Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Energy
Intermediate 2
Conventional Energy
Technologies and the Grid
Support Material
September 2008
Energy: Conventional Energy Technologies and the Grid – (Intermediate 2)
Acknowledgements
SFEU is grateful to the subject specialists in Scotland’s Colleges and other
agencies and industry bodies who have been involved in the writing of this and
other support materials in the Skills for Work series. SFEU is also grateful for the
contribution of the Scottish Qualifications Authority in the compilation of these
materials, specifically for its permission to reproduce extracts from Course and
Unit Specifications and the Skills for Work Rationale.
website: www.sfeu.ac.uk
e-mail: sfeu@sfeu.ac.uk
These support materials were produced with assistance from the European Social Fund.
Energy (Intermediate 2)
Energy: Conventional Energy
Technologies and the Grid
F3FV 11
Introduction
These notes are provided to support teachers and lecturers presenting the
Scottish Qualifications Authority Course F3FV 11, Energy: Conventional Energy
Technologies and the Grid (Intermediate 2).
Copyright for this pack is held by the Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU).
However, teachers and lecturers have permission to use the pack and reproduce
items from the pack provided that this is to support teaching and learning
processes and that no profit is made from such use. If reproduced in part, the
source should be acknowledged.
Website: www.sfeu.ac.uk
Website: www.sqa.org.uk
Class Sets
Class sets of this pack may be purchased direct from the printer. Costs are
dependent on the size of the pack and the number of copies. Please contact:
Elanders Hindson
Merlin Way
New York Business Park
North Tyneside
NE27 0QG
Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this support pack,
teachers and lecturers should satisfy themselves that the information passed to
candidates is accurate and in accordance with the current SQA arrangements
documents. SFEU will accept no responsibility for any consequences deriving
either directly or indirectly from the use of this pack.
Contents
Reference Section 10
What are Skills for Work Courses all about? 11
The Course in Energy (Intermediate 2) 14
Unit Outcomes, PCs and Evidence Requirements 17
Employability Skills Profile 20
Careers Scotland Support 21
Turbines 79
The National Grid 85
Substations 91
Transformers 91
Busbars 93
Switchgear 95
The Future of Electricity Supplies 99
Glossary of Terms 101
Appendix 103
The Reference Section provides information on the rationale for, and ethos
behind, Skills for Work courses, the course rationale, the Unit Outcomes and
evidence requirements and the Employability Skills Profile for Skills for Work
Energy: (Intermediate 2), showing where the specified employability skills and
attitudes can be evidenced and assessed throughout the Course and in this unit.
The Tutor Support Section contains a suggested approach to teaching the Unit,
advice on learning and teaching with under-16s, guidance on unit induction, unit
delivery and advice on integrating the development of employability skills
throughout the unit. Industrial visits and lectures from external industry experts
would help enhance the teaching process. Finally, this section suggests resources
which may be useful for tutors and students.
The Student Support Section contains guidance and instruction on how students
should approach the methods available to seek out information for investigations.
The student notes provided do not constitute comprehensive coverage of
conventional technologies and the grid because it is expected that the students
will research and investigate the topics themselves. However, industry specific
websites are suggested. Internet access will be required to complete this unit.
The investigation brief and worksheets are contained in the NAB for the Unit.
You may wish to place material from the student notes on your own Intranet by
downloading this pack from the Skills for Work section of the SFEU website
http://www.sfeu.ac.uk/skills_for_work
Reference Section
The Skills for Work Courses are also designed to provide candidates with
opportunities for developing Core Skills and enhancing skills and attitudes for
employability.
Core Skills
The five Core Skills are:
• Communication
• Numeracy
• Information Technology
• Problem Solving
• Working with Others
Employability
The skills and attitudes for employability, including self-employment, are outlined
below:
• generic skills/attitudes valued by employers
• understanding of the workplace and the employee’s responsibilities, for
example timekeeping, appearance, customer care
• self-evaluation skills
• positive attitude to learning
• flexible approaches to solving problems
• adaptability and positive attitude to change
• confidence to set goals, reflect and learn from experience.
• specific vocational skills/knowledge
• Course Specifications highlight the links to National Occupational
Standards in the vocational area and identify progression opportunities
Opportunities for developing these skills and attitudes are highlighted in each of
the Course and Unit Specifications. These opportunities include giving young
people direct access to workplace experiences or, through partnership
arrangements, providing different learning environments and experiences which
simulate aspects of the workplace. These experiences might include visits, visiting
speakers, role play and other practical activities.
There are many technologies used in the production of energy and this course
has been designed to contain both an electrical generation practical/skills element
using wind turbines and a heat generation practical/skills element using solar
panels. These elements were selected to ensure candidates received a range of
skills using different technologies that are involved in the generation of energy.
Other systems used to generate energy from both the traditional/conventional and
renewable systems will be discussed and evaluated during the Course.
The primary target group for this Course is school candidates in S3 and S4.
However, the Course is also suitable for S5/S6 candidates and adult candidates
who are seeking to enhance their employability and vocational skills in the energy
sector.
The production and use of energy is important in everyone’s life and is also an
important area of study and work. It is central to how we reduce our impact on the
environment when generating heat or electrical energy or power and to reducing
our CO2 emissions which are widely claimed to have an impact on climate change.
The generation of energy has traditionally been done through the use of fossil
fuels; oil, gas, and coal, with some renewable energy produced from hydro power.
Nuclear power was seen, and is still seen by some, as a method of generating
energy with zero carbon emissions, but the disposal of the radioactive spent fuel
is of major concern and this can counteract the advantages it has with zero
carbon emissions.
The main themes of the course are: conventional energy production, renewable
energy production, converting energy from one form to another, industrial or
domestic energy generation facilities, practical work with solar panels and wind
turbines (integrating team work into the assembly process), and investigating
careers within the energy sector.
Optional areas covered are the size of an individual’s carbon footprint, oil and gas
extraction or conventional energy systems; their contribution to the total energy
generated in the UK and their environmental effects.
Candidates will study the overall status of energy in Scotland, and in the UK, in
general. They will explore the conventional methods of production, including their
efficiency levels, various energy conversion principles, and how energy can be
conserved. They will also explore the more recent developments in energy
production using renewable energy techniques and will develop practical skills in
the areas of plumbing, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Careers within the
energy sector have been integrated with employability skills which are developed
through practical activities.
The three optional Units offer different routes for candidates. They can opt for an
individual investigation and evaluation of their own carbon footprint, investigate
the size of the market segment taken up with conventional production techniques
and their sustainability, and explore the use of the national grid as a means of
transmitting electricity throughout the UK, or have an in-depth study into the
formation and extraction of one type of fuel in its raw state which is particularly
relevant to Scotland, ie. offshore oil and gas.
