Fantastic Website about Energy

As you may have read, we are learning all about energy at school at the moment.

We are interested in different types of energy, how it is made and how we use it in society.

One of the Fantastic Websites we have found along the way is from the Children’s University of Manchester in the UK.

They have created a site all about Energy! It is focussed on

energy and the environment and looks at renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

You can find it here and the URL is http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/science/energy/renewable.asp

The site is easy to read and find your way around (navigate). Check it out!!!

P.S. If you click on the link to their home page at URL   http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/

you will find more amazing interactive activities about science and other stuff too like Ancient Egypt and The Brain.

Awesome! Check it out!

How do Solar Panels work?

Solar Panels
Originally uploaded by Living Off Grid

If you have ever wondered how solar panels work, then do I have a website for you…
Renewable Energy International has a terrific website that explains exactly how they work and you can choose to read the info for older kids or for younger kids.
You can find the site at : http://www.solarenergy.org/
and the specific page for students and teachers at http://www.solarenergy.org/students-and-educators

According to their website (accessed 14/3/2010)

Solar electric panels are made up of something called silicon, the same thing that makes up sand. There is more silicon on the planet than almost anything else. Even though you can find silicon almost everywhere, making a solar panel is difficult and expensive. The silicon has to be heated to super high temperatures in a big factory, and then formed into very thin wafers.

When sunlight hits a solar panel, it makes electrons in the silicon move around. (Electrons are teeny tiny specks–they’re way too small for us to see, even under a microscope.) The electrons flow through wires that were built into the solar panel. And presto! We have electricity! We can do whatever we want with this electricity, run a calculator, a CD player, or, if we have big enough solar panels, a satellite! [Solar panels are also called photovoltaic panels. "Photo" means light and "voltaic" means electricity.]

On the website you will also find a page called “Kids Saving Energy” which has games, tips and facts for kids to save energy along with links to heaps of other interesting pages.