Below are some resources that you might like to use for your inquiry. It is not an exhaustive list but will provide you with a starting point. If you find other resources or videos that you find useful, please let your teacher know and she will add them to this list.
Why renewable energy?
- http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/tech/why This gives an overview of why renewable energy is important. Check out the links on the right hand side to investigate the different types of renewable energy
- http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/energy/great-energy-challenge/ This National Geographic Great Energy Challenge – explore this website, do the quiz for your personal energy metre, look at the map that shows how different countries in the world generate their power etc.
- http://www.paulchefurka.ca/World%20Oil%20Production%201900.JPG This graph shows the oil production to date and what is being predicted will happen as the world begins to run out of oil reserves.
- http://gailtheactuary.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/per-capita-world-energy-by-source.png This graph shows the world’s consumption of different types of energy per person from 1820 to 2000
- http://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/globalRE_production.png This graph shows the types of renewable energy produced from 2005 until 2011 and the predicted forecast in the future to 2017
Different energy sources – easier to read
- http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=renewable_home-basics This website is easy to understand. It’s American but still relevant, and contains links to information about different types of renewable energy
- http://www.alliantenergykids.com/energyandtheenvironment/renewableenergy/ This easy to understand website has links to pages about various kinds of renewable energy, fun facts, Qs & As, and other additional information.
- http://tiki.oneworld.net/energy/energy8.html This website is pretty basic but will give you a good overview to introduce you to some different kinds of renewable energy.
- http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/wind-and-solar-power/page-1 This is an excellent encyclopedia article is about wind and solar power in NZ. There are four pages so make sure you click through them at the bottom!
- http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/energy/windenergy.html This gives you basic information about wind energy
- http://www.windenergy.org.nz/store/doc/StudentFactSheet.pdf This is a student fact sheet produced by the NZ Wind Energy Association. It covers how electricity is made, key parts of a wind turbine, what a wind farm is, and specific information related to wind energy in New Zealand.
- http://www.alliantenergykids.com/energyandtheenvironment/renewableenergy/022397 This easy to understand website provides a basic overview on wind energy. It is American but will still be useful, and it has links to information about specific wind farms etc. that you can explore.
Solar Energy
- http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/wind-and-solar-power/page-1 This is an excellent encyclopedia article is about wind and solar power in NZ. There are four pages so make sure you click through them at the bottom!
- http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/9329703/Are-solar-energy-systems-worth-the-cost This is a 2013 article about whether solar energy systems in New Zealand houses are worth the initial cost it takes to install them. It also has provides some context about solar energy in NZ.
- http://www.energywise.govt.nz/your-home/generating-your-own-energy/pv This is a government website
- http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/pdf-docs-library/energy-data-and-modelling/technical-papers/pv-in-new-zealand.pdf This PDF from the Ministry of Economic Development is a 2009 report into the solar power industry in NZ, looking specifically at the photo-voltaic technology. Comprehensive and sometimes hard to understand, this could still be useful.
- http://www.s4solar.co.nz/information/ This is the website of a big NZ solar company that installs solar energy systems into people’s houses. This page has a range of information about solar such as systems case studies, the Thames Transition Town project, FAQs, a range of videos etc.
Renewable Energy in NZ
- http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/pdf-docs-library/energy-strategies/renewable-energy-in-nz.pdf This is a summary fact sheet from the Ministry of Economic Development about renewable energy in NZ.
- http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/wind-and-solar-power/page-1 This is an excellent encyclopedia article is about wind and solar power in NZ. There are four pages so make sure you click through them at the bottom!
- http://www.seanz.org.nz This is the Sustainable Electricity Association of NZ. This is good for finding the latest news on the issue, the technology involved and the financial incentives for moving to sustainable power systems.
- http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/energy-modelling/data/renewables Ministry of Economic Development website. In 2013, a total of 75% of electricity generation came from renewable sources, the fourth highest in the OECD. This website has data about renewable energy use in NZ, and on the left you can visit pages on our use of oil, coal and gas too.
- http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/pdf-docs-library/energy-data-and-modelling/technical-papers/pv-in-new-zealand.pdf This PDF from the Ministry of Economic Development is a 2009 report into the solar power industry in NZ, looking specifically at the photo-voltaic technology. Comprehensive and sometimes hard to understand, this could still be useful.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riCJ2-j1_ZE Video: The Auckland Museum installs a solar panel on its roof in January 2014
- http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/hydroelectricity This encyclopedia article looks at hydroelectricity in NZ, which constitutes more than half of our power generation. This is the short story, go down the bottom to click on the link to the full story. There are some good images to go with the info too.
Eco Houses and communities NZ
- https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/latest/94595585/cold-kiwi-homes--are-we-in-denial - About the state of NZ housing stock and the volume that are not insulated
- http://www.ekohome.co.nz/key-features.html This company specializes in building eco-friendly homes in NZ. You can look at different pages such as designs, key features, FAQ etc
- http://www.ebode.co.nz/eco%20features.html This company also specializes in eco-friendly homes in NZ
- http://www.earthsong.org.nz Earthsong is an innovative urban cohousing development in west Auckland, and a model of socially and environmentally sustainable urban living. There is a lot of info here about the community, design and development, permaculture gardens etc.
- http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/28123/earthsong-residents This encyclopedia article is about the residents who live at Earthsong community in West Auckland.
- http://www.otamatea.org.nz This is an eco-village / community in Kaipara that uses organic principles to meet their needs and care for the native eco-system. This website has information about the history of the village, people who live there, plans and projects etc.
Videos
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Category.aspx?CategoryID=2455 This website has a great range of videos on renewable energy