Unit:
Energy: Conventional Technologies and the Grid (Intermediate 2)
Outcome 1
Performance Criteria
Outcome 2
Performance Criteria
Outcome 3
Performance Criteria
Performance and product evidence is required for this Unit. The evidence should
be gathered at appropriate points throughout the Unit, in open-book conditions, in
response to a given brief.
Product evidence
Each candidate will produce a presentation which meets the Performance Criteria
in Outcome 3. The method of communication in the presentation may be chosen
by the candidate - written/oral, diagrammatic, graphical, and electronic - are all
acceptable. The candidate may also choose different forms of communication -
poster, leaflet, short talk, PowerPoint presentation - are all acceptable provided
the Performance Criteria are met.
The National Assessment Bank (NAB) item for this Unit contains an appropriate
brief which covers the investigation and presentation requirements of the Unit and
an assessor observation checklist. Centres wishing to devise their own
assessments must refer to the NAB to ensure a comparable standard.
Mandatory Units
Energy: Introduction =A
Energy: Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems =B
Energy: Domestic Wind Turbine Systems =C
Energy: Employability and Careers =D
Optional Units
Energy and the Individual =E
Energy: Oil/Gas Extraction =F
Energy: Conventional Production Technologies and the Grid =G
Employability skill/attitude Evidence
• maintaining good timekeeping and attendance A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• maintaining a tidy work place B, C
• seeking feedback and advice A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• following instructions B, C
• working co-operatively with others A, B, C
• selecting and using tools correctly and for the purpose B, C
they were designed
• using Personal Protective Equipment correctly and A, B, C
working safely
• following basic drawings correctly B, C
• checking quality of work A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• working to agreed deadlines A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• organising work effectively A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• working confidently A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• willingness to learn new skills or techniques B, C
• working independently A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• reflecting on own performance B, C
• learning from past experiences B, C
• awareness of a range of careers and job roles D
• developing investigation skills A, D, E/F/G
• developing presentation skills A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• developing creativity skills A, B, C, D, E/F/G
Since August 2006 Careers Scotland (SE and HI areas) has been funded by the
Scottish Government to support College/School Collaboration and encourage and
promote vocational educational choices for pupils in schools.
Careers Scotland (now part of Skills Development Scotland) has an important role
to play in selection, recruitment and pre-entry career guidance, as well as ongoing
support and pre-exit career guidance, to ensure the pupils’ experience of SfW is
capitalised upon in any future career planning.
Careers Scotland activity takes place locally and nationally under 4 objectives:
1. Activate prior knowledge and learning – ascertain what the learner knows
already and teach accordingly. Young people do have life experience but it is
more limited than adult learners and they may not always be aware of how it
will assist them in their current learning.
2. Tune learners into the Big Picture – the tutor knows the curriculum inside
out and why each lesson follows a sequence, however the young learner does
not have this information and is re-assured by being given the Big Picture.
Tips – Mind map or concept map; use visuals, for example wall displays of
diagrams, photographs, flow charts; explain the learning outcomes in language
they will understand; We Are Learning Today (WALT) targets and What I’m
Looking For (WILF) targets; give clear and visible success criteria for tasks.
3. Use Advance Organisers – these are lists of the key concept words that are
part of the course or unit.
Tip – Highlight on any text the concept words that you will be using; make a
visible list and put it on display – concept words can be struck off or referred to
as they occur (NB this helps with spelling and independent learning as they do
not have to keep checking meaning); highlight essential learning and action
points.
4. Vary the teaching approaches. The two main approaches are instructing
and demonstrating, however try to provide opportunities to facilitate learning.
Tips – Ask students what they know now that they did not know before, or
what they can do now they could not do before, at appropriate points in the
lesson or teaching block; ensure there are problem solving activities that can
be done individually or in groups; ask students to demonstrate what they have
5. Preview and review of learning. This helps to embed previous learning and
listening skills and provides another opportunity to elicit learner understanding.
Consolidates and reinforces learning.
Tips - At appropriate points ask students what words mean; explore the
various meanings of words to find out if they may have come across this
language in another context; by looking at the structure and meaning of words
there is an opportunity for dialogue about learning and to build vocabulary.
Tips – Ask a student to repeat back what you have asked them to do before
beginning a task; ask them to explain the task to one of their peers; use the
KISS principle – Keep It Short and Simple so that they can absorb and process
the information.
8. Effective feedback. Feedback is very important for the learner to assess their
progress and to see how and what they can improve. Provide opportunities to
engage in dialogue about the learning function of assessment – provide details
of the learner’s strengths and development needs either in written or spoken
form. With younger learners identifying one or two areas for development is
sufficient along with acknowledgement of what has been done well.
them; allow learners to set criteria for success and then measure their
achievements against these.
9. Managing the learning behaviour. Under 16s are coming into Scotland’s
Colleges and training establishments from largely structured and routine-driven
environments in schools and early feedback from those undertaking Skills for
Work courses indicates that they very much enjoy the different learning
environment that colleges and other training providers offer. Remember
though that these are still young learners. They will still expect tutors to
provide structure and routine, and will perform best in a calm, orderly learning
environment. Young students will respond to firm, fair, and consistent
management. Such routines have to be established quickly and constantly
reinforced.
Tips - Avoid one-to-one situations with young students in a closed area; do not
do or say anything that could be misinterpreted; if the opportunity arises, do
some observation in schools to see and discuss how teachers use the
guidelines for their own protection as well as the young person’s.
Most young people are a delight to work with and they will positively enjoy the
experience of learning in college. However, there will inevitably be some who are
disengaged, disaffected and who have not yet had an opportunity to experience
success. ‘Skills for Work’ is a unique educational initiative that young people can
be motivated to buy into – you as the tutor are key to the success of these
programmes.
Note: you should take a precautionary approach when dealing with the terms grid
and national grid as they can mean the same. In some documentation and data
sources the distinction between where the grid starts and ends may be confusing
to some students.
Unit Induction
An induction session in week 1 will prepare students well for the unit and help to
clarify aims and expectations, what the unit is all about and any uncertainties they
may have about the unit and how it will be delivered. It’s particularly important that
they understand that the main learning approach will be student-centred, and what
this means in terms of the investigation, organisation and presentation skills they
will need to use. Induction may include the following:
• an outline of the Unit content – what they’re going to be doing
• how it fits in to the Energy (Intermediate 2 level) course
• your plans for teaching the Unit – how they’ll be learning the skills: in this case,
student centred investigation with tutor guidance and support.
• assessment methods and schedule
• where employability fits in – start by asking them what they think!
