Motivate
Understanding energy is fundamental to understanding the climate system. In simple “physics” terms, energy can be described as the capacity to perform work. Practically, think about it this way. You and I need to move and eat and breathe – all of this requires us to do work and requires us to expend energy to do so. In fact, the concept of energy is so deeply intertwined with our physical universe that it becomes challenging to imagine a world without it. Everything we do, from driving a car to turning on a lightbulb, involves the conversion or transfer of energy in various forms. Therefore, energy is a concept that goes beyond this class (or any of your other science classes, for that matter!).
We think of wind energy as being a “green source” of electricity. But where does that wind come from? You'll find out soon!
Credit: Wind farm in a desert by The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (Public Domain)