Energy Sources Project
The Scenario: Harrisburg
The town of Harrisburg is in need of a new power plant. Harrisburg is a city with approximately 1,800 residents. The flat land, cool temperatures, and constant light breeze make Harrisburg a comfortable climate to live in. Open fields, suitable for farming, surround the small, rural community. The nutrient-rich soil provides optimal conditions for growing corn and soybeans. Harrisburg is a farming community, and its land is very valuable. The livelihood of the Harrisburg residents comes from farming. In addition to the community’s well-known farming tradition, Harrisburg is home of the Annual Kite Flying Competition. Each spring, competitors from across the state visit Harrisburg to compete in kite flying. Competitors are awarded based on their kite designs and duration of flight. Along the outskirts of town lies a rolling river and large pond suitable for fishing and boating. Community members spend many weekends retreating to this scenic, peaceful area. As the community considers its options for building a new power plant, several residents have voiced their concerns. Residents are looking for an energy source that is environmentally friendly, creates little waste, is renewable, and affordable. In addition, residents are concerned about losing too much of their valuable farmland to the construction of a power plant, and some are concerned about the ecological affects of disturbing the pond area.
Your Task:
As members of the Harrisburg Power Company, you must develop a plan to present to city members at the upcoming town meeting. Based on the scenario given, your group must decide which type of energy source would be best for the town. Things to consider when planning your presentation include:
- Educate
- What is energy?
- What is the Law of Conservation of Energy?
- What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources?
- Power Plant Selection
- What energy source should your power plant utilize?
- What resources (energy sources) are available for your power plant?
- How does the energy source / power plant work – how will it generate the power
needed to provide electricity to your residents?
- What will the location of the plant be and how will its location affect the
environment or its residents?
- Environment
- Is your energy source renewable or nonrenewable?
- How will the power plant affect the environment positively and/or negatively?
- Are there waste products produced?
- Are there any benefits to using this form of energy? Any risks?
4.Cost
- How much would it cost to construct a power plant that would supply enough energy for
the city of your size?
- How is the city going to pay for the power plant (tax options, grants, etc.)?
- Is this method really affordable? Is this plan realistic?
- Research
- Include all sources for your researched information in a bibliography.
Evaluation:
Presentation:
Prepare a presentation that covers, in depth, a power plant proposal for your city. The above points of information are important to include in your presentation. You should take on the role of the power plant spokesperson, and your classmates will be your mock city audience. Include visual aids (posters, power point, pictures, tables/graphs, models, etc.). You want to educate and persuade your audience to accept the proposed power plant. Be creative, informative, organized, and well educated in your topic. A bibliography stating all the sources used must be turned in.