Page 16 - SGG_220316_Teachers_Handbook_Module_3

Gives off greenhouse
gases when burnt.

Can reduce natural
habitats.

Fun facts (or maybe not) about energy and energy sources!

1. Wind energy is the largest source of renewable power in the UK.
2. Coal only generates 29% of its original value in energy. But wind power generates 1164% of its
original value!
3. Renewable energy creates more jobs for women. A recent report shows that women hold 32%
of renewables jobs, compared to just 21% in fossil fuel roles.
4. The first-ever commercial offshore wind turbine was built 30 years ago. Its blades were a
modest 5 metres long, and it created just 30 kilowatts of power.
5. Hydropower is the most widely-used renewable power source. It accounts for more than 54%
of the global renewable power generation capacity, and 18% of the world’s total power
generation.
6. Costa Rica is a world leader in renewable energy. In 2017, this small Central American nation
lasted 300 consecutive days on renewable energy alone.
7. Switching to RES (wind, water, and solar) worldwide could eliminate 4 to 7 million deaths from
air pollution every year.
8. Every hour, the sun beams enough solar energy onto Earth to keep everyone on our planet
supplied with electricity for an entire year.
9. Romans were the very first to use geothermal energy to heat their homes, building systems
that encouraged warm air to move under floors and inside walls.
10. A world record was set in 1990, when a solar-powered aeroplane flew across the United States
in stages, using no fuel at all.
11. Renewable energy currently creates 5 times more jobs than fossil fuels. The number of
renewable energy jobs grew from 1.7 million in 2004, to 10.3 million in 2017, and 11.5 million in
2019.
12. Did you know that way back in 1921, Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his
discovery of the photoelectric effect? It is what led to the invention of solar panels!
13. The Itaipu Dam in Paraguay creates 76% of the country’s electricity, and 17% of the electricity
consumed in Brazil (displacing 67.5 million tonnes of CO2 every year).
14. Iceland is the only country in the world where RES generate 100% of both its electricity and
heat.
15. NASA has been developing space technology that could give the world’s population affordable
green energy from an unlikely source – the moon!
16. China built 100GW-worth of wind farms in 2020 – that is more than the rest of the world built
in 2019! These wind farms alone could generate enough power for almost 3 times the number
of homes in the UK.
17. All the world’s power could be generated by renewables by 2050!!!!

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the

information contained therein.
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