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Renewable Energy Tour of Chewonki For years, Chewonki has worked at reducing its fossil-fuel use and thus its carbon dioxide emissions. This reduction has been achieved with aggressive conservation, “green” building designs, and the use of renewable energy. This 90-minute on-site tour explores our facilities, which include passive-solar buildings, solar electricity from photovoltaics, solar water-heating systems, and a hydrogen-fueled backup power system. Participants also see methods of renewable liquid fuel manufacturing (biodiesel) and learn how Chewonki is able to use such fuels in our vehicles and furnaces. Click here to visit Chewonki's Renewable Energy Poster. Hydrogen Energy Lesson The Chewonki Foundation, in partnership with the Hydrogen Energy Center, has developed the world’s first publicly accessible direct high-pressure hydrogen system, and we invite you to come and learn about hydrogen energy technology. A 90-minute lesson is available for school groups interested in the science, technology, and use of hydrogen. We will explore: how hydrogen is made, how fuel cells work, the current and possible future uses of hydrogen energy, and how current use of hydrogen from fossil fuels is not sustainable. In addition we will explore Chewonki's one-of-a-kind system, and briefly run the building on hydrogen power. Click here to learn more about the Chewonki Renewable Hydrogen Project. Biofuels Lesson The term “Biofuels” covers a broad range of energy sources that come from living things. What these fuels have in common is that they are readily available, renewable, and do not produce a net gain in greenhouse gases. Not only are these technologies at the forefront of sustainable energy, many have been around for centuries. Wood has always been used for cooking and heating, and Adolph Diesel intended for the diesel engine to run on peanut oil. Chewonki has been turning used vegetable oil into biodiesel for use in our vehicles and buildings since 2000. We will look at our biodiesel production facility, the liquid fuels biodiesel and ethanol, the use of wood chips, grass pellets, and corn for heating, as well as gaseous biofuels. This 90-minute class wraps up with a discussion of the energy decisions students will be faced with in the future. Click here to learn more about the biodiesel at Chewonki. Solar Heat and Electricity Lesson Whether in the wind blowing or a plant growing almost all of the Earth's energy ultimately comes from the sun. Did you know that every square meter of ground the sun hits at a right angle is receiving 1000 Watts of energy. The abundant resource of the sun is the focus of this 90-minute lesson. Focusing on solar heat and electricity, this lesson exposes students to the many different ways to utilize the sun's energy. We look at: Passive Solar Design. Using the sun to heat and light a building. Solar Hot Water. Hot water from the sun in all seasons without burning fossil fuels. Click here to learn more about the solar technology Chewonki uses every day. Our Changing Climate: Global Warming and Renewable Energy The eleven warmest years on record have occurred since 1990. Global temperatures in 2005 were the hottest in recorded history, and may have been the hottest in the past five million years. Our presentation starts with “In Hot Water,” a video that examines past climate history, what humans are doing to cause the global climate to warm, and some of the ways we can cool things down again. The second half of our presentation focuses on ways that renewable energy and conservation can make a big difference. Students rotate through our five stations: the carbon cycle and biodiesel, measuring electricity usage, wind power, human power, and solar energy. This 90-minute presentation can take place at Chewonki or at a facility in Maine of your choice. Click here to read about our other Traveling Natural History and Conservation Programs |
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My daughter couldn't stop talking about her day there. The Chewonki experience for me is an eye opener. I believe that if more people were able to see how Chewonki operates and adapt some of, if not all of, the practices used there, we all would be better off.
I learned that there are so many ways to do things differently to help our environment.
Feeling the effect of the sun on the tube was amazing!
I think that solar power is a really good idea to get energy. When I have my own house I want it to run on solar power.
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