LAST POST

We are definitely on the final stretch of this course. Summer is around the corner. The classes are ending...what a pity! As my last post, I'm going to talk about electricity, the topic we have been working on the last weeks on technology classes.

Before going deeper on the topic, I think it is necessary to clarify what electricity is. Basically, it is the flow of electrons. Yes, electrons. The smaller part of an atom that are distributed in orbits, separated from the nucleus. 

We can get electrical energy from many different processes. We can classify them into renewable and non-renweable. We all know which the non-renewable are, mostly petrol derivates, so let's focus on the RENEWABLE.

-SOLAR ENERGY: Consists of taking profit of the energy that the sun creates by using solar panels (like the ones in the image below). They take the sunlight and transforms it into electricity, among others types of energy. It is one of the most famous ways and everyday is more used. Nowadays, there are big expansions of land covered with this type of machines that serve entire towns. 

-WIND ENERGY: The air moves the turbines of a windmill. From this movement we obtain electrical energy thanks to a convertidor located on the inside. As solar panels, some countries have implanted the, in their daily life.

-GEOTHERMAL ENERGY: Uses the heat released from the earth's crust to produce electricity.

-TIDAL ENERGY: Similar to the wind energy but using the force of the waves instead of the air.

-HYDRAULIC ENERGY: Uses the energy of free-falling water like waterfalls.

-BIOMASS ENERGY: Comes from organic matter that can be used as combustible.

Recently, some innovation have appeared in order to produce or save energy. Some examples are windows generate 50 times more energy than solar panels? The answer is yes! This concept hinges on liquid coatings for glass and plastic with tiny solar cells within which group together as arrays. The organic layer is applied from the inside, to protect it from the weather. Also, there is something called fuel cells technologies, related with the transport. It uses gases as oxygen and hidrogen to move vehicles.

At home, we can save energy in a lot of ways. First, by buying electrodomestics A++. They are a little bit more expensive than the other ones, but they will save money. Also, we can buy bulbs of low consume. In relation with tips, when you are washing your teeth, don't keep the water on, close it. Try to don not take baths, instead, take a shower.

This term, we did a solar oven in the workshop. Mine is very simple, but functional. It consists of a black pizza box with aluminium foil on its insides. It has some kind of window on top in order to let the light pass through. It captures very well the heat, and it works. I have to puntualize that this has been the first time i have finished at time. Very proud!!!

Now, at last but not least, i want to talk about the subject. It is not a secret that technology is not my favourite subject at all, but i consider that we work it form the point of view that i would like the most. My favourite part has been the pat of the exercices (more mathematic part), and the worst thing for me has been the skratch. I'm not in the programing way definetively. The workshop is quite funny, and it is not as hard as work on the computer. Next year i would not continue doing technology, but from this two years of knowledge i have gotten positive things that i will not forget!!!

Now it's time to relax, even more. Goodbye, see you next year!

links of the images:
https://grist.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/shutterstock_113950426.jpg?w=330&h=219

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54d04425e4b0424c03ac0a17/t/54d04a13e4b0ec35c200e109/1423035203408/windmil-wallpaper-animated.jpg?format=1500w

https://islayenergytrust.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/hs-array.jpg

https://student-energy.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/637/Hydro.jpg

sources:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/five-green-innovations-we-are-excited-about

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy