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Optimal and Sustainable: Renewable Energy Revamp

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Learning Goals
  1. Students will examine some of the benefits and drawbacks to using renewable energy sources instead of coal.
  2. Students will explore the geographic conditions that favor or restrict the use of various renewable energy technologies in a particular place.
  3. Students will create an optimal renewable energy plan for a community that meets specific constraints and criteria
Materials List

Handouts

Classroom Supplies

  • Rulers
  • Calculators
  • Sticky notes
  • Computer with internet access and projector
  • Computers or laptops (1 per group of 2 students)
  • Optional: Butcher paper (1 per pair of students)
  • Optional: Markers and tape

Important Links

Next Generation Science Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

  • MS-ESS3.A: Natural Resources
  • MS-ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
  • MS-ESS3.D: Global Climate Change
  • MS-ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

Time: 2 hours

This Lesson appears as a part of the following:
– Water Power Implementation Toolkit

This is a teacher recommended lesson by California Academy of Sciences.

In this lesson, students will be challenged with an optimization problem. The fictitious town of Solutionville has decided to replace coal, their current source of electricity, with more sustainable energy sources. In designing Solutionville’s sustainable energy future, students must consider not only the geographic constraints of various renewable energy options–wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, and solar energy–but must also meet specific energy production requirements and budgetary constraints.

 

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