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E&E SW 2021

The energy story of a power plant

Part of the 2021 Summer Workshop:

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Integrating Energy, Equity, and Place �in High School Physics

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Instructor: Rachel E. Scherr, �Assistant Professor of Physics, �University of Washington Bothell

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Purpose of this session

E&E SW 2021

  • Analyze the energy dynamics of a power plant
  • Consider power plant sources and emissions
  • Recognize the sociopolitical origins of the physics energy concept

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This will provide us with:

    • A shared vocabulary for energy in its sociopolitical context
    • Awareness of how physics model of energy is connected to historic and current exploitation of land and people

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Plant Scherer (no relation :)

E&E SW 2021

Largest coal-fired �power production facility �in North America

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Your task:

Create an Energy Tracking Diagram for Plant Scherer.

Breakout rooms

Resources in

session doc

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Plant Scherer (no relation :)

Largest coal-fired �power production facility �in North America

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Your task:

Create an Energy Tracking Diagram for Plant Scherer.

E&E SW 2021

Breakout rooms

Resources in

session doc

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Energy tracking: Backwards and forwards

If you extend your ETD “back” further...

  • Where does the energy in the coal come from?
  • Where does the coal itself come from?

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If you extend your ETD “forward” further...

  • Where does the ash go?
  • Where does the exhaust gas go, and the thermal energy it carries?

E&E SW 2021

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Plant Scherer: Sources and emissions

E&E SW 2021

The energy in the coal comes from:

Land. And before that, the sun.

The coal itself comes from:

The Powder River Basin in Wyoming. �40% of the coal used in the US is from there.

The ash goes:

Into an ash pond on the premises.

The exhaust goes:

Into the atmosphere.

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Plant Scherer: Sources and emissions

Your task:

Research associations between Plant Scherer and �historic or current exploitation of land and people.

E&E SW 2021

Breakout rooms

  • Guiding questions in session doc
  • Each group has a designated space in the session doc for notes - so you can jointly record what you are learning, and see what other groups are learning

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Lives lost due to carbon emissions

US Energy Information Administration: Plant Scherer emits ~16 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.

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Each metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted now is projected to result in 0.000226 excess deaths through the year 2100.

due to effects of ambient heat, atmospheric changes, disease patterns, flooding, and effects on food supply

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For each year that this facility continues to operate, the carbon it emits will likely result in about 3600 excess deaths worldwide by the year 2100. This single facility is causing the deaths of about 10 people per day.

E&E SW 2021

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Energy production is sociopolitical

  • The research that you conducted shows associations between energy production and historic and current exploitation of land and people: land theft and abuse, pollution, labor exploitation, etc.

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  • The energy concept itself might seem to be above all that.

E&E SW 2021

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The energy concept is sociopolitical

The following video is a work in progress – we want your feedback!

E&E SW 2021

Bullet points in session doc

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Efficiency is sociopolitical

E&E SW 2021

The following video is even more of a work in progress – again, we want your feedback.

Bullet points in session doc

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The energy story of a power plant

E&E SW 2021

Now you can:

  • Analyze the energy dynamics of a power plant
  • Consider power plant sources and emissions
  • Recognize the sociopolitical origins of the physics energy concept