Here Comes The Sun ......or Is It The Wind?

Team: 36

School: Edgewood Elementary

Area of Science: Environmental

Interim: The problem is CO2 emissions from power plants cause global warming. It is important to the health and well-being of people. Global warming causes climate change which is dangerous to many. The purpose for this project is to study and learn about renewable energy. We are comparing wind and solar energy. We want to see which generates the most power for the lowest cost. Problem Definition: The problem is CO2 emissions from power plants cause global warming. It is important to the health and well-being of people. Global warming causes climate change which is dangerous to many. The purpose for this project is to study and learn about renewable energy. We are comparing wind and solar energy. We want to see what is more efficient and reasonable, in energy and money. Problem Solution: The solution to this project is to program two different models of a solar power plant and a wind farm in Edgewood,New Mexico. We plan to use weather data about Edgewood to make our model more realistic. We will program the model to test which alternative energy source provides the most energy. We will use our mentors knowledge and our own research to make the model. Progress to Date: We have already started programming our models in Starlogo TNG. The variables we are using are the months of the year and the weather that month. We still need more information and weather data about Edgewood to make our model really accurate. Economics and the environment will need more research also. We have researched wind and solar energy. We researched how solar cells work.We are meeting a scientist from Sandia Labs on December 13,2012 who invented a new type of solar cell. We need to research the energy usage in Edgewood, New Mexico. We will be attending a field trip to a wind farm to get more information. Expected Results: Most of us think that more energy will be provided by solar in our climate. Bibliography http://hydrology1.nmsu.edu/cgi-shl/cns_f1/monstat.pl?station=AR536&type=&smonth=01&syear=00&emonth=12&eyear=12 "Wind Energy." NRDC: Renewable Energy for America: Wind. National Resources Defense Counsel, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012 . "Renewable Energy Map." NRDC: Renewable Energy for America. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Bortz, Alfred B. Techno-matter: The Materials behind the Marvels. Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First Century, 2001. Print. Ewing, Rex A., and Doug Pratt. Got Sun? Go Solar: Get Free Renewable Energy to Power Your Grid-tied Home. Masonville, CO: PixyJack, 2005. Print. Wales, Jimmy, and Larry Sanger. "Wavelength." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Brain, Marshall. "How Solar Cells Work." How Stuff Works. North Carolina University, 1998. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Wales, Jimmy, and Larry Sanger. "Solar Cell Efficiency." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . http://solarelechttp://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/index.cfmtricityhandbook.com/Solar-Articles/wind-turbines.html http://www.sunwindsolar.com/a_lessons/solar_beginners_notes.html http://www.find-solar.org/?page=wind-calculator http://www.nrel.gov/esi/pdfs/wkshp_0912_wind_visualization_xcel.pdf http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/pdf/11-cmd-849.pdf http://www.nationalgeographic.com/search/?search=wind+energy+economy

Team Members:

  Riley Otto
  Nicholas Cox
  Judy Zamora
  Aaron Talamante
  Alyssa Stokes
  Kacie Armendariz

Sponsoring Teacher: Carol Thompson

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