Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind

What is Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind?

Within Physics, which covers forces, energy, waves, electricity, magnetism, light and space explained through motion and experiments, this topic explains Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind. Physics topics explain how things move, push, heat up and carry energy, so each one here pairs a definition with a live model you can change.

Check that you can explain Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.

Understanding Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind explains how the physical world behaves, from sport and transport to electricity and medicine.

Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind in detail

Solar cells convert light directly to electricity using semiconductors, while solar thermal panels use the Sun's heat to warm water. Output depends on sunshine, so it varies by time of day, season and weather. Wind turbines use the kinetic energy of the wind to turn blades that drive a generator.

Neither burns fuel or emits carbon dioxide during use, and the energy is free once built, but they are intermittent, so storage or backup is needed. Wind power depends on the cube of wind speed. Wind farms need suitable sites and can affect wildlife and landscapes, while solar farms need large areas.

How the interactive helps you understand Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind

Watch the energy stores in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the energy stores responds.

Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind.

Real-life uses and examples

• Explain everyday devices, such as brakes, lifts or chargers, using Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind.
• Use Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind to make sense of a practical and its results.
• Answer “explain” questions by linking Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind to a clear cause and effect.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting that some quantities, such as force or velocity, also have a direction.
• Mixing up Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind with a related quantity that has different units.
• Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.