Kentucky Utilities Alternative Energy Center

Kentucky Utilities provided money for the initial construction and design of this center. When we mention energy, the first things that often come to mind are electricity and fuel for our cars and trucks. Here we demonstrate that we can use sunlight and wind to generate electricity. The solar panels on the roof of the center convert sunlight into electrical energy. This electricity is used to charge batteries which store the energy until we need it for lights or exhibits in the center or lights and fans in the James Sanders White Lumber Kiln to your right.

A turbine is a coil of wire on a shaft that rotates between powerful magnets. We have a turbine driven by wind at the top of the tower. Most energy used in homes and businesses is generated by burning oil or coal. The heat produced by this is used to make steam from water. Steam forces turbines to spin to generate energy. We could also burn wood or any other combustable material or could use heat from radioactive material to do the same.

Oil and coal were formed millions of years ago from dead organisms that depended on light for growth. Coal comes from plants that grew in swamps. Oil comes from tiny marine animals and plants that are called plankton. When we use these materials they are gone. To renew them would take millions of years. They are non-rewewable resources. The good news is that we can make electricity using sunlight, kind of "cutting out the middle man". Capturing energy from sun or the wind does not produce chemicals that pollute our air and water. Wind and sunlight are renewable resources.

We can choose a path to a future free of polluting coal, oil, and radioactive materials if we start using wind and sunlight as a direct energy sources. These are renewable sources of energy. How are wind and sunlight related? Think about the water cycle.

For more on the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources, scan the bar code on the adjacent post or follow the link to our website or to a You Tube presentation about the difference

 Published 30 May 2014 ;  last modified 28 March 2018          © Clay Hill Memorial Forest 2014