Exploring the Power Grid of the Future
Provided by: Undecided with Matt Ferrell|Published on: April 27, 2021
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Videos
Subjects: Economics, Engineering
Authors: Undecided with Matt Ferrell
Region: Africa, Europe, Global
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video from Undecided with Matt Ferrell explains and compares the future prospects of powering the world through utility-scale power grids (macrogrids) and small-scale power grids (microgrids or distributed power systems).
- Students will learn about the infrastructure, environmental impacts, technology, cost, and politics that are involved in building and using macrogrids and microgrids.
- The video also explains how British company, Xlinks, plans to build a renewable energy plant in Morocco that will supply eight percent of the United Kingdom's energy needs.
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video highlights the benefits of communities being more self-sufficient and having a more local mindset.
- The video offers many graphics and visuals to support comprehension.
Prerequisites
- This video begins with an advertisement and there is sponsored content in the middle at 4:31-5:20.
- The video discusses complicated electricity costs that might be confusing for students.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Speech and debate clubs or English language arts classes can debate the benefits of macrogrids vs. microgrids.
- Physics classes can use this video after a lesson about resistance, capacitors, and electrical circuits.
- Civics, social studies, and economics classes can research and discuss the political or monetary influence that utility providers and non-renewable energy providers have and how it has shaped current policies and infrastructure.
- Other resources on this topic include this Vox video on the value of microgrids, this video on producing and storing renewable energy, and this interactive map that shows energy infrastructure in the United States.
This resource is a 15-minute video that presents a comprehensive overview of electricity transmission lines on a global scale. Capabilities and challenges with both large-scale macrogrids and small-scale microgrids are discussed, and a specific example of a U.K.-Morocco macrogrid transmission project is described in detail. This resource gets somewhat technical with regards to electricity costs, and so may not be appropriate for younger students. Otherwise, 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.
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