Learning About Renewable Energy from NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has links to several online resources that introduce K-12 students to five renewable energy sources. Learning About Renewable Energy lists tutorials, activities, and websites that teach about biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, solar, and wind energy.

Understanding where a community’s electricity comes from, and how it is generated, is important no matter what the source of electricity. As both the production and demand for renewable energy grows in order to mitigate the effects of global warming, discovering how we get power from renewables will become even more important.

Not everything about renewable energy is simple; even the relatively straightforward process of wind energy generation has its complexities. NREL’s resources convey both the simple and the complex in an accessible way for multiple grade levels. One example is “Wind with Miller,” which uses an animated guide to cover everything from wind turbine parts to siting to how wind comes to be.

When youth become resident renewable energy experts, they can apply their knowledge at one of NREL’s student programs and competitions.