Who Turned Out the Lights

Topic(s):

Alternative Energy Resources

Images/Video Resources

Wind Turbine and Solar Panels

News Channel 4 KGBT

Duke Energy announced plans to build a large-scale renewable energy system in Raymondville that will generate 400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 120,000 homes.

Overview of the United States showing Blackouts in the East Coast region.

Lights are turned off during rolling blackouts in Misato City, Japan.

States and Energy Initiatives

C-SPAN: Speakers addressed the National Governors Association' centennial meeting and spoke about energy policy and state government.

Scenario

Because of our continually rising standard of living and the relatively low cost of electric power to the consumer, our demand for electricity has risen dramatically. Air conditioners, dishwashers, televisions, washers, and dryers, which were considered luxuries 30 years ago, are commonplace today. It is estimated that over40 percent of all energy resources will be used to generate electricity. Due to this large consumption of electrical energy Texas and throughout the country people have been experiencing Rolling Blackouts. This is due to the hot summer weather that leads to the overload consumption of electrical energy through the power grids. The Department of Texas Energy is looking into the usage of alternative energy to power local power grids. The problem is that not every county in the state has the option to use each alternative energy.

The Department of Texas Energy has hired your team to help research and investigate the appropriate alternative resources that are available for the Rio Grande Valley. Your research team will present your findings to the Texas Board of Energy. During your investigation you have the opportunity to research different types of alternative energy (how they are created, cost, how to transfer mechanical energy to electrical energy).

The Department of Texas provided information on:

Notable World Blackouts by The Associated Press July 31, 2012 (AP)

On August 14, 2003 the worst U.S. blackout occurred. Power line problems in the Midwest trigger a cascade of breakdowns that cut power to 50 million people in eight states and Canada, some for more than a day.

On July 12, 2004 due to the heavy use of air conditioners and other factors are blamed for blackouts affecting at least 7 million people in Greece just a month before the summer Olympic games.

Aug. 18, 2005: An imbalanced power grid kicks power plants offline in Indonesia leaves almost 100 million people in the dark, many for more than five hours.

July 31, 2012: Three power grids across half of India fail in what authorities call overdrawing of the system, leaving a record 620 million people without power for several hours and raising serious concerns about whether the country's outdated infrastructure can meet soaring demands.

Task

Sample Investigations/Teacher Resources

Your team was hired by the Department of Texas Energy to research and investigate the appropriate alternative resources that are available for the Rio Grande Valley. Your team is working towards a solution to help accommodate the consumption of electrical energy, so the Rio Grande Valley won't experience long term Black Outs. Your team must consider what natural resources are available in the Rio Grande Valley that can led to the development of Alternative Energy. 

Your team will present your findings to the Board of Department of Texas Energy in two weeks. In this presentation you will use Web 2.0 tools to express your research findings and conclusions (The computer lab will be available before and after school).

Your team may use the following Questions into consideration when conducting your investigation.

Research Questions to consider

Individually, each team member will create an analysis of the Alternative Energy scenario. Each team member will individually complete PBL steps 1-4. Each team member must share and discuss ideas, create questions to be answered within the team and conduct individual research to solve the scenario using the custom search engine and resources given.

Group, as a team you will create a problem statement, develop a plan to conduct research on your problem statement and collect research on your problem statement. Each team will consist of 5 members and each member must be assigned a responsibility (e.g. Team Leader, Reporter, Designer...)

Group Presentation, Each team will design a final plan of action addressing the Alternative Energy scenario that will be presented using any Web 2.0 tool listed under Student Work. The presentation will be presented to the board of Department of Texas Energy.

Science Investigation: 

The Power of Heat Is Right Under Your Feet!

Students will build a model of a geothermal power plant to learn more about geothermal energy.

Renewable Energy Lesson

In this lesson students will use Internet resources to investigate renewable sources of energy.

Basics Teachers

Teachers Renewable Energy Basics Resource Guide

Energy Experience Classroom Packet

Provides Energy activity and information cards

Educational Resources - Teachers

Provides links, guides, and activities for teachers to integrate into the classroom.

How do Alternative Energy Sources Work (National Geographic)

5th Grade Science TEKS

Student Resources

 Rubric

Scholastic Study Jams

View videos and slide shows on alternative energy

BrainPop

View videos and do activities on alternative energy

UnitedStreaming

View videos on alternative energy

How to Support Development of Alternative Energy Sources (National Geographic)

U.S. Energy Administration- Energy Kids

Provides helpful links and resources for kids research on energy

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/energy/

Provides information on renewable basics, helpful facts on the most commonly utilized forms of renewable energy: wind, solar,
biomass, geothermal, and more.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/kids/

The U.S. Department of Energy offers Students to explore renewable energy facts, play games or do activities, and to investigate energy conservation at home.

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/

Energy Quest is a children’s website designed to teach kids about energy basics, conservation, renewable energy and more. The site includes interactive games, activities, and information pertaining to energy education.

Power and Deregulation 

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/infrastructure/power/#

Provides Special Reports on Energy Infrastructure

Recovery_Act_Memo_Texas

Renewable_Energy

Cost of Operating Electrical Applicances

Elementary Energy Info book

EduSmart Science Program: Students may use the computer lab to access this science program to learn more about alternative energy.

Books to Consider:

The beginner's guide to the future of energy technology

The book focuses on how solar power, wind power, hydropower, geothermal energy, fuel cells, and hydrogen enterprise work.

Team Rubric

Peer Feedback Rubric

Group Presentation Rubric

Student Work

Standards

1. Read and analyze the scenario and situation.
Check your understanding of the scenario. Don't be tempted to start thinking about potential solutions or to start looking for information. 

1. List your personal understanding, ideas or hunches.

 With your team use all the information available in the scenario to list everything that you know about Alternative Energy. You do not have to conduct any research yet. Just use the information given and write the facts that you already know about Alternative Energy.

With your team, make a list about what you do not know and would like to learn. List all the questions you will need to answer to solve the problem.  

4. List what needs to be done.
"What should we do?" List actions to be taken, e.g., question an expert,conduct research, go to a board meeting about topic. List possible actions.

5. Develop a problem statement.

You will be responsible for thinking and choosing one of the questions to solve the problem.  A problem statement should come from your analysis of what you know. In one or two sentences, you should be able to describe what it is that your group is trying to solve, produce, respond to, or find out. The problem statement may have to be revised as new information is discovered and brought to bear on the situation.

Use all the resources available (Internet, library, etc) to research about the problem/topic and find a solution.

7. Present Findings

Your team is going to create a presentation on the appropriate alternative energy that can be developed in the Rio Grande Valley  utilizing any Web 2.0 Tools: Prezi, Wordle, Vimeo, Animoto, Glogster,VoiceThread, Spicy Nodes, and other tools.

Students will use Group Presentation Rubric

(5.7)  Earth and space. The student knows Earth's surface is constantly changing and consists of useful resources. The student is expected to:

(C)  identify alternative energy resources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels.

Who Turned Out The Lights by Santos Alvrado is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.