Great Energy Debate
Students evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the major energy sources in an innovative debate format.
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The mission of The NEED Project is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating e ective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs.
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Energy Data Used in NEED Materials
NEED believes in providing teachers and students with the most recently reported, available, and accurate energy data. Most statistics and data contained within this guide are derived from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Data is compiled and updated annually where available. Where annual updates are not available, the most current, complete data year available at the time of updates is accessed and printed in NEED materials. To further research energy data, visit the EIA website at www.eia.gov.
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Standards Correlation Information
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Next Generation Science Standards
This guide effectively supports many Next Generation Science Standards. This material can satisfy performance expectations, science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cross cutting concepts within your required curriculum. For more details on these correlations, please visit NEED’s curriculum correlations website.
Common Core State Standards
This guide has been correlated to the Common Core State Standards in both language arts and mathematics. These correlations are broken down by grade level and guide title, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the NEED curriculum correlations website.
Individual State Science Standards
This guide has been correlated to each state’s individual science standards. These correlations are broken down by grade level and guide title, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the NEED website.
e Teacher Guide
& Background
In Great Energy Debate, student teams learn about all of the energy sources, then are assigned to represent one specific energy source. Working cooperatively, students develop arguments on the merits of their source over the others.
Objective
Students will be able to list and identify the economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages of the major energy sources.
Concepts
We use ten major sources of energy in the United States.
Some energy sources are nonrenewable; others are renewable.
Energy is used for transportation, heating, cooking, manufacturing, and generating electricity.
Some energy sources affect the environment more than others.
Some energy sources provide a lot of the energy used in the U.S.; others provide only a small amount.
Some energy sources provide energy at a low cost; others are more expensive.
Materials
A set of Energy Source Debate Sheets for each team (For younger students, you can use simplified debate sheets found in Energy in the Balance, available online at www.need.org/shop.)
A set of YES/NO signs for each of the judges
Great Energy Debate Game Board on page 8, or download an Excel version from www.need.org/shop (scroll below the screenshots and click link for game board)
2 Preparation
Decide how many energy sources you will be using, depending upon the number of students in the class or group. For large groups of 30 or more, you can use all ten energy sources. For smaller groups, choose fewer energy sources. Each group should have a minimum of three students.
Make one copy of each of the Energy Source Debate Sheets you will be using for each group.
If you are using fewer than ten energy sources, make copies of the Energy Source Debate Sheets that you are not using. Complete these sheets as a class after you introduce the activity. This will ensure that the students understand the concepts of advantages/disadvantages and learn about all of the energy sources.
Ask three colleagues, school administrators, community leaders, or parents to serve as judges for the debate. If volunteers are not available, you may assign three students to serve as judges.
Make sets of YES/NO cards for the judges.
Grade Levels
Intermediate, grades 6-8
Secondary, grades 9-12
Time
Two or three 45-minute class periods (If you have limited time, see Alternate Procedure on page 7.)
Additional Resources
Use NEED's Energy Infobooks, available for free download, for more in-depth information about each energy source. Energy Infobooks are available at all four grade levels and can be downloaded for free as complete books or single PDF infosheets by topic. Visit www.need.org/need-students/ energy-infobooks/.
Procedure
Step One: Introduce Unit to the Class
Introduce the Great Energy Debate to the class, using the concepts as a guide.
Step Two: Monitor Group Work
Once students are in their groups, explain the procedure. Answer any questions they have about the activity. If you are not using all ten sources, use the extra debate sheets you are not using to explain the procedure. Have the groups complete the sheet for their assigned source first. This should take about five minutes.
Have the groups complete the sheets for the other groups' energy sources. This should take about twenty minutes.
Remind the students, if necessary, that all of the statements are factual; some may have more "spin" than others depending on how it is read.
Step Three: Debate
Begin the game by giving the teams the following instructions:
The object of this game is to be the first team to reach the top of the game board. The game is played in rounds. Each team is given the opportunity to move its token up by stating an advantage of its energy source. You may instead choose to move an opponent’s token down by stating a disadvantage of the opponent’s energy source.
Teams will present their advantages or opponent disadvantages to a panel of judges. An opposing team can object to the presented statement. The opposing team must convince the judges that the statement is not an advantage. The team that stated the advantage will then have the opportunity to defend its position. The judges may vote in favor of the defending team or presenting team. If they agree with the presenting team's stated advantage, that team will move up one. If they vote in favor of the defending team, the defending team moves up one position and the presenting team moves down one space. Or, the judges may decide the statement is just a fact. In this case, the defending team stays in its original position.
If a team states a disadvantage to try to move an opposing team down, then the opposing team can defend itself without penalty. The stating team does lose position if judges side with the opposing team.
Ask the first team to give an advantage or disadvantage. Action continues until one team reaches the top line, until time is called, or until each team has had the opportunity to begin a round.
DAY ONE—complete the first round.
DAY TWO—finish the remaining rounds.
Step Four: Interpret the Debate Results
At the conclusion of the debate, point out that all sources of energy have advantages and disadvantages, and that while all statements are technically factual, there are many factors that might contribute to how we individually view each as neutral, advantage, or disadvantage. Ask the class the following questions:
Why isn’t there an obvious winner in this debate?
Even if the debate continued, would there be a winner? Why or why not?
Why do we use energy sources that have negative impacts on the environment?
What are some other factors that we need to consider in our choice of energy sources?
Great Energy Debate - Alternate Procedure
2 Preparation
Make one set of Energy Source Debate Sheets for each student, plus an additional set for each group.
Make a copy of the Great Energy Debate Game Board, or download the Excel file from www.need.org/shop to project.
Make a copy of one of the debate sheets to project and explain the procedure, if necessary.
Make sets of YES/NO cards for the judges.
Procedure
Step
One: Introduce Unit to the Class
Introduce the Great Energy Debate to the class, using the concepts as a guide.
Distribute one set of debate sheets to each student. Explain the procedure for completing the sheets, projecting a sample, if necessary.
Instruct the students to complete all of the debate sheets individually as classwork or homework.
Step
Two: Monitor Group Work
Decide who will be in each of the groups. If your students are not used to working in groups, you may want to give them guidelines for group work.
Place students into groups. Distribute a set of debate sheets to each group. Have the students complete the debate sheets as a group, using their individual sheets as guides. This should take about thirty minutes. Let students know which source they will tackle as a group.
Step
Three: Debate
Use the instructions set forth under Step Three on page 6.
Step
Four: Interpret the Debate Results
Use the instructions set forth under Step Four on page 6.
1. Coal is one of the most abundant fuels in the United States. We have a 400 year supply based on the current rate of consumption. x
2. Although coal is still being formed today, we use it thousands of times faster than it is formed. x
3. Coal generates 15.2 percent of the electricity in the U.S. x
e Great Energy Debate Game Board
Biomass Coal
Biomass
1. Biomass is a source of energy from plant materials and animal waste.
2. Biomass is a renewable energy source; we can grow more biomass.
3. Biomass is difficult to store and transport because it decays.
4. As biomass decays, more of its energy is available for use as fuel.
5. Biomass was the first