• the importance of regular attendance and good timekeeping to encourage the
students to get into good habits – as if they were at work and in employment!
• you might also think about a site visit or invite a representative from a service
provider to set the scene, and talk about the types of employment available in
their organisation, and to reinforce the value that employers put on
employability skills.
investigation and structure their presentation. The NAB also contains a set of
checklists for the tutor to keep track of student progress.
Because of the investigative nature of the unit, the learning and teaching
approach will be student centred. After some initial input from the tutor to set the
scene, the students should work independently to source, organise and present
the information required in the investigation brief. There should also be
opportunities to carry out some activities as a group, to encourage collaborative
learning. Presenting their findings to the class can help to develop confidence and
improve knowledge and skills by sharing good practice.
Tutor support and guidance will be ongoing as required. The Outcomes have
been made as practical as possible to involve the students in developing their
investigative skills. However they will need to be given guidelines on how to
approach the work in terms of organizing their time to ensure that all stages of the
investigation are covered. It would be helpful to work with the group to negotiate
target dates for each stage of the investigation and to monitor progress
throughout. Guidance on carrying out investigations and presenting findings are
included in the Energy (Intermediate 2) Course Guidance Pack.
This student centred approach will add value to the students’ learning experience
by helping develop the following key employability skills as well as enhancing their
knowledge of the oil/gas industry
On the following pages a range of online resources are identified that will help
students particularly in the investigation element in Outcomes 1 and 2 and 3 and it
would be appropriate to allocate class time in a flexible learning environment eg. a
dedicated IT room. The online research activities will provide students with a more
blended approach to teaching and learning. School students will be familiar with
this approach. For students returning to study, you may need to spend time
supporting them in the use of electronic resources.
There are a number of ‘energy’ calculators available on the internet and you
should choose the one you think your students will find most user friendly.
Resources
Websites
There is a wealth of information available via the web and the websites given in
here are only a flavour of the material available. It is at the discretion of the tutor
which web resources they choose to use.
There are ‘YouTube’ links that are very helpful for showing the practical aspects of
power lines, for example:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3q9WdjD5wc&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uEKbMMHAwm0
However, each centre will have its own guidelines for restrictive material. If
students are allowed to access this site its use must be monitored carefully as
there are video clips that may be unsuitable. For example some clips in the area
of high voltage may be inappropriate, as they may demonstrate electrocution.
Alternatively, tutors may choose show the clip of their choice to the students and
deny access to students.
Hydro Might Be the Renewable Answer: Times online Lewis wind farm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article3821800.ece
Power Lines
Power Stations
Sellafield
http://www.nda.gov.uk/sites/sellafield/
Publications
National Geographic (October 2007), Growing Fuel – The Wrong Way, The
Right Way
The Open University (1982) Living with Technology - Energy, Open University
Press
Video/DVD
Maintaining good
Following basic Reflecting on own
1 timekeeping and 8 15
drawings correctly performance
attendance*
Maintaining a tidy Checking quality of Learning from past
2 9 16
workplace work* experiences
The employability skills marked with an asterisk* are directly assessed in this Unit.
However opportunities to learn and develop all of these skills are distributed
throughout the course. Some of the skills can be delivered and assessed
discretely but there are also many opportunities for this to take place during group
activities.
It is strongly advised that course teams meet together to discuss and agree a co-
ordinated approach to the teaching and developing of the conventional energy
technology throughout the Course and to ensure that the team has a common
interpretation of the skills and attitudes.
• Discuss the importance of good timekeeping within the energy sector and
1 • Turning up for classes on
get students to assess their past timekeeping record. They should identify
what improvements, if any, are needed. This should take place at the start time
of the Course and will set the expected standards. • Returning from breaks on
• Staff should make their expectations clear right from the start of the course time
or Unit. • Arriving on time to visits
Maintaining
good • A good initial activity is to have the students write the class guidelines
themselves by identifying pros and cons of good and poor attendance and • Sticking to planned work
timekeeping schedules regarding timing of
and timekeeping – the benefits in the workplace of one and the consequences of
the other. activities
attendance
• These guidelines or ground rules can be posted in the workshops and • Staying in class for the
classes and referred to on a regular basis. duration of the planned
activity (no extended toilet
• Relate the ground rules to the world of work, eg. arrive on time, back from
breaks)
breaks on time etc. The measure of a student’s success in this aspect is for
them to be honest in their appraisal of their performance and in making
progress. ‘Distance travelled’ should be adopted, rather than a particular
minimum percentage of classes attended.
• Attendance and timekeeping should be monitored throughout the Course.
Students should be given feedback on their performance – both good and
bad – in this regard. If you take note of patterns of performance it should be
easy to give the students accurate feedback.
• Discuss how the checking of their tasks can lead to a higher quality of • Quality checking as work
9
work and hence meet the standards required. progresses
• Students should be made aware of acceptable standards in terms of the • Quality checking and review
quality of their investigations and presentation of their work. of final investigation findings
Checking and presentation
quality of work
• In the context of this unit, students could, as a group, negotiate and agree • Plan work schedule to meet
deadlines for each stage of the investigation. deadlines
10
• Discuss the need to keep to deadlines and the effects that can result if • Check progress against
they are not maintained. Demonstrate the importance in the real world of schedule and deadlines
keeping to deadlines eg. industry employs project managers whose main
role is to keep work on schedule.
Working to
agreed deadlines • Discuss progress with students in the context of the deadlines.
• The student centred approach taken in this Unit is intended to help the • Planning their investigations
students develop their organisational and planning skills, although
11 • Creating work schedules
guidance and discussion will be needed to achieve this
• Discuss how organising and planning work leads to a greater chance of • Planning out how to give a
meeting deadlines and meeting quality standards. Staff should emphasis presentation as a group
Organising work a logical approach to organising work where any process is a combination
of smaller steps taken one at a time. • Planning out how to give an
effectively individual presentation
• Discuss the benefits that working confidently can give eg. being able to • Individual presentations
ask questions or give their point of view without the fear of feeling stupid,
12 being able to stand up in front of others and give a presentation, to work • Drawing up work schedules
without constantly needing reassurance. • Investigations
• Students will have the opportunity to working confidently as they
investigate tasks • Discussions with staff and
Working • Students will have the opportunity to working confidently as they plan and peers
confidently present their work
• Staff should praise students for effort and good work at every opportunity
to help keep their confidence high.
• Working independently is a key feature of this unit. Some students will • Using information sources
embrace it while for others it will be more of a challenge. For the latter
14 group, reassure that working independently does not mean that they will • Planning and carrying out
not be able to discuss their work with others or ask for guidance if they investigation
need it. • Checking own progress
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working individually, eg.
