Promises and Challenges of Offshore Wind in Oregon and California
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Physics, Economics, Civics, Engineering
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Provided by Jefferson Public Radio
What it is
- This article explores research into developing offshore wind energy along the West Coast, and the obstacles that come with this endeavor.
- Students will learn that the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has unearthed economic and geographical issues that come with developing offshore wind farms on the West Coast.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This article is concise and filled with timely information.
- This article gets into some detail about wind turbine construction and is linked to the scientific report for additional exploration.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have a basic understanding of electricity transmission through wires.
- Students should know that wind energy is a form of renewable, clean energy and why clean energy matters in the context of climate change.
Differentiation
- Students could evaluate and discuss after reading this article (and portions of the attached report) if federal funding for this research is an effective way to fight climate change.
- Civics classes could use this article and report to analyze how global climate change has caused some governments to increase their focus on developing wind energy.
- This article could supplement a lesson about how wind turbines provide energy for communities and how it can compliment other types of renewable energy.
- For a language arts class, have students determine the central ideas or conclusions of the article and then compare them to the conclusions of other articles about wind energy.
From the scientist review
This brief article from Jefferson Public Radio discusses the research surrounding proposed wind farms offshore of Oregon and California, the challenges they face, and the possible impacts to the environment. This article would be a great addition to a classroom discussion about climate change and some of the challenges we face in trying to reduce our carbon footprints. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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