Thursday, February 1, 2018
02:00 - 04:00; 120 min. -
AP Environmental Science:
Energy usage -
Chase and I tracked how energy moves through a system. We discussed how fossil fuels are used for different purposes. We explored how coal is collected and what happens after it is mined. Using the cogeneration of energy from coal, it became obvious that the kilowatts generated by a power plant need to be tempered by the energy expended in the collection process. Chase was tasked with calculating the amount of energy (megawatts) the average power plant produces, when working at capacity. She also determined the number of households that could be serviced by the plant, (households using 900 kilowatt hours per month). We worked together to figure out how many plants would be needed to supply Palm Beach County households (not including businesses, industry or recreational buildings). Chase determined how many power plants would be needed to provide energy for households in Miami. We repeated the process, for households that run air conditioners around the clock, and have a higher average of energy use. Chase was asked to consider what 'working at capacity' means in this case, and if the energy we used to in our considerations, was realistic. Homework: Chapter 12, module 36.