Working advantages could include taking full responsibility, having complete • Checking quality of work
independently ownership and not depending on others; to disadvantages such as, in • Discussions with tutor
extreme cases, not being able to share problems with others and having
little social interaction. • Self evaluation
• Students can be supported in this objective when you discuss their • Individual presentations
performance with them. Discussions can help to clarify sticking points
and give them the confidence to work out the next steps for themselves.
• Retain brief notes on these conversations about progress as evidence for
employability.
• Discuss the role of investigating to find out information. Students are very • Investigations
used to using the internet to find things out, but they don’t always see this
as carrying out investigations. • Interviews with family,
friends etc
• Discuss the various methods of finding out information -a wide range
Developing should be encouraged eg. Internet, interviews, papers, TV, books, • Books, journals, Internet,
investigation experiments etc. papers, leaflets
skills • In the initial stages, students should be given ‘directions’ to help find • Extracting useful information
relevant information.
• Use a full range of resources for investigations.
• Encourage students to interview people as well as consult books,
websites etc.
• Emphasise the need to validate Internet sites – i.e. is it a reliable website?
• Creativity may have been introduced earlier in the Energy course as a • Individual presentation of
skill which comes up with novel solutions to a problem. Creativity in work
design is the most usual way to demonstrate this but other ways can be
used to show creativity eg. giving an oral / video presentation or • Planning work
presenting a report using diagrammatical, graphical and pictorial images. • Use of technology
Developing • The student centred approach in this unit provides lots of scope for
creativity skills students to develop creative skills, particularly in the compilation and
presentation of their investigation findings and they should be encouraged
to be imaginative in how they present their findings.
• Encourage the integration of presentation methods.
• Are both measuring the same? - ‘the average home’ and ‘a typical 3 bedroom
house’
• What is a typical 3 bed-room house? It depends on the number of people who
live in the house.
• It depends what examples they used to come up with the average figures –
some houses have more electrical and electronic appliances than others.
• The members of one household may be out all day at work and another
household may have retired people – so the amount of time spent in the house
is also a factor.
• The United States of America became the largest industrial nation in the world
in the 1920s – so they use a lot of energy
• America’s grid and generating capacity was more developed than ours so they
could supply more consumers.
• America may have had much colder winters than us – so they had to heat their
homes more – many parts of the USA have severe winters.
Activity 3
• In the 1920’s coal fires were the main form of heating but now we use
electricity.
• Not many homes had electricity in the 1920s as the national grid was not
established then. The supplies that were available were not standardised and
the voltage and frequency was not supplied at fixed values across the country.
• We now have many more offices and industries that require electricity than in
the 1920s.
• The population or Scotland has remained steady for many years, but
nowadays many more people are supplied with electricity.
• The metering of electricity is much more accurate today than was the case in
the past, so there may well be inaccuracies when comparing the figures.
Answers Activity 4
Answers Activity 5
There is no absolute solution - each student may well come up with a different
solution. This is an exercise in manipulating figures to suit.
Answers will depend on the year chosen by the students. It would be interesting
for them to select different years and then to compare.
The Electricity Supply Handbook 1995 states that the energy sources used to
generate electricity in Great Britain were in descending order of electrical energy
share in 1993:
Coal 53% - Fossil Fuel
Nuclear 26% - Uranium
Gas 10% - Fossil Fuel
Oil 8% - Fossil Fuel
Hydro 2% - Water
Renewable 1% - Wind, Wave, bio-fuel, etc
Note that renewable and hydro have been separated. Watch out for this when
looking at any data. Hydro should always be included in the renewable figures.
The figures given below are for the percentage of electricity generated from power
stations in Scotland for 1993.
Note that oil-fired stations are not stated – this is because they are no longer
used.
Activity 10
• The government does provide grants to certain sections of the community but
they have left out a large part of the population. They could provide more
grants for all people to install insulation, double glazing, energy saving light
bulbs and micro-generation.
• Once the plant is constructed, renewable energy is very cheap as it does not
require fuel to be purchased, although it does have continuous maintenance
costs and damage to the equipment can take place due to adverse weather.
Activity 11
Glendoe near Loch Ness - Glendoe will be Scotland’s second largest conventional
hydro-electric station and is the first large-scale station to be built since 1957.
Affric-Beauly Scheme
Activity 12
The Errochty station in Perthshire had a capacity of 75MW when it was opened in
1957.
You can see the massive difference in generating power, mostly due to
technological advances in turbine and generator design and efficiency.
Activity 13
Initially the pioneers of hydro electricity were involved in a massive building project
and many hydro stations were built up until the 1970s. Government policies then
brought the hydro plant building programme to a halt. The figure for the UK for the
last few years has been around 25%.
Activity 14
Activity 16
Activity 17
As per the advantages and disadvantages listed at the end of each power station
type.
It is essential that computers with Internet access are available for teaching this
unit as well as a data projector and electronic white board.
This section includes both student notes and activities. These materials not
mandatory but are offered to centres as a flexible set of materials and activities
which can be selected, altered and used in whatever way suits individual centres
and their particular situation. For example, in the case of the student activities you
might want to talk through the instructions with the learners and then give the
instructions out on paper as reminders. You are encouraged to adapt and use the
materials creatively in ways which will best engage your students.
The online research and activities will provide students with a more blended
approach to teaching and learning. School students will be familiar with this
approach. For students returning to study, you may need to spend time
supporting them in the use of electronic resources.
Throughout this unit you will investigate the location and types of power stations,
including how they operate and how they are connected together to give us
electricity in our homes.
• thermal
• hydro
• nuclear.
Nuclear power stations can also be classified as ‘thermal’, but they will be
discussed in another section of these notes, as with hydro power.
The thermal power stations that generate electricity require a source of fuel and
the traditional fuels that we have used are coal, oil, and gas. Oil-fired stations
are no longer viable to run any more due to fuel costs.
Oil, coal, and gas are known as ‘fossil fuels’ as they have been formed from the
decomposition of organic animal and plant remains and they take many
thousands of years to form.
These fuel sources help identify the type of power station: coal-fired, oil-burning,
gas-fired. We have a variety of these power stations throughout Scotland.
The grid is a network of overhead and underground cabling systems that are
used to distribute the electricity to industry and households. The grid’s network of
cables can be seen all over Scotland as they are mounted on large steel metal
structures called pylons. Substations and transformers are also components of
the grid system and will be discussed later.
Power stations can use a fossil fuel source (ie non renewable source) of energy to
generate electricity. The traditional fuels that we have used, and are still using
today, are coal, oil, gas.
