Renewable energy debate

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/renewable-energy-debate

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What are renewable energy sources and why do we want to use them?Renewable energy comes from things that naturally keep replenishing, like the sun, wind, and water. Using them helps keep the air clean and reduces the need for fossil fuels.
2. Why can wind and solar power sometimes not give us electricity all the time?Wind and solar depend on weather, so when it’s cloudy or still, they produce less power. That makes the electricity supply a bit unpredictable.

Decarbonization: The process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, particularly energy production.
Intermittency: The characteristic of certain energy sources, like wind and solar, that their output fluctuates and is not continuously available.
Grid Modernization: Upgrading electrical grids to better handle distributed energy sources, improve reliability, and manage variable power generation.
Degrowth: A socio-economic theory advocating for a planned reduction in the scale of production and consumption to achieve ecological sustainability.