Bringing Power Technologies into
High School Classrooms: First Steps
Author: Joe Foy, West High School
RET Project Supported by National Science Foundation and
Department of Energy Grant No. 1041877
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
Early interest in STEM topics and
applications is particularly important as an
influence in future career plans.
“Preparing the Next Generation of STEM innovators” (NSB
10-33)
1-2
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
Educator preparation will enhance the
learning infrastructure support system for
students
“Preparing the Next Generation of STEM innovators” (NSB
10-33)
1-3
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• First steps


Continue learning the technologies of power
generation, transmission, and distribution.
Learn renewable energy sources
 Wind
 Solar
 Open ocean (OTEC)
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• First steps (continued)


Acquire basic understanding of Matlab,
discover how it can be used to assist lesson
development and presentation
Use Matlab to explore wind characteristics for
selected sites in Pacific Northwest
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• First steps (continued)

Scale the effort: move awareness of power
technologies into mathematics classrooms
 Develop four application worksheets, correlated to
state (Tennessee) Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 Course
Level Expectations (CLEs) and State Performance
Indicators (SPIs)
 Develop matrix of RC circuit values which can be
used in Algebra 2 and Precalculus courses, during
study of exponential functions
1-6
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Four application problems


How Big a Battery is needed to store 10 hours
of 900 MWatts of Power?
Answer:
 26, 650 m3 (941,000 ft3)
 59,800 tons
 $11.1 billion
 (545,000 new Chevy Volts, assuming 100%
discharge)
 (180,000 of the cabinets behind EPRI)
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• “How big a battery” problem:

Excellent reference for other analysis, in other
courses
 Economics: impact of EV penetration on power
generation
 Environmental: impact of reduced transportation
emissions on pollution
 (others….)
 (I will pursue this, this year at West High)
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Second application problem


How much coal is needed to generate 900
MWatts of power?
Answer:
 7,400 tons per day
 2.7 million tons per year
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Third application problem


How much U-235 is needed to generate 900
MWatts of power?
Answer:
 1.33 tons per year
1-10
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• “How much U-235” problem:

Also an excellent reference for other analysis,
in other courses
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Fourth application problem


What is the difference in transmitting at
161,000 volts vs. 13,200 volts?
Answer:
 Line losses of 13,200 V transmission for KUB peak
demand are more than 97% of a 900 MWatt
(output) generation station
 Line losses at 161,000 V are 22%
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Initial programming in Matlab


RC circuit simulation
Available wind power analysis
1-13
Matlab RC Circuit Code and Output Plots
t = 0:.002:.2; %t is a vector from 0 to .01 in steps of .0001
%Use a loop to evaluate the voltage and current equations
Rin = input('Enter resistance value(ohms): ');
CinuF = input('Enter capacitance value (microfarads):');
Cin = CinuF*1e-6;
for i=1:length(t);
low= -0.4;
high = 0.4;
rval=low+(high-low)*rand;
vc(i) = 12*(1-exp(-t(i)/(Rin*Cin)))+rval;
ic(i) = 12*exp(-t(i)/(Rin*Cin))+rval;
end
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Matlab generated output file
xlswrite('C:\Joe\AP Physics\CURENT\RET\RC_data',Time,'Sheet1','A3');
xlswrite('C:\Joe\AP Physics\CURENT\RET\RC_data',Volts,'Sheet1','B3');
xlswrite('C:\Joe\AP Physics\CURENT\RET\RC_data',Current,'Sheet1','C3');
Excel output file, input to TIConnect software
1-15
TI Connect (free PC software)
TI84
1-16
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Initial programming in Matlab


RC circuit simulation
Available wind power analysis
1-17
Matlab as a wind analysis tool
Increasing
altitude
• Generalizations:


Wind has higher velocity at higher elevations
Wind has higher velocity early in the night
1-18
Matlab as a wind analysis tool
• Generalizations:

Wind velocity is not as high in the summer
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Matlab as a wind analysis tool
• Generalizations:

Wind velocity is high in late fall
1-20
Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• 2012 – 2013 Curriculum:


Purchased materials for rotational motion
physics lab, a version of which may be taught
in upper level math classes
Identified materials for a renewable energy
(wind) physics lab
 Laser phototach (purchased)
 Anemometer
 Voltage probe
 (subsets of lab could also be math activities)
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• The Educator as a Student



Continued study of wind power texts (2)
Continued study of renewable energy text
Reviewed Executive summary of the
Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent
Investigation Commission (released 5 July)
 “It was a profoundly man-made disaster that could
and should have been foreseen and prevented. Its
effects could have been mitigated by a more
effective human response”…. Message from the
chairman of the commission
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
• Next Steps include




Continue learning power generation,
transmission, and distribution technologies
Use renewable energy (wind) lab in physics
and math courses
Develop PV solar lab for use in physics and
math courses
Submit AP Physics-C (Mechanics) syllabus to
regulating organization, the syllabus identifies
several renewable energy labs and
connections (submitted 13 July 2012)
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Bringing Power Technologies into High
School Classrooms
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