The power that is generated from wind, wave, tidal and hydro power stations are
classed as renewable energy, but there are others. No fuel source is required but
they need something to turn the turbine eg. wind or water. These are naturally
recurring resources and Scotland has the potential to become a world leader in
this area of power generation. These power stations have a ‘low carbon
footprint’.
Carbon Footprint
These gases are created from the process of using fuel to generate electricity,
although a large proportion also comes from transport.
The United Kingdom carbon emissions are measured by the following units:
Coal
Gas
Oil
Nuclear
© James King
The above diagram shows that coal has the highest carbon footprint and nuclear
has the lowest.
The efficiency of a power station is directly related to the amount of energy (the
fuel) you put in, compared to the amount of energy you get out, eg. some of the
energy in the fuel is wasted.
Energy is lost in the form of ‘heat’ from power stations and from homes in the form
of hot air and gases, which will go up chimneys eg. if you burn coal in a fire, about
60% of the energy will go up the chimney – which is low energy efficiency. This
means you are only getting about 40% of the heat.
Power stations that burn fossil fuel have large cooling towers. This is because
warm water is produced during the burning of fuel and carried away. This is waste
– and makes the power station less efficient. The efficiency of this type of power
station can range between 30-40%.
One solution to this is to modify the power station and use the waste hot water
for the purpose of heating and the name given to this modified power station is
a Combined Heat and Power System (CHP). This will take the efficiency back
up to around 70%.
Fossil Fuel, Grid and Home Energy Losses – energy lost means lower
efficiency
Conversion process
Energy lost during delivery eg. lost volts over long distances
The actual energy used is what the consumers use in their homes or businesses.
The consumers of electricity must pay their supply company for what they use.
We pay our electricity bills to the electricity suppliers based on a measurement of
energy called ‘Kilowatt-hour’ (KWh).
So:
We are charged an amount of money for every KWh of electricity we use in our
homes. This amount of money charged per KWh is called a tariff.
Our tariffs can be increased or decreased by the electricity suppliers eg. when
there is an oil or coal crisis or shortage, then prices will increase eg. during the
miners strike in 1974 or during the Gulf war.
The tariffs will vary depending on the type of consumer. Industrial and domestic
consumers are charged at different rates.
Consumers can ask the electricity suppliers for specific tariffs. For example, a
customer can ask for their electricity to be supplied on a ‘green tariff’. This green
tariff means that the electricity supplied to you is from a renewable electricity
source such as a wind farm.
Each consumer is provided with an electricity meter that measures the amount of
electricity you use. We all have one in our homes.
© James King
Example:
If the hourly energy consumption for a person living in a small flat was 7.2 mega-
joules, how many units of electricity would they consume in terms of standard
electricity units (KWh)?
Hence you would be charged for 2 units of electricity, so if the tariff was 10 pence
per KWh then the person would be charged a total of 20 pence for one hour’s
electricity use.
Energy Consumption
Activity 1
The two statements below are from different sources and are believed to be true,
so why do you think the energy consumption figures are so different?
• Today in the UK it is estimated that the average home in the UK currently uses
3300 KWh of electricity each year.
Energy Consumption
In the UK in the 1920s, the estimated average consumption of electricity for each
person for one year was around 105KWh - 115KWh.
For the same period in the USA the average consumption was around 850KWh -
950KWh.
Activity 2
The USA consumption was higher than the UK, what does this suggest to you?
Activity 3
In the UK we use a lot more electricity today than was used in the UK in the
1920s. Why has this increased significantly?
Discuss this in groups and come up with three significant reasons why this is the
case.
Compare and discuss your group results with the other groups in the class.
The USA became the largest industrial nation in the world in the 1920s – so they
used a lot of energy back then. America’s grid and generating capacity was more
developed than ours so they could supply more consumers.
In the UK in the 1920s many people did not have electricity and used coal fires as
their main form of heating and in many cases for cooking. It is very unhealthy to
be in a smoky atmosphere for most of your life eg. it can cause severe breathing
difficulties and cause permanent damage to your lungs.
Much of the electricity supply before 1926 came from private generating stations.
Many of those supplied DC (direct current), which we do not require in our homes
today.
We now use AC, alternating current. Although the term alternating ‘current’ is
used, in fact it is the generation of an alternating voltage that produces the
required current.
In today’s homes the main form of heating is by electricity, gas and oil.
There are a huge number of electrical gadgets and domestic appliances on the
market that we take for granted today but which weren’t available in the 1920s eg.
televisions, washing machines, music systems, and many more.
Energy Consumption
400
350
300
50
0
2006 2020
The histogram shows Energy use in billion Kilowatt hours for the UK for 2006.
(Note: Hydro Power is not included in the above figures)
Activity 4
For the 2006 figures calculate the percentage that each category of energy
contributed to the overall UK electricity demand.
Activity 5
The government target for the decade from 2020 - 2030 is to get supplies from
renewable sources – this is anywhere between 40% - 60%. An energy calculator
can be found at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/electricity_calc/html/1.stm
Distribution of Electricity
The photograph above shows the electricity supply running along the side of a
road on the remote Isle of Lewis, Scotland. These pylons are smaller than the
large metal pylon structures we see around mainland Scotland and the poles are
made from timber.
Telephone lines also use these timber pylons for telecommunications; known as
telegraph poles, so don’t get confused with their use. The electricity poles are
more obvious as they have large insulators.
At one time electricity was not available on many of our remote islands and as we
built more power stations and developed our grid we were able to supply more
areas of our country.
Power Stations
Oil Fired Power Stations
Let’s examine three types of power station:
• oil fired
• gas fired
• coal fired.
These power stations are not always located close to the fuel source and many of
them are often close to the sea or a water source, as the following example
shows.
The first oil-fired power station in Scotland was Inverkip power station, near
Greenock which is located on the shores of the River Clyde.
The tall chimney, sometimes known as a stack or flue, is 700 feet tall (213m).
The power station’s main source of fuel was oil but oil became very expensive, so
this power station has not been used for some time now. The last time it was in
operation was during the miner’s strike in the 1980s. The miner’s strike caused a
shortage of coal so this reduced the production of electricity at ‘coal’ fired power
stations.
Burning oil
An alternator is connected to the turbine and this alternator rotates and generates
what is known as AC - alternating current.
• It is not renewable
• Contributes to the depletion of oil reserves
• The high cost of purchasing oil and price fluctuations
• Oil has become more expensive, so oil-fired stations are not a feasible option
in today’s market
• Oil has a high carbon footprint
• Waste gases are given off
• It takes up a very large area of land which is a scarce resource - causing
problems for wildlife eg. animals that used to live there.
