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You and another Duke e-SMART kid are on the same wavelength, Hayes! Check out Sudiksha's identical question below. I'll answer your question in much the same manner.

Answer: Since you know that metal is a good conductor, you also know that a conductor is a substance that electricity can flow through easily. Electrons, which are tiny particles that orbit the center of atoms, play a role in the flow of electricity. Electricity is carried by the movement of electrons from one atom to the next. The electrons in some materials—like copper and other metals—known as conductors are only loosely attached within their atoms, which allows electricity to travel through these materials easily. Nonmetal materials like wood, rubber, or plastic—known as insulators—have tightly attached electrons, so electricity does not pass through them as easily. And because I am a safety expert, I must emphasize that a plastic or rubber object that contacts a power line could become energized with electricity and even catch fire if the voltage in the line is high enough. For this reason, it's important to keep all objects (including those made of plastic and rubber) far away from power lines. To learn more about conductors and insulators, visit Electrical Safety Smart here: e-SMARTkids (e-smartonline.net).

Answer: The sun, or solar energy, is only one way energy is produced. Energy resources can be divided into two categories: nonrenewable and renewable. A nonrenewable resource is a resource that can be used up. Fossil fuels, which include coal, oil and natural gas, are considered nonrenewable because we have limited supplies of them. Once we use up fossil fuels, they will be gone for good. Renewable resources are fairly easy to replace and include not only sunshine, but also wood, wind, geothermal energy, biomass and water stored behind dams in lakes and reservoirs. You can find out more about how electricity is produced and delivered by visiting Duke Energy’s Energy Education Center: https://www.duke-energy.com/energy-education/energy-centers-and-programs.

Answer: I’m glad you asked, Natalie! Since I am the safety expert, this is a question in my wheelhouse, as they say. Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas have created this entire e-SMARTkids website dedicated to helping you learn how to stay safe around electricity and natural gas. In this website, you can find out how electricity can hurt you, what to do in case of an electrical emergency and how to recognize and respond to a gas leak, plus many other things to help you use electricity and gas safely and wisely. You can even earn certificates by completing all six sections in both electrical and natural gas safety.

Answer: You could say that I am part of the Duke Energy family, as I reside on the e-SMARTkids website and have been tasked with being the safety expert for you. Duke Energy has their own website for the seven states they serve https://www.duke-energy.com/home. That’s where you can find clean, smart and easy ways to do more with your energy, including how your family can sign up for a free Home Energy Report to help save money on your electricity bill.

Answer: We might think that people invented electricity, but electricity has always existed in nature. We see it in lightning storms and in animals such as the electric eel. Even our bodies use electricity to send signals to our brains, making it possible for us to move, think and feel.

Humans, being ever curious, had the idea to harness this natural phenomenon and make it work for them – for light and heat, for example. About 150 years ago, they figured out a way to generate electric power and transmit it as electrical currents through wires. If people had not discovered how to use electricity in this way, we might still be reading by candlelight like our ancestors did before electric lights became widespread. We would not have phones, TVs, computers and many other devices that rely on electricity to work.

You can read more here about how people invented ways to harness and use electricity.

Answer: You and Ali must be on the same wavelength, Mc, because she asked the same question! You can find it in our Ask an Expert archives, but I’ll make it easy for you and answer it here. Electric power plants use various energy sources, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) or renewable energy sources (such as water, wind, biomass or geothermal) to turn turbines. The turbines turn electromagnets that are surrounded by heavy coils of copper wire. The moving magnets cause the electrons in the copper wire to move from atom to atom, generating electricity. Another way electricity gets made is through solar technologies. Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. Solar energy can be used to generate electricity and heat water. It can also be stored in batteries. You can also find out more about how electricity is made and how it gets to you, here on the Duke Energy e-SMARTkids website.

Answer: To answer your question, Sudiksha, I must first explain the role that electrons play in the flow of electricity. Electrons are tiny particles that orbit the center of atoms. Electricity is carried by the movement of electrons from one atom to the next. The electrons in some materials, like copper and other metals, are only loosely attached within their atoms, which allows electricity to travel through these materials easily. Nonmetal materials like plastic and rubber have tightly attached electrons, so electricity does not pass through them as easily. However, a plastic or rubber object that contacts a power line could become energized with electricity and even catch fire if the voltage in the line is high enough. For this reason, it’s important to keep all objects (including those made of plastic and rubber) far away from power lines.

Answer: Electricity does not last forever, but the energy contained within it does. This is consistent with one of the fundamental laws of physics, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Lightning is one clear example of this law in action. When lightning strikes the ground, its electrical energy changes to heat energy. This heat energy moves air upward into the storm clouds and can create more lightning in a continual cycle.

Answer: I don’t see any data compiled on the use of water and lights at schools in the U.S., but I can tell you that annual K-12 school utility expenditures in the U.S. as a whole top $10 billion. It’s hard to state an average cost per school because there are so many factors involved in determining a school’s energy and water use, including the total square footage of the school’s buildings, the efficiency of the school’s equipment, the school’s energy management practices and building use patterns, as well as variations in climate and activities on the campus.

Answer: Considering all the types of energy that we have discovered in just the last 300 years, including the discovery of electricity in 1792 and of photovoltaic energy in 1839, I would say, yes, definitely, there are many types of energy that we don’t know exist. Fuel cells have been around for over 150 years, and today, NASA uses hydrogen fuel cells to convert hydrogen into electricity for astronauts. Just 70 years ago fusion energy was discovered, and now we are close to being able to use it for electric-power production. The first sources of energy were the sun and wind, and we’re looking at those renewable sources of energy today, albeit in more technologically advanced ways. There are endless sources of energy out there in the universe, waiting to be discovered—by YOU!