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Science · Grade 12

Energy Resources and Tradeoffs

Learners trace fossil, nuclear and renewable energy back to its origins and follow the conversions to electricity. They calculate efficiencies of devices and whole energy chains, separate power from energy, and use capacity factors to turn a plant's rating into realistic annual output. With life-cycle emissions intensities they compare sources fairly, and they finish by analysing multi-criteria tradeoffs: removing dominated options, weighting criteria and testing whether a ranking survives a change in priorities.

  • 5 lessons
  • About 120 minutes
  • Energy resources check: 11 questions
  • Ways to answer: balance equations, choose an answer, estimate, draw a graph, highlight a text and match pairs
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What learners will discover

  • Classify energy sources as fossil, nuclear or renewable by their origin, and trace the energy conversions from a primary source to delivered electricity or fuel.
  • Calculate the efficiency of single devices and of multi-stage energy chains (the product of stage efficiencies), and explain where the 'lost' energy goes.
  • Distinguish power from energy, and calculate capacity factor and annual energy output (MWh) from a plant's rated capacity.
  • Use life-cycle emissions intensities (g CO~2~e per kWh) to compare sources and calculate emissions from electricity generation and use.
  • Analyse tradeoffs among energy options across several criteria, identifying dominated options and testing how a ranking changes with different priorities.

Lessons

  1. Where energy comes from 7 steps5 practiceabout 22 min
  2. Efficiency and energy chains 8 steps5 practiceabout 24 min
  3. Power, energy and capacity factor 8 steps5 practiceabout 24 min
  4. Life-cycle emissions 8 steps5 practiceabout 24 min
  5. Tradeoffs without a single winner 7 steps4 practiceabout 26 min
  6. Energy resources check 11 questions at the end

Keep exploring

More 12th grade science

Guide for grown-ups