Basic Energy Facts
From the lab instructions, you'll find the following articles, images, and resources referenced:
- Inman, M. (2013). The True Cost Of Fossil Fuels. Scientific American, 308(4), 58–61.This 4 page article gives a wonderful visual introduction to your topic.
- Hall, C. A. S. (2011). Synthesis to Special Issue on New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment). Sustainability, 3(12), 2496–2499. https://doi.org/10.3390/su3122496Pay special attention to the main considerations listed on the second half of the first page.
- Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. (2022). Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Information for the United States.The chart for renewable energy resources can be found on page 8.
- U.S. Energy Facts ExplainedFind the graphs for US energy consumption and other context here.
Table ES-1. Annual Technical Energy Potential for All Renewable Energy Resources in the United States, the Portion of Each Available within 10 mi of Federally Recognized Tribal Lands, and Historical 2020 Energy Production, found in the US Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Resources Assessment Information for the United States, March 2022
Researching Types of Energy
Trying to find good places to look for information on your project? Take a look at the links below. Make sure that any information you use is from a credible authoritative website (see the box below for more information on how to do this):
- Energy.govSearch here (or any .gov site) to find information about the benefits and drawbacks of various forms of energy.
- International Energy Agency's Energy System PageThe IEA describes the different types of energy and fuel, describes energy uses, and provides helpful data.
- University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems: EnergyThe University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems has developed since 2001 a growing set of factsheets that cover topics including energy, water, food, waste, buildings, materials, and transportation systems. Check to see how the University of Michigan discusses your energy source.
- U.S. Energy Information AdministrationCheck out Learn About Energy to find simple and authoritative info about the different sources of energy.
Here are some places to look for visual sources of data for your lab.
You can also try searching for your chart/graph/map by remembering this basic Google formula: energy source + topic (if you're investigating something specific) + format. So, for example, you could search for solar power + growth + infographic.
Remember that you will want to evaluate the graph/map/infographic you choose!
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory Data and Tools for Renewable Energy ResourcesNREL, a laboratory from the US Department of Energy has created a number of maps and other tools for different forms of energy. Use this site to to find graphics about your form of energy
- EPA Power ProfilerThis is the EPA website discussing how clean the energy you use is.
- EPA EGRID MapsCheck Out the Maps Available on the Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database website
- Gale eBooksSearch for your energy source and environment to see what you can discover about your energy source.
Evaluate Websites
While you're doing Google searches to either narrow your topic or in order to dig up more information on certain subject, you want to be careful to decide if the information you find is trustworthy.
When it comes to science, nearly everyone has opinions: should we be labeling genetically modified food for consumer's awareness? What will fracking do for our economy or our groundwater supply? Your job is to evaluate the information you can find through Google and Bing to find the good websites--those written by authors you can trust, with good and up-to-date information.
Authorship: Who created this website? What is their background on the topic? Are they trustworthy?
Bias: Why was the website created? What point of view does the author have? Does that limit the facts they present or how the facts are presented?
Date: How old is the information that is presented? Is it still accurate?
Questions? Check out the COD Library's guide to evaluating information.
Cite
Want some more concrete help with citations? Try the following:
- Google Scholar can create citations for articles. Click the quotation marks below the article information after doing a search.
- COD Library's guide to APA citations
- Purdue OWL's guide to APA citations and paper format
Want software to create citations for you? Check out the database below:
- NoodleTools
NoodleTools allows you to find, organize and store your research citations all in one place. Create complete Works Cited and Bibliographies with the click of a mouse, and keep notes and ideas related to your work all in one place. Available in browser and mobile app.
Create an account with your COD email to access this resource.
