
Depp consulted with Mike Strizki to help him build a system that produces an amount of power to satisfy his exuberant lifestyle. Strizki is very familiar with the system because he made one for his home in New Jersey. In the video below, he talks about his various projects.
Like Strizki's system on Depp's island can store excess energy as hydrogen for days and nights without any sun. Storing 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. The fact that it's green is impressive and sets a good example for the rest of us.
"I hope climate science becomes the big thing. And then what I want is electrical engineers to solve the world's energy problems, energy distribution problems. I want mechanical engineers to make better transportation systems. I want chemical engineers to develop better solar panels, and so on."
— Bill Nye, American EducatorKids Facts About the Sun
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 as long as you keep it simple.
© 2016 Kenna McHugh
Comments
I think it's time to go green for everybody around the world. Kids should learn a lot more about green energy and focus on renewable energy so they can make the earth pollution free when they grow up to become experts in this field.
Solar energy is a great achievement so far. Unfortunately, grown ups don't listen, especially people in power who think about nothing but themselves.