Students will consider the future of the power grid in light of the data they have been studying about consumption and production if nothing is done to improve the grid, upgrade the grid, and/or change human behaviors. Students will present suggestions for quick solutions that we could do today and participate in a classroom discussion about Smart grids.
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Energy Analysis
Students will translate historical data from a table into a graph to establish trends in energy consumption and production, and factors that contributed to the trends in consumption and production.
History of the Power Grid
In this lesson students will explore the evolution of the power grid. Students will be assigned a specific scientist/inventor, time period, or event that contributed to the evolution of the power grid to research and then present to the class. They will create a one-page document (AVID Strategy) that will become part of a time-line to be put in the classroom.
Wind Turbine Challenge
In this lesson students will work in groups to design the blades for a wind turbine that will generate at least 2 volts of electricity and will light their house.
Building a Model House
In this activity students will work in groups to plan and build the house for their group. Students will review circuits, electron flow, current and voltage. They will construct a house out of cardboard and wire it to reflect the wiring of modern houses today.
Exploring Solar Energy
Students will be investigating the amount of voltage a single solar panel will produce under a variety of conditions. They will keep accurate data since they will be using this data to complete their assessment task for this lesson.
Power Grid and Integrating Renewable Resources
By this lesson students have learned about what the power grid is, renewable and nonrenewable resources used to generate electricity, and how solar panels work. In this lesson students watch a news clip will read a report regarding the integration of solar power into the electric grid and write an informative essay on why a mix of resources is best for the U.S. Power Grid.