Variable renewable energy

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/variable-renewable-energy

1. What is the broader implications?
2. Why do solar panels and wind turbines produce different amounts of electricity at different times?
3. How do we keep the electricity grid stable when using variable renewable energy?

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 is the broader implications?VRE integration necessitates grid modernization, smart technologies, and inter-sectoral energy coordination
2. Why do solar panels and wind turbines produce different amounts of electricity at different times?They depend on weather conditions such as sunlight, cloud cover, wind speed, and wind direction, so their output changes throughout the day.
3. How do we keep the electricity grid stable when using variable renewable energy?We use batteries to store extra power when VRE is high and release it when it is low. We also connect different parts of the grid so energy can move where it is needed.

Dispatchable Energy Sources: Power generation that can be controlled and adjusted on demand to meet grid needs.