• Large pipelines are required and these have an impact on the land. If the oil is
not piped to the station, then easy access for large lorries will be required.
• Large chimneys or flues are unsightly and give off noxious fumes and gases
• During times of oil shortages, the generating capacity may be affected
• Large pylons are needed to carry overhead power lines for distribution of the
electricity away from the power station and these are unsightly.
• If people have houses near the power lines or pylons then they may be subject
to electromagnetic radiation emissions. Large voltages and currents give off
large electromagnetic fields. At the moment there is no conclusive proof that
this can cause cancer, but studies are ongoing.
The smoke you see leaving the cooling towers, as in the above photograph of
Ferrybridge Power Station in South Yorkshire, is waste. It is a mixture of hot air
and gases.
Fife at one time was a huge supplier of coal as it had many coal mines, however
many of them are now closed. The coal has to be purchased from alternative
sources such as Eastern Europe and it can be very expensive to import coal
supplies.
Around 6.2 billion tonnes of coal is consumed each year globally and the price of
coal in today’s market (2008) is around £65 per tonne. Australia is one of the
world’s largest producers of coal producing around 231million tonnes per year.
Coal is burned
Gas is burned
Activity 6
Using the Internet, find locations in the United Kingdom where you may find the
following types of power station:
• Coal-fired
• Oil burning
• Gas-fired
When you find a power station location mark it on a map of the United Kingdom
using a colour coded system to identify the types eg. black for coal; yellow for gas
and brown for oil.
Nuclear energy is a special case in that it uses very little uranium compared to the
massive amounts of coal required for coal fired stations. Therefore nuclear power
has a relatively low impact on the environment and has been classed as having a
‘low carbon footprint’.
Although nuclear power stations have a ‘low carbon footprint’ they fall into the
category of ‘non-renewable’ because they use the natural resource uranium,
which is mined from deep underground and will eventually run out.
Activity 7
By using the Internet, or alternative resources, find the locations of the nuclear
power stations in the United Kingdom. When you find each location add these to
your map, remembering to colour code them eg. marking them in ‘red’
Dounreay
Until the 1950s, Dounreay was an area of grazing land on the remote Northern
coast of Scotland, known only for the presence of a 16th century ruined castle,
a farm and a World War 2 aerodrome that had never become operational.
In 1954, the UK government selected it as the location for the national centre
for research and development of fast breeder reactors, a new type of atomic
energy. Fast reactors were thought to have good potential for electricity
generation as they made more efficient use of uranium fuel – effectively
breeding more fuel than they consumed. This was important with the scarcity
of uranium at the time.
Dounreay proved that fast reactors could work. It also demonstrated that
plutonium could be recycled by reprocessing it efficiently and economically. But by
the late 1980s uranium was no longer in short supply, and the UK government
decided that fast reactors would not be needed for commercial electricity
generation. Funding for the Dounreay research programme ceased and the last
reactor shut down in 1994. The term used to describe the dismantling of the
buildings is called ‘decommissioning’.
Restoring the 140-acre Dounreay site on the North coast of Scotland is one of the
most complex nuclear decommissioning tasks in the world. The site’s history in
fast reactor and fuel cycle development presents significant decommissioning
challenges.
The tag of ‘low carbon footprint’ does not include decommissioning costs, which
involves dismantling the buildings and reactors.
There are safety issues to consider with nuclear power generation. There is
always the possibility of a major accident eg. Chernobyl in Russia.
Secondly, the ‘waste’ that is produced from the nuclear power station is
contaminated with ‘radioactivity’. This contaminated waste cannot be destroyed or
treated.
Reference: http://www.nda.gov.uk/sites/sellafield/
Nuclear industry experts have considered many options for the disposal and the
storage of this radioactive waste. Two such ideas included burying the waste in
the Polar icecaps and the other was to send it into space. Both of these options
have not been taken up (not surprisingly!).
The favoured method is to seal the waste within a concrete container and then
bury the container in deep shafts underground. This will allow the radioactivity to
fade away, but this can take many hundreds or thousands of years. The factor
that determines how fast the radioactivity levels fade away is called the half-life.
Like many industrial sites, power stations come to the end of their useful life and
nuclear power plants also face a technical challenge in this respect. The
decommissioning of Dounreay Nuclear Power Station in Caithness will take many
years to complete and cost billions of pounds.
This is because you cannot simply use a bulldozer to knock it down; it has to be
taken apart bit by bit. As radioactivity was present in the reactor building it means
that the structure has also been contaminated. So any dismantled part of the
building will then have to be treated as radioactive waste.
It has been suggested that workers in nuclear power stations are the healthiest
workers in any industry. The reason for this claim is that nuclear workers have
personal radioactive monitors which are worn at all times. Regular stringent
medical tests are also a requirement so any change in workers’ health will be
immediately detected and treated.
Many years ago it was thought that nuclear energy was the answer to our energy
needs. Sir Anthony Wedgewood Benn, Energy minister at the time (1975) implied
that we may eventually get free energy. This has not turned out to be the case.
Some nuclear power stations are being de-commissioned but plans are being put
in place in England to build more modern nuclear power energy.
In Scotland the government is currently not planning any more nuclear power
stations.
• Low carbon footprint – but this does not include the de-commissioning costs
• Cheaper than some other forms of electricity generation
• Much more reliable than wind, solar or wave power
• Can increase to full power very quickly unlike some other power stations
• Electricity can be generated constantly
• Considerable employment is provided during its construction phase
• Some employment is provided for ongoing maintenance and running
Activity 8
Find out the approximate percentage of the UK energy market that was supplied
by each of the fuels (nuclear, gas, oil, coal). Record this on a ‘pie’ chart or
‘histogram’ or a ‘table’. Choose any year from 1950 – 2007
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46983.pdf
page 24 ‘Energy supplied by fuel type1980 to 2007’
Activity 9
Determine the approximate percentage for Scotland that was supplied by each of
these fuels. Record this on a ‘pie’ chart or ‘histogram’ or a ‘table’. Choose any
year from 2000 – 2007.
Activity 10
Today, we are faced with massive price increases in domestic electricity and gas
from energy providers. Investigate steps you could take to reduce energy
consumption in your home and how the government can help improve electricity
supplies.
Hydro Power
Station at
Pitlochry,
Perthshire
The hydro station at Pitlochry has turned into a major visitor attraction where
visitors can see salmon leaping up and down a ‘fish ladder’ or ‘fish pass’ which
serves the purpose of allowing the fish to pass up and down the river for
spawning. This has been an environmental success for salmon.
Activity 11
Group exercise
Find the locations of 4 hydro power stations in Scotland and add these to your
map in blue. Write a brief summary of the background of each hydro power
scheme and present this to the class.
