SOLAR
ENERGY
Solar Energy, Kit #7:
Teaching About Energy Efficiency and the Grid
INSTITUTE FOR SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP
PARC
Contents:
Introduction: What is “the Grid?”
Understanding the Grid – Infographic
Lab Protocol:
Building the Grid
Lab Analysis
Explain:
Top 9 Things You Didn’t Know About America’s Power Grid
Elaborate:
Examining Ways of Using Technology to Reduce Household
Energy Consumption (PBS)
STEM Connection:
Energy Usage and the Smart Grid
Extension:
Off the Grid (Using Renewable Energy Sources)
Photos of Kit Components
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Introduction: What is “The Grid?”
The power distribution grid, or “the grid,” is the system that allows power to travel from the
power plant to your house. Most of us don’t even think about electrical power until it’s gone,
like in a power outage caused by St. Louis regions tornados! Power is just there, meeting your
every need, constantly.
The grid is a complex network of power plants and millions of miles of transmission and
distribution lines that delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers. The grid is quite public
and many of us can see the transmission lines and transformers that are right out in the open
(see image below).
Although the technology that delivers electricity has hardly changed over the past 100 years,
the stresses on the grid have multiplied due to increased population and the increase of
gadgets. In this series of lessons you will learn more about how the grid works, what stresses
are placed on the grid, new technologies for improving energy efficiency and about how people
are learning to live “off the grid.”
To read more:
• How Stuff Works: How Power Grids Work http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/power.htm
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Understanding the Grid
This infographic shows how
electricity is generated,
transmitted and distributed for
use in our homes.
-Graphic by Sarah Gerrity, Energy
Department
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Building the Grid
Objective:
Students will learn how electricity enters our homes and businesses and how areas are
connected to each other and various power sources.
This activity is used in the unit of learning about electric circuits and magnetism.
Directions:
1. Students are shown the grid with just the power source. Batteries may be used as well
as solar panels. Wind turbines may be attached as well. The pre built model turbine
works well here.
2. Students build model homes by cutting out templates.
3. Students wire a light above the door in their home.
4. Students attach their home to the grid to see if the light will turn on.
5. A resistor is placed in the home. Discuss with students why electricity is stepped down
as it enters homes from the power lines. This is also a good time for a discussion on
transformer stations and efficiency.
6. Have students try to attach their homes in a variety of ways to see what works.
7. Have students identify if they are attached in a series circuit or a parallel one and
discuss why.
8. Discuss the energy transformations in the system.
9. Students may write or draw a summary in their science notebooks to help them
remember the grid activity.
10. Leaving the grid up for a few days will also expose them to it for longer as they observe
the world around them and make connections about their own homes and
neighborhoods.
Use Grid system (below) to show an overview of the systems.
Additional documents:
Use the Building the Grid PowerPoint to show how to assemble the homes.
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Lab Analysis
1. Draw a picture of the grid and label it.
2. What is a resistor?
3. Why is energy stepped down before it enters your home?
4. What is one advantage of a series circuit? What is one disadvantage?
5. What is one advantage of a parallel circuit? What is one disadvantage?
6. What energy transformations did you observe in your electricity distribution system?
7. Explain the role of the transformer stations in the grid.
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Explain: Top 9 Things You Didn’t Know About America’s Power Grid
This article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “Top Things You Didn’t Know About…” To
read the article electronically, please visit: http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-aboutamericas-power-grid
9. Ever wonder how electricity gets to your home? It’s delivered through the grid -- a complex
network of power plants and transformers connected by more than 450,000 miles of highvoltage transmission lines. The basic process: Electric power is generated at power plants and
then moved by transmission lines to substations. A local distribution system of smaller, lowervoltage transmission lines moves power from substations to you, the customer. Watch an
animated video on how the grid works
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZjohZPIqE#t=128).
8. Thomas Edison launched the first commercial power grid, The Pearl Street Station, in lower
Manhattan in 1882. The offices of The New York Times, one of Edison’s earliest electricity
customers, reported lighting provided by Pearl Street was “soft, mellow, grateful to the eye.”
