Our society and industry relies on large amounts of energy and the world is becoming increasingly dependent on fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal etc...). The industrialised nations of Western Europe and North America, China and India depend almost entirely on these fuels and the developing nations are also increasing their use.

It is understood that there is a direct link between the way we produce energy and damage caused by pollution. Finding cleaner and alternative ways of producing electricity / energy are now looked upon as being very important for the future of our planet.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES

Alternative Energy is a term used to describe sources of energy that occur naturally in the environment. For example, energy from the sun, the wind, movement of the oceans, etc.... Click on aspects in the index below to view examples.

SOLAR POWER

1. Solar Power - An Introduction

2. Solar Power - A Basic Heat Exchanger

3. Solar Power - Parabolic Solar Collectors

4. The Odeillo-Font-Romeau Solar Furnace

5. What is Photovoltaics?

6. Practical Examples of Photovoltaics

7.Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy

8. Solar Powered Cars

9. Making a Model Solar Powered Car - Page One

10. Making a Model Solar Powered Car - Page Two

11. Basic Construction of the Model Car

12. Sequence Drawing of Making Solar Powered Model Car

13. More Solar Powered Devices

14. The Ozone Layer - Background and Symbol Design

WIND POWER

1. How the Air Moves to Form Winds

2. The History of Wind Power - 1

3. The History of Wind Power - 2

4. The History of Wind Power - 3

5. The History of Wind Power - 4

6. Wind Power on Land

7. Wind Power at Sea

8. The Scale of Modern Wind Turbines

9. Sample Photographs of Wind Powered Electricity Generators

10. Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Power

SEA / TIDAL POWER

1. Sea Power - Tidal Power 1

2.The Proposed Bristol Channel Tidal Power Scheme

3. Sea Dams - The Rance Estuary Tidal Power Scheme

4. Off Shore Turbine Systems

5. Power from Waves - 1

6.Power from Waves - 2

7. Power from Waves - the Salter Duck

8. Coastal Defences and Electricity Generation

9. The Electricity Generating Sea Buoy

DAMS / HYDRO ELECTRICITY

1. Water Wheels

2. Building a Model Water Powered Generator

3. Hydroelectricity

4. Pump Storage Systems

5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydropower

DRINKING WATER

1. Drinking Water - Drilling Boreholes

2. Water Purification and Simple Technology

RAINWATER COLLECTION AND RECYCLING - PROJECT

3. Why Conserve Mains Water (Drinking Water)

4. Why Recycle Rainwater?

5. Selecting a Suitable Building - Computer Aided Design

6. An Initial Idea - Recycling Rainwater (Exercise)

7. Collecting and Filtering of Rainwater - Further Development

8. Filtration Tanks, Storage and Soakaway

9. Future Developments

10. Rainwater Recycling Symbol - 1

11. Rainwater Recycling Symbol - 2

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

1. What is Geothermal Energy ?

2. Dry Steam Power Plant

3. Binary Power Cycle Plant

4. Flash Steam Power Plant

MORE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

1. Bio-Fuels - Using Fast Growing Willow

2. Bio-Fuels - Methane From Animal Waste

3.Bio-Fuels - Burning Domestic Waste to Produce Electricity

4. Bio-Fuels - Ethanol

NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION

1. Nuclear Power Generation

2. The Storage of Radioactive Waste Produced by Nuclear Power Stations

CARBON FOOTPRINT

1. Our Carbon Footprint

2.How we all add to our Carbon Footprint

3. How Can we reduce our Carbon Footprint? - 1

4. How can we reduce our Carbon Footprint? - 2

5. Carbon Reduction Labels/Symbols - 1

6. Carbon Reduction Label/Symbol - 2

7. Rich Picture - Reducing our Carbon Footprint

ENERGY SAVING DEVICES

1. Energy Saving Devices - Wind Up Chargers

2. Energy Saving Devices - Solar Chargers

3. The Magnetic Force Torch

4. The Magnetic Force Torch Technology - Alternative Applications

5. Quality Guaranteed Symbol and Eco-Friendly Products

6. The SolarBright Torch

LESSON MATERIAL

1. Energy Production - Lesson Starter 1

2. Energy Production and Environmental Damage

3. Conventional or Alternative Energy ?

4. The Generation of Electrical Power - Exercise

5. Energy Production - Rich Picture

6. History of Wind Power - Lesson Starter

7. Building a Wind Powered Generator

8. Making a Wind Powered Device

9. More on Wind Powered Devices

10. Wind Power Project - Further Mechanisms

11. Working Drawing / Orthographic Drawing

12. Evaluation of Wind Powered Device (Individual)

13. Evaluation - Wind Powered Device - Summary

14. Class Evaluation - Wind Powered Device

15. Designing a Promotional Leaflet - Wind Power

16. Further Questions

17. Wind Power Project Wordsearch

THE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY HOUSE

1. An Energy Inefficient and Environmentally Unfriendly House

2. Design Template for an Energy Efficient and Environmentally Friendly House

3. The Energy Efficient House - Exterior

4. The Energy Efficient House - Interior

ENVIRONMENTALLY TRANSPORT OF THE FUTURE

1. Steam Power - Transport of the Future ?

2. The HyTrans Transit Van

3. Hydrogen Powered Cars - A Simple Explanation

4. Solar Powered Cars

STRUCTURES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1. Are Structures Environmentally Friendly?

DESIGN AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1. Product Design and the Environment