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Overview: Next on the list of renewable energy sources is hydropower! Following solar power, hydropower is the second most popular renewable energy source in the US. In today’s lesson you will learn more about how water can generate electricity, how we use hydropower, and even create your own turbine! Check out the video below to get started.
Grade Level: 4-6
**For younger students, ask a friend at home for assistance!
Theme: Energy Conservation
Supervision needed? No
Essential Questions:
What does renewable energy mean?
How does hydropower work?
Materials Needed:
Bottle Cap
Pencil/Pen
Ruler
Paper Plate
Tape
Scissors
Stick
Standards:
Vocabulary:
Electromagnetic generator: converts motive force or mechanical energy (in this case it is the water pushing the turbine) into electrical power
Potential energy: mechanical energy, stored energy, or energy caused by its position (like when a ball is placed at the top of a hill)
Transformer: a device that takes power from the generator and converts it to higher-voltage current which we can then use
Gravitational pull: force which tries to pull two objects toward each other
Activity one
Today we will be creating our own hydropower turbines!!
You will need:
Bottle Cap
Pencil/Pen
Ruler
Paper Plate
Tape
Scissors
Stick
Step One: Take the cap to a bottle and draw a circle around the center of the paper plate.
Step 2: Cut the edge of the paper plate off.
Step 3: Take the ruler and draw 4 lines across the plate. Top to bottom, side to side, and the middle sections - all through the center of the plate.
Step 4: Take the scissors and cut on the lines from the outside edge of the plate to the edge of the circle drawn in the center.
Step 5: Then fold the blades into position. Leaving a small lip at the edge of each blade that stays flat.
Step 6: If you want to make your blades more water proof, you can put tape over the blade edges.
Step 7: Take a stick or pole and stick it through the center of the plate.
Step 8: Now test out your amazing homemade hydropower turbine!
**Tip! If it is too tight around the stick, it might not spin well. So make it a bit looser.
**Also, you can add a rubber band behind the blade on the stick if it slides off too easily.
reflection
Question 1: Try increasing the flow of water over your turbine. Does the turbine spin faster?
Question 2: Do you think more energy generated when the turbine spins faster? Explain your answer.
Refer back to the video if you need a refresher, or do independent research!