Question

What are different energy consuming activities of the modern society?

Answer 1

Energy is an abstract concept that is very familiar to students from personal experiences with household appliances, transportation, and their own bodies. However, the nature of energy, energy transformations, and energy conservation are poorly understood, even by most adults. The geopolitical and environmental issues associated with energy and its consumption in today’s global society are important for every citizen to appreciate in order to make informed decisions about the future. Without a deep understanding that energy is finite and that energy transformations are what give modern society its high standard of living, students today will not be prepared to make the tough personal and political decisions that await us as fossil fuel resources dwindle.

To this end, this unit strives to incorporate the science behind current and future energy technologies within an inquiry and application based framework. It builds on the mastery of CT Standards 9.1: Energy can not be created or destroyed; however, energy can be converted from one form to another, and 9.2: The electrical force is a universal force that exists between any two charged objects. Through the use of innovative resource cards that students create themselves, students will learn that all fossil fuel-based energy provides many benefits for those that can take advantage of the power, but comes at a high environmental cost. One of these is the enhancement of global climate change by increasing anthropogenic carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Students will weigh these costs and benefits against those of other energy sources. Electricity alternatives include nuclear, hydro, biomass, solar, geothermal, hydrogen fuel cells, and wind. Heating alternatives include geothermal, biomass and solar. Transportation alternatives include biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, hydrogen fuel cells, and electric/hybrid engines. It is important that the teacher remind students as the unit progresses that all societies across the globe need access to reliable fuel for electricity, transportation, and business/domestic uses in order to develop and maintain a high standard of living.

All of these energy sources will be compared and analyzed for the final project. Students will research an energy source and present it to their classmates. They will then use the information, plus all the content from class lectures and activities, to design a “Planned Community”. This community must have power supplied to it 24/7. It also must be an affordable and eco-friendly place to live, so students must account for the costs and benefits of energy production and consumption. In the end, students will have a deep understanding of not only the conceptual science of energy, but also of the technical and societal issues as well.