Energy Education Resources

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Learning about energy can begin at any age level. Topics can range from alternative fuels to waste-to-energy projects, can cover disciplines from economics to science, and can be a source of educational activities that can involve all students.

General Resources

Energy for Missouri: Today and Tomorrow (Missouri curriculum) 
Where does the energy used in our home come from? How is it produced? Where do the raw materials come from? What are the environmental and economic impacts of energy use by the citizens of Missouri?

Explore these questions and more with your students using this energy education guide developed for the state of Missouri. An extensive background section provides information on a variety of energy systems, ranging from wind power to coal use. Ten lesson plans are featured, designed to increase your students' awareness of both current and future trends of energy use. Show-Me standard correlations are provided for each lesson, along with suggestions on ways to modify each activity for most any grade level.

Energy Education Resources : Kindergarten through 12th Grade.
Published annually by U.S. DOE's Energy Information Administration,  Energy Education Resources lists available energy education materials and contact information.

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) is a clearinghouse for energy information.   EREN has compiled a directory of educational fact sheets, science projects, and links to other energy education resources to help students and teachers learn more about energy.

Lesson Plans

U.S Department of Energy - K-12 lesson plans and energy activities

Alliance to Save Energy Lesson Plans
The Alliance to Save Energy provides a variety of elementary and middle school lesson plans covering multidisciplinary topics.

Energy Education Curriculum Project
A middle school curriculum created by the Iowa Energy Center and the University of Northern Iowa.

EIA's Kids Page
Information and activities for students and teachers in grades 3 through 8 provided by the U.S. DOE's Energy Information Administration.

Energy Smart Schools
K-12 curricula and activities for Earth Day provided by the U.S. DOE's Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs.

NREL Education Programs 
This National Renewable Energy Laboratory web site offers activities and curricula for all grade levels covering all aspects of renewable energy.

Solar "Raycing"

American Solar Challenge
The American Solar Challenge is a biennial contest in which participating colleges and universities build and pilot solar-powered cars across the nation. During the 2003 American Solar Challenge, participants traveled historic U.S. Route 66 more than 2,300 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Using photovoltaic cell solar arrays and high-efficiency electric motors, the cars use the sun for direct power and for recharging highly-efficient batteries that run the cars in times of limited sun.

For the 2003 event, the Energy Center helped sponsor two Missouri teams: The University of Missouri - Rolla's Solar Miner IV , which won the 20-team event, and the University of Missouri - Columbia's SunTiger V, which finished in sixth place. The Solar Miner IV finished the race with a total elapsed time of 51 hours and 47 minutes, more than 4 ½ hours better than the second-place team, University of Minnesota's Borealis II. The SunTiger V finished the course in 61 hours and 33 minutes.

For comprehensive information on solar raycing, visit the Formula Sun Web site.

The Solar Decathlon

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored the first-ever Solar Decathlon, a university competition that brings together the nation's brightest minds to demonstrate practical ways of producing and using energy efficiently in the home. Fourteen student teams competed in capturing, converting, storing and using enough solar energy to power our modern lifestyle by harnessing the power of the sun to run an entire household.

While the short-term objective of the 2002 Solar Decathlon was to build a completely solar-powered house, a key long-term objective of this competition is education:

Student teams demonstrated how market-ready solar techniques can be applied to a variety of homes and lifestyles. The houses were constructed over a five-day period and judged in 10 different categories. They were displayed on Sept. 26 - Oct. 6, 2002, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where they were open for public viewing.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Center sponsored the University of Missouri-Rolla and Crowder College to compete in the 2002 Solar Decathlon. Listed below are the final results for UMR and Crowder College:

University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR)
The University of Missouri-Rolla team competed and finished ninth overall in the Solar Decathlon. Home Depot, one of the major sponsors, presented the UMR team with the "Best Customer Service" award, citing the team for "always offering a friendly face and easy-to-comprehend explanations of their house to the public." The UMR team developed a 2002 Solar Decathlon presentation PDF to educate teachers and students about its experience and knowledge gained by participation.

For more information about the UMR solar decathlon team, please visit their Web site.

Crowder College
Crowder College, located in Neosho, finished sixth overall in the Solar Decathlon competition. The Crowder College team was top ranked in engineering and special awards, including the "People's Choice" award. The team also developed a 2002 Solar Decathlon presentation PDF to educate teachers and students about the experience and knowledge gained by participation.

For more information about the Crowder College team, please visit their Web site.

For additional information about the 2002 Solar Decathlon results and the 2005 Solar Decathlon competition, please visit the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar_decathlon/index.html