7. America’s electric grid is actually comprised of three smaller grids, called interconnections,
that move electricity around the country. The Eastern Interconnection operates in states east of
the Rocky Mountains, The Western Interconnection covers the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky
Mountain states, and the smallest -- the Texas Interconnected system -- covers most of Texas,
as displayed in the map below:
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6. The electric grid is an engineering marvel but its aging infrastructure requires extensive
upgrades to effectively meet the nation’s energy demands. Through the Recovery Act, the
Department invested about $4.5 billion in grid modernization to enhance the reliability of the
nation’s grid. Since 2010, these investments have been used to deploy a wide range of
advanced devices, including more than 10,000 automated capacitors, over 7,000 automated
feeder switches and approximately 15.5 million smart meters. See a map of the Recovery Actfunded Smart Grid Investment Grant and Smart Grid Demonstration projects at smartgrid.gov.
5. What is the distinction between grid reliability and resiliency? A more reliable grid is one with
fewer and shorter power interruptions. A more resilient grid is one better prepared to recover
from adverse events like severe weather.
4. Severe weather is the number one cause of power outages in the United States, costing the
economy between $18 and $33 billion every year in lost output and wages, spoiled inventory,
delayed production and damage to grid infrastructure.
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(Screen Shot 2013-09-20 at 6.43.50 AM)
The number of outages caused by severe weather is expected to rise as climate change
increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Preparing for the challenges
posed by climate change requires investment in 21st century technology that will increase the
resiliency and reliability of the grid.
3. One of the key solutions for a more resilient and reliable grid is synchrophaser technology.
These mailbox-size devices monitor the health of the grid at frequencies not previously possible,
reporting data 30 times per second. This enhanced visibility into grid conditions helps grid
operators identify and respond to deteriorating or abnormal conditions more quickly, reduce
power outages and help with the integration of more renewable sources of energy into the grid.
To date, nearly 900 of these devices have deployed as a result of Recovery Act investments.
2. Microgrids, which are localized grids that are normally connected to the more traditional
electric grid but can disconnect to operate autonomously, are another way in which the
reliability and resiliency of the grid can be improved. Microgrids use advanced smart grid
technologies and the integration of distributed energy resources such as backup generators,
solar panels and storage. Because they can operate independently of the grid during outages,
microgrids are typically used to provide reliable power during extreme weather events. As part
of the Obama Administration’s commitment to rebuild communities affected by Superstorm
Sandy, the Department is partnering with the State of New Jersey and other organizations to
examine the use of microgrids to help keep the power on during future extreme weather
events.
1. Since 2010, the Energy Department has invested more than $100 million to advance a
resilient grid infrastructure that can survive a cyber incident while sustaining critical
functions. The Department’s cybersecurity work involves ongoing collaboration with a number
of public and private partners including the Department of Defense, the Department of
Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the intelligence
community, private industry and energy-sector stakeholders. To learn more about efforts to
ensure a resilient and reliable electricity system, visit the Office of Electricity Delivery and
Energy Reliability’s website: http://energy.gov/oe/office-electricity-delivery-and-energyreliability
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Elaborate: Examining Ways of Using Technology to Reduce Household Energy
Consumption
Engage: Watch: What is the smart grid? by Scientific American https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8cM4WfZ_Wg
Work with students through this lesson, lesson 7 from PBS America Revealed, which engages
students in examining their household energy consumptions and proposing innovative solutions
for implementing smart grid technologies to reduce residential energy use.
Materials:
-Smart Grid solutions video
-Reproducible: Smart Homes, Smart Grid
-Lesson 7: SmartGrid located at http://www.pbs.org/america-revealed/teachers/lesson-plan/7/
Questions for Discussion:
1. Why is there so much pressure on the electric grid right now?
2. How can smart grid technology relieve this pressure?
3. Why is it a win-win situation?
4. Draw a graph depicting the relationship between electricity costs and demand.
5. Why is this relationship important?
6. How is technology essential to energy conservation?
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Energy Usage and the Smart Grid
Engage:
Watch the Video on SmartGrid (https://www.youtube.com/embed/JxDcdLIspe0?autoplay=1)
Explore: How much energy do different appliances use?
