Electrical Generation and Distribution in the U.S.Web Quest
(5 points)
- Electrical Generation: describe how electricity is made in the “typical” electrical generating plant. Focus on a power plant that uses oil, natural gas, coal, or nuclear energy to heat water and explain electromagnetic induction and how steam is used to generate electricity (ignore the different types of fuels). Also explain how mechanical energy is used in wind and hydroelectric plants. You should be able to explain the following:
•Electromagnetic induction
•Turbine, generator
•Alternating current/direct current
- Distribution through the Grid: the traditional electrical system. How does the electricity produced in the power plant get to your home? Be able to explain how the grid distribution works as well as:
•Substations, transformers
•Power pools and load management (peak load and demand)
•What are the advantages and disadvantages of the grid distribution system?
- Where does our electricity come from?
•How far from Cleveland HS is the closest nuclear power plant?
•How much electricity is generated at this plant?
•Where does the electricity that’s generated at this power plant go to?
•How much nuclear waste is generated at this power plant, and what is done with it?
•What power company supplies Reseda with its electricity?
•Where is the electricity produced that Reseda uses?
•From what sources and in what proportion does this power company generate electricity (coal, nuclear, oil)?
- Deregulation of the Power Industry. All across the US the electric power industry is being restructured—the so-called deregulation. North Carolina was supposed to be fully deregulated by January 1, 2006, but the experience in California in the summer of 2001 has put some of these plans on hold.
•What is deregulation?
•Explain what went wrong in California.
•Who will benefit from deregulation—the consumers or the industry?
•Describe how deregulation will affect the environment.
- Power Outages: the power outage that hit over 50 million people in August 2002 was the latest of several major power outages that have hit the US and Canada. Most of us remember shivering through the ice storm of 2001, the blizzard of 2000, and some of us even remember Hurricane Fran. Why is it so hard to restore power after a major outage?
•What are some other examples of major power outages and what were the causes of each?
•What causes these outages?
•Give the vulnerable parts of the grid system.
•What measures are proposed to address these issues?
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- Electric vehicles often have been proposed as an environmentally sound alternative to the gasoline engine fortransportation. In response to state initiatives, several car manufacturers now include electric vehicles amongtheir available models. In spite of these state initiatives, the penetration of electric vehicles into the transportationsector of the United States, as well as other countries, remains modest.
(a) Identify and describe two environmental benefits to using electric vehicles in place of gasoline-poweredengines for transportation.
(b) Estimate the potential reduction in petroleum consumption (in gallons of gasoline per year) that could beachieved in the United States by introducing electric vehicles under the following assumptions:
1. The mileage rate for the average car is 25 miles per gallon of gasoline.
2. The average car is driven 10,000 miles per year.
3. The United States has 150 million cars.
4. 10 percent of United States cars could be replaced with electric vehicles.
(c) Some people have suggested that electric vehicles only shift the emission of air pollutants from dispersedsources to point sources. Explain and defend or refute this statement.
(d) Propose two potential new United States government policies that would encourage the widespread use ofelectric vehicles. Explain.
Shown above is a graph of the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita versus the annual electrical energy consumption per capita for nine countries in 2009.
(a) Iceland’s position on the graph is due in part to its access to geothermal energy sources. Describe how electricity is generated from a geothermal source.
(b) Despite its low GDP per capita and low annual electrical energy consumption per capita, China has become the world’s largest emitter of CO2 . Explain this apparent contradiction.
(c) In addition to contributing to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations, China is facing other air pollution issues related to the generation of electricity. Identify one such issue and describe the impact it has on human health.
(d) Two countries shown on the graph have developed domestic energy sources: sugarcane in Brazil and tar sands in western Canada.
(i) Choose EITHER sugarcane or tar sands, then briefly describe the process of fuel production from that energy source.
(ii) Describe TWO disadvantages of using the energy source that you chose in part (d)(i).
(iii) Which of the two energy sources is more sustainable? Justify your answer with an explanation.