Why the U.S. Isn't Ready for Clean Energy
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Provided by: Vox|Published on: April 27, 2021
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Synopsis
- This video gives an overview of what is needed to generate and transport electricity from utility-scale renewable energy sources in the United States, focusing on Vermont, Washington DC, Arizona, Philadelphia and Chicago, detailing a model developed by Princeton, and warning against hazards that led to some of California's wildfires.
- One can conclude that the United States may not be ready to fully transition to utility-scale renewables without more transmission lines to transport the energy.
Subjects: Physics, Engineering
Authors: Vox
Region: North America, USA - Northeast, USA - West, USA - Midwest, United States, New Jersey, Vermont, New York, New York City, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona, Washington D.C.
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The animations and maps are very helpful in illustrating the concepts discussed.
- It highlights various locations, including Washington D.C. and Vermont.
Additional Prerequisites
- It would help if students had some prior knowledge or understanding of how electricity is generated and transported currently.
- Introduce the concept of community powered solar and wind generation or small-scale renewable energy prior to the video to help provide a local-solutions focus.
Differentiation
- Organize an excursion to visit an existing renewable energy power plant or introduce the idea of having a Lights Out Day at school or at home.
- As a cross-curricular lesson in economics or accounting, students can research the costs of adding renewable energy in a small community, such as the school or their neighborhood.
- Distributed solar and wind, along with batteries and gravity based water pump storage devices help solve this issue without building massive power lines across America. This could be researched for additional context.
- Energy conservation, more efficient appliances and electronics, and reducing energy waste are HUGE opportunities to reduce the amount of electricity needed in the first place, which can be explored.
This resource is a 7-minute video that outlines a major issue with ramping up clean energy within the U.S.. Currently, there are not enough transmission lines to get the energy from where it could be produced to where it will be used. This resource describes the infrastructure challenges that will need to be overcome over the next years and decades. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