Use Kill a Watt meters and a variety of household electrical devices to measure energy usage.
-Locate the electric nameplate. Record the stated amount of energy the device uses.
-Plug the appliance into the Kill a Watt meter.
-Record the amount of electricity used when the appliance is off.
-Record the amount of electricity used when the appliance is on.
Explain:
Read the article - http://science.kqed.org/quest/2011/10/07/what-makes-us-conserve-energy6-lessons-from-the-smart-grid/
Elaborate:
Learn about careers related to the Smart Grid technologies. Consider the following questions:
(1) What smart grid careers are there?
(2) What do you need to know to be able to work in the smart grid field?
Explore career websites and the videos below to find out as much information about SmartGrid
jobs. Write down titles of two jobs and brief description of the requirements for this job.
Videos of Smart Grid Jobs
Bloomberg Business. (March 23, 2012). Bernstein sees ‘tens of thousands’ of smart-grid job [video].
Retrieved from YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK5mBMd7lZo
Colorado Leeds.(n.d.). Retooling for renewable energy jobs [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube
At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZl2Z4G5KRQ&feature=related
Dice News. (February 23, 2010). Smart grid rollout promises IT job growth [video]. Retrieved from
YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58k4G40zg_Q
PennFuture. (n.d.). Great green jobs, part 1 [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTvuHBY9cTY&feature=related
PennFuture. (n.d.). Great green jobs, part 2 [video file]. Retrieved from
YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4x4h4pO6Z0&feature=related
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Sample Student Handout:
Resource: http://files.sgcc.gethifi.com/e-learning-center/Smart-Grid-Curriculum-Unit2.pdf
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Evaluate:
1. Which devices use the most energy? What do these devices have in common?
2. What effect do you think phantom loads (energy usage from devices that are “off”) have on
overall energy consumption? What strategies can be employed to decrease this effect?
3. The smart grid is the cutting edge of the energy industry. New smart grid technologies are
being created and implemented on a daily basis. Now it’s time for you to use your imagination:
Given what you’ve learned so far about the smart grid, consider the question:
How will the smart grid change your life or your future career?
Write a journal entry in which you imagine how life or work will change after the smart grid is
ready to go.
Choose an aspect of life, like getting up in the morning, or something you might do differently
at work because of the smart grid and describe it — the possibilities are endless
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Off the Grid (Using Renewable Energy Sources)
Background:
The term off-grid refers to not being connected to a grid, mainly used in terms of not being
connected to the main or national electrical grid. The term off-the-grid (OTG) can refer to
living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities.
Students can take time to learn more about this topic as well as how renewable energy
technologies, which can help people live off the grid, actually work.
Articles:
Thompson, C. (Nov. 27, 2014). Why living off the grid will get a lot easier in 25 years. CNBC.
Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/id/102170511
Vannini, P., & Taggert, J. (Dec. 29, 2014). 10 lessons from living life off the grid. Alternet.
Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/environment/10-lessons-living-life-grid
Woodruff, M. (Jan. 15, 2014). How this family of four lives ‘off the grid’ in the middle of the
desert. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/family-life-off-the-gridabe-connally-vela-creations-144054081.html
Resources:
Lesson: Off the Grid
Students learn and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non-renewable
energy sources. They also learn about our nation's electric power grid and what it means for a
residential home to be "off the grid."
Access lesson:
https://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/cub_/lessons/cub_housing/c
ub_housing_lesson04.xml
PARC Solar Energy, Wind Energy, and Biomass Energy Activities
Students learn about the science behind renewable energy sources
Access lessons:
http://parc.wustl.edu/outreach/instructionalmaterials
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