Hi guys!  Marina Ventura here. 

Map App and I are on a mission to explore how we might generate our own electricity in the future… and distribute it to local people around us. 

Wanna come too? Excellent!

In the future grid, homes, streets and even schools can be mini power stations! From rooftop sunshine collectors… tiny tornado-catching turbines… to clever machines that squeeze every last drop of energy from heat!

Solar Power

You’ve probably seen solar panels – whether in fields alongside motorways or on rooftops.  They’re like shiny black tiles… but inside is something amazing… tiny power-making cells called photovoltaic cells!  Photovoltaic sounds complicated… but basically it just means ‘light turned into electricity’… which honestly is one of the coolest magic tricks science has ever invented. So how does it actually work?

When sunlight hits the silicon cells inside the panel, it excites tiny particles called electrons which start moving, creating electricity called Direct Current, or DC. But as our homes use a different kind of electricity – AC, the DC power zooms into something called an inverter and which converts it into the type your TV, fridge, games console and hairdryer uses.

And even on cloudy days, solar panels still work. Britain may not exactly be the Planet of Eternal Sunshine… but even dull daylight still creates electricity.

Wind Power

Now when people think of wind turbines, they usually imagine gigantic white towers on hills or out at sea… but smaller versions can work around our homes!

These mini turbines are like giant futuristic pinwheels.  When the wind blows, the blades spin around turning a shaft inside a turbine which connects to a generator that turns movement into electricity that feeds into your home’s electrical system. Like a bicycle dynamo powering a bike light!

Some turbines look like airplane propellers which work best when facing into the wind.  Others look more like spinning egg whisks, which catch wind from lots of directions and are often quieter too.

And what makes a good place for a turbine? Big open spaces because buildings and trees can block wind, whilst higher places catch stronger gusts. That’s why turbines are often mounted on rooftops or tall poles.

IT’S THE MIGHTY MICRO GRIDDERS!

Hi Marina, we need your help.  Our back garden isn’t big enough for a windmill!  Where can we put renewable energy sources around our homes?

Mapping out your neighbourhood can make it easier to think about where you could generate renewable energy.  As solar panels need to see the sun, they’re best placed on south-facing, unshaded roofs.

Wind turbines are best placed in open, elevated spaces like hills and fields… not your back garden or behind a tall building!  And if your neighbourhood has a fast-moving stream or river, you could capture energy from flowing water.

And remember, it’s a good idea to rely on just one source.

Marina Ventura… and the Micro-Gridders
Made with support from Grid for Good by the National Grid