IV. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. Solar energy is used to directly generate heat.

2. Skylights, south-facing windows are the examples of passive solar energy.

3. Solar collectors are installed on the roofs of buildings to accumulate solar energy for heating.

4. Solar collectors use a water-alcohol mixture to prevent drying up.

5. About 1,5 million German homes and enterprises use solar water heaters currently.

6. Solar hot water systems have become a good alternative to conventional systems in some areas.

7. The purpose of the solar PV industry is to provide half of all new U.S. electricity generation by 2035.

V. Answer the following questions and give examples:

1. What are the main advantages of solar energy?

2. What does solar energy contribute to?

3. What is an obvious use of sunlight for buildings?

4. What are the systems that gather and store solar energy?

5. What countries with active harnessing of solar power for buildings do you know?

6. What are the prospects of solar energy technologies in the nearest future?

7. What countries are leaders in solar development?

VI. Find key words and phrases which express the general meaning of each paragraph.

VII. Write a summary of the Text “How solar energy works”.

VIII. Look at the diagram below (Fig. 1) and label it with the words in the box.

Fig. 1. The solar power system

battery

cables

controller

lamps

solar panel

IX. Discuss with your groupmates or in pairs:

Is it possible to use solar energy for industrial purposes in our republic? Why? Why not?

X. Read and translate into Russian the manual for the solar panel battery.

How does the solar power system work? The panel converts the Sun’s energy into a direct current (DC) electric current. The current flows to the controller. Then it can flow from the controller to the lamps. Or it can flow from the controller into the battery. The battery stores the electricity. The current can flow from the battery into the lamps through the controller.

If the Sun shines, the DC current can flow from the panel, through the controller and into the lamps. If the Sun doesn’t shine, the current can flow from the battery, through the controller and into the lamps. If the lamps are off, the current can flow from the panel, through the controller, and into the battery.

The controller controls the flow of the current. If the battery is full, the controller stops the flow from the panel into the battery. If the battery is empty, the controller stops the flow from the battery into the lamps.

XI. Identify the equipment from the description. There are two extra words.

a) controller c) cable e) electrical current

b) solar panel d) battery f) radiator

1) It converts solar energy into electricity.

2) It stores the electricity.

3) It controls the flow of the current.

4) It flows from the panel, through the controller and into the lamps.

XII. These are the main parts of the system. Match the items with their specifications. Give abbreviations in words.

1) solar panel a) 12V 8W

2) controller b) DC

3) battery c) 5F

4) lamps d) 60W

5) electrical current e) 12V 100Ah

XIII. Summarize the main parts of the system. Start with: «The system consists of a sixty watt solar panel, …».

Text 3.

I. Answer the following question and read the text below to check your answer:

What is the principle of harnessing wind power?