Renewable Energy Investigations

What Renewable Energy Investigations covers

Renewable Energy Investigations is assessed in Unit AS 2, Renewable Energy Technologies, which is internally assessed and externally moderated. It covers desktop research on renewable energy technologies, choosing an investigation and its variables, apparatus and risk assessment for energy practicals, accuracy and reliability of energy measurements, presenting and analysing energy data and evaluating a method and site-based recommendations.

The 6 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Desktop research on renewable energy technologiesPrimary and secondary data, technical, environmental and economic information, official energy statistics, reliable and peer-reviewed sources, manufacturer bias, dates, critical evaluation and referencing.Open →
• Choosing an investigation and its variablesIndependent, dependent and control variables, wind, solar and biomass investigations, a moisture content calculation, hypotheses, the range of values, pilot studies, and why fans and lamps are used indoors.Open →
• Apparatus and risk assessment for energy practicalsAnemometers, multimeters and load resistors, light meters, can and bomb calorimeters, data loggers, hazard and risk, risk assessment, and controlling turbine, burning, lamp, electrical and outdoor hazards.Open →
• Accuracy and reliability of energy measurementsAccuracy and precision, repeatability and reproducibility, means, random, systematic and zero errors, resolution, anomalous results with worked examples, steady readings, calorimeter heat losses and panel temperature.Open →
• Presenting and analysing energy dataResults tables, line graphs and bar charts, axes and lines of best fit, the cube law for a model turbine, power, energy, efficiency, calorimetry and percentage error calculations, and correlation against causation.Open →
• Evaluating a method and site-based recommendationsEvaluating a method, scaling from models, the limits of lamps as sunlight, improving a biomass investigation, the site features that suit wind, solar and biomass, anemometer and payback calculations, and a justified recommendation.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Renewable Energy Investigations further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Accuracy vs Precision

  Accuracy: closeness of a measured value to the true value. Precision: how closely repeated readings agree with one another.

• Independent variable vs Dependent variable

  Independent variable: the factor an investigator deliberately changes between tests. Dependent variable: the factor measured to see how it responds.

• Random error vs Systematic error

  Random error: unpredictable scatter of readings either side of the true value. Systematic error: a consistent shift of every reading in one direction.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is desktop research?

   Model answer

   Desktop research gathers existing information from published sources rather than by measuring things first-hand. Sources include government statistics, manufacturer data, journals and reputable websites.

2. 2

   What is the difference between primary and secondary data?

   Model answer

   Primary data are collected first-hand by the investigator, for example by measuring turbine output. Secondary data come from existing sources such as published reports and databases.

3. 3

   What technical information would desktop research on a small wind turbine gather?

   Model answer

   Useful technical information includes the rated power, the cut-in and cut-out wind speeds and the power curve. Local average wind speed data show how much of that output a site could deliver.

4. 4

   What environmental information is relevant when researching a renewable energy technology?

   Model answer

   Relevant environmental information includes lifetime carbon savings, visual and noise impact, and effects on wildlife and habitats. Emissions from manufacture, transport and fuel supply also matter.

5. 5

   What economic information is needed to compare renewable energy technologies?

   Model answer

   Capital and installation costs, maintenance costs and expected annual output are needed. Payback period, available grants and the value of electricity saved or exported complete the picture.

6. 6

   Name official sources of energy statistics for the UK and for Northern Ireland.

   Model answer

   The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes the Digest of UK Energy Statistics each year. The Department for the Economy publishes Northern Ireland's renewable electricity figures.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Renewable Energy Investigations revision questions

What does Renewable Energy Investigations cover in CCEA A-Level Environmental Technology?

6 subtopics: desktop research on renewable energy technologies, choosing an investigation and its variables, apparatus and risk assessment for energy practicals, accuracy and reliability of energy measurements, presenting and analysing energy data and evaluating a method and site-based recommendations. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Renewable Energy Investigations organised?

By the CCEA 3930 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.