Activity 12
Find the maximum operating capacity of one of the hydro power stations, that is,
the maximum output power it can generate.
Choosing a site
Before a suitable site can be chosen there are many factors that have to be
considered eg technical factors, environmental preservation issues and
community amenities.
Civil engineers need to make careful calculations to work out how much electrical
energy can be generated. This depends on the flow/quantity of water, and the
height from which it has fallen (the head). The higher the head, and the larger the
flow, the more electricity can be generated. A simplified equation is:
Civil engineers and designers can build four types of hydro scheme. First they
need to consider the topography and geology of an area. This means
1. Run of river scheme (eg. used at the falls of the river Clyde)
The run of river scheme only requires minimal water storage, therefore no dam is
required. The power output is determined by the amount of river flow. A barrage or
weir is built across the river to increase the volume of water which can be passed
through the turbines.
Large volumes of water are stored behind a dam and this also provides a high
head of water to drive the turbines. Damming a broad river may not be
economically justifiable, but deep glaciated Highland valleys can be suitable.
This utilises high catchment areas, usually flat plains that are high up in a valley.
Using a network of tunnels and pipelines specially designed to withstand high
water pressure, it delivers the water to the turbines by the shortest and steepest
routes.
Pumped storage schemes do away with the need for a large dam, although a
smaller dam is used. These schemes have two reservoirs and reversible turbines
that are used to pump the water back up to the upper reservoir during times of low
demand eg. at night. One problem with pumped storage power stations is that
they are not self sufficient as they require an external source of power for the
pumps.
Turbines
Turbines are used in all power stations. A turbine is the part of the machinery that
rotates as a result of water power, in the case of hydro, and there are a number of
designs available.
A Kaplan Turbine
Image courtesy of Voith-Siemens
An alternator is connected to the turbine and this alternator rotates and generates
what is known as AC - alternating current.
A sinusoidal AC waveform
Image courtesy of RS Components
Hydro power stations can cope better with ‘peak load’ demands than thermal
power stations. Extra power can be turned on and off very easily.
Peak load demand is when the consumers increase their demand at the same
time eg. at meal times or when everybody switches their kettles on during a
commercial break on the TV coverage of major events.
Activity 13
Why has the importance of hydro power risen so dramatically in the last 50 years
or so?
Hydro power provides around 25% of the world’s electricity and China is now
leading the way in building new hydro plants.
The above diagram shows some of the largest hydro plants throughout the world.
The ‘blue’ symbols represent water turbines, which are one of the main parts of
the hydro generating process.
Although the building of power stations came to a halt around the 1970s, more
recent governments have again given the go ahead. In 2003 the most recent
hydro plant was built at Glendoe in Scotland. This was the first large scale hydro
scheme to be built for around 40 years.
Further details about the scheme are available on the project website:
http://www.glendoe.co.uk/
As with all large building projects, construction of the scheme did affect the
landscape. This happened mostly at the time of construction.
Large temporary buildings form a camp where the workers lived during
construction of the power station.
Image courtesy of Scottish and Southern Energy
The camp itself is large, as shown in the above picture. You can see it does affect
the landscape. These camps are normally temporary and can be removed easily
and the land returned to near its original condition.
With all the main components of the hydro scheme being underground, the dam
and reservoir are the main structures that will be visible. However, they cannot be
seen from any home or public road and around the reservoir is used only for
sporting purposes and is not particularly popular with hillwalkers.
• It uses a renewable source which occurs naturally ie. water from rainfall
• No carbon emissions
• Once the dam is built, the energy is far cheaper than any other renewable
source
• Minimal waste or pollution produced
• Much more reliable than wind, solar or wave power
• Water can be stored above the dam to cope with peaks in demand
• Hydro-electric power stations can increase to full power very quickly unlike
other power stations
• Electricity can be generated constantly
• It provides large scale employment during its construction
• It provides some employment for maintenance and running
• The local community can benefit from increased business
• They are generally well hidden from the public.
• A new habitat can be created by the building of new reservoirs
• Dams can also be used for flood control or to irrigate land, so building costs
can be shared
• Scotland has an ideal landscape to build more hydro stations
• Can help promote tourism - Pitlochry power station has turned into a visitor
attraction as the designers of the scheme built in a ‘salmon leap’, where you
can watch salmon. This is called a fish pass or fish ladder.
The photo above shows a large metal structure called a ‘pylon’ which is one of
the main parts of the gird network for carrying high voltage cables.
Pylons do vary in size. In general we can say the higher the voltage then the
larger the pylon. Therefore smaller pylons are used for lower grid voltages. Many
people regard pylons as unsightly and don’t want them near their homes. This
attitude is sometimes known as ‘Nimby’ (Not in my back yard).
Before 1926 electricity in the UK was produced by private generating stations and
there was no standardisation as they were located to supply particular districts.
This meant there were variations in the voltage, current and frequency.
In 1926 Electricity (Supply) Act established the National Grid and provided
standardisation across the country. This gave us the domestic standard we
operate today eg. AC 240 volts, 50 Hertz.
The national grid now means that all power stations are linked in a large
network which feeds into the grid.
The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was set up in 1947 and took
over all electricity generation. This meant that it now owned and operated the grid,
and controlled the operation of all power stations. In the UK today the national
grid network consists of many operators and companies. They can be split into the
following categories:
• Generators - responsible for generating the energy we use in our homes and
businesses. Generated electricity flows into the national transmission network
and through to the regional distribution networks.
• Distributors - are the owners and operators of the network of towers and
cables that bring electricity from the National Transmission Network to homes
and businesses. Even so, they are not the organisations that sell electricity to
the end consumer. This is carried out by organisations that make use of the
distribution networks to pass the energy commodity to your property - the
suppliers.
• Suppliers - are the companies who supply and sell electricity to the consumer.
The suppliers are the first point of contact when arranging an electricity supply
to domestic, commercial and smaller industrial premises.
One part of the grid is a network of overhead power cables attached to metal
structures called pylons. There is also a network of cables that are buried
underground. These distribute the electricity across the country at very high
voltages because this reduces losses during transmission.
There are also underwater cables buried in deep seabed trenches, which are
connected from Dungeness on the southern tip of Kent in England to Les
Mandarins on the French coast. This is called the cross-channel DC link. This
means we can ‘sell’ electricity to France or we can ‘buy’ electricity from France.
When the national grid was established the transmission voltage was 132,000
volts (132KV). As the grid developed a new ‘super-grid’ was superimposed on to
the existing grid.
This new super-grid introduced much higher voltages of 275,000 V (275KV) and
400,000V (400KV) which now form the main trunk route to transfer ‘bulk’ power.
The high voltage overhead cables are made from aluminium on the inner core
with an outer layer of steel armoured wire covering them which takes the strain.
The aluminium is the conductor, which is instead of copper. No outer insulation is
required.
The distance and height of the pylons that hold the overhead cables is carefully
calculated to take the weight and strain of the heavy cables. During the winter
layers of ice can form on the outer steel wire and this adds more strain. Therefore
a wide variety of cable specifications are available to meet the demands for large
alternating currents, and different climates and types of terrain will affect the
layout and design of the power lines.
Activity 14
The diagram below shows the steps involved in reducing the voltage from a very
high voltage down to the voltage we use in our homes.
The picture above shows a maintenance trolley that can travel along power lines.
Such trolleys can carry a number of people to perform maintenance work. The
large cooling towers of a thermal power station are shown in the background.
Activity 15
Now watch maintenance being performed on high voltage power lines at:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3q9WdjD5wc&feature=related
The grid moves electricity towards the consumers. It ensures that in principle any
consumer can be supplied from any power station.
Substations
Substations are an integral part of the grid and it could not work without them.
Substations vary in size and operate at different voltages and can take up a large
or small area of land depending on the size of the voltage present.
Large substations for very high voltages would be located very near to a power
station. Smaller substations operating at much lower voltages can be seen along
the roadside especially in urban areas. There are thousands of small sub-stations
throughout the United Kingdom.
Transformers
High voltage transformers can be very large and if you listen carefully you will
hear a ‘hum’ coming from them.
Hundreds of transformers are connected all along the grid to step the voltage
down in a gradual fashion. They vary in size and shape with some being the
shape of a barrel and others square.
A large transformer
Access is denied to the public as the high currents and voltages of the
transformer are dangerous.
Activity 16
Busbars
Busbars are made from lengths of copper bar and take the place of cables.
Copper bar is very expensive so busbars are only used where short distances are
needed eg. within the confines of a substation. They are not used to transmit
electricity across the grid.
Busbars are solid and rigid and can be bolted to the transformer and switchgear
so providing better connectivity.
Cables can be blown about by strong winds and cause faults whereas busbars
are not affected by the wind.
If the busbars are very large they can carry far more current than a cable.
They are easily machined and can be drilled and shaped to fit any connection
requirement to switchgear and protection equipment.
Disadvantages of busbars:
• copper is expensive
• copper oxidises when exposed to the air and changes colour
• copper will deteriorate with extremes of weather
The larger the current and voltage is – the more dangerous it is!
The above image shows a current transformer with a busbar passing through it.
This is one method of measuring the current leaving a power station substation.
Switchgear
Switchgear is an electrical switch that opens or closes a circuit and is also known
as a circuit breaker. When high voltage circuit breakers open a circuit with a large
current passing, it causes a large ‘arc’ to occur. These arcs look very similar to
lightning strikes but they are contained in the circuit breaker by a protective shield
called an ‘arc chute’.
Switchgear also offers protection to circuits as they will open the circuit under fault
conditions.
A circuit breaker
A small circuit breaker is shown above. The larger the voltage and current the
larger will be the circuit breaker.
The image above shows a consumer unit, which is an item of ‘switchgear and
protection’, used in homes to protect consumers. It shows a row of small circuit
breakers for protection in the event of a fault.
Protection
Circuit breakers are preferable to fuses as they are more efficient and safer,
although it is still very common to find fuses in many installations.
When higher voltages and currents are used then the fuse size needs to be much
larger. When a fuse blows you have to discard it, but when a circuit breaker trips
you can reset the switch.
A household fuse
The image above shows a fuse as is used in household plugs. This fuse gives a
form of protection; it breaks the circuit when the fuse blows. This fuse is suitable
for 240 volt and a fault current of 3 amperes. Fuses are being gradually replaced
by miniature circuit breakers and residual current devices as a means of electrical
fault protection in homes.
More research, development and investment should be made to install and design
renewable forms of electricity to replace fossil burning power stations.
• wind
• wave
• tidal
• hydro
• solar
“Efficiency itself is no concern when the gods pay for the waves” (Ross, 1995).
– In other words, there are virtually no fuel costs.
Micro-renewable energy sources will become more popular eg. PV solar, hydro,
wind. This means that you could have your very own wind turbine attached to your
house or nearby to generate your own electricity.
It’s also important to reduce demand for electricity in the future. This means
simple things like: using energy saving light bulbs, better insulation in houses and
buildings, double glazing, standby modes on electrical products and switching off
when not in use.
‘Smart’ meters will help raise awareness and in turn reduce energy use.
(eg.
http://www.bettergeneration.co.uk/ideas-for-saving-energy/smart-electricity-
meters.html
http://www.energywatch.org.uk/uploads/Smart_meters.pdf )
Activity 17
Group Exercise:
You are in the government planning department for energy and your group has to
come up with the most suitable new power generating system for Scotland.
Discuss the major advantages and disadvantages of each of the following types of
power generation and then present your case to the class.
• Coal-fired
• Nuclear
• Hydro
• All other renewables
Glossary of Terms
You can add to this list as you come across new terms. It should be filled in as
part of your investigation. Some have been listed as a starting point.
Term Meaning
Alternator An electric generator that produces alternating
voltage and current
Amperes The electric unit of current
Arc A luminous electrical discharge between two
electrodes or other points
Busbar A copper bar that conducts electricity
COx Carbon content in gases
DC Direct current
FGD Flue Gas Desulphurisation
GW 1,000,000 mega watts of power
Hertz Unit of frequency
MW Mega watt is 1 million watts of power
Nimby Not in my back yard
NOx Nitride content in gases
Nuclear Uses an atomic reaction to create power
Protection Electrical apparatus that protects electrical circuits
and people from fault currents and voltages
SOx Sulphur content in gases
Appendix
Appendix 1: Extension Activity
This exercise should give you practice in the technical aspects of a job interview
where you may be interviewed by a small group of people.
The group will consist of 5 people. 4 students will be the interviewers and the 5th
student will be the person being interviewed.
This will involve all 5 students ‘investigating’ aspects of the ‘key’ issues for the
energy sector. Suggested topics are:
• hydro
• renewable energy
o wind
o wave
o tidal
• nuclear power
As a result of this, the students will accumulate a bank of interview questions and
possible answers.
All five students will rotate their roles such that everybody gets an opportunity to
be the interviewee.
The interview should be formal and be realistic like a real life situation eg. the
student would be expected to make a 5-10 minute presentation to the
interviewers.
This is an opportunity to develop some key aspects of the energy units including:
• seeking information
• peer evaluation
• presentation skills
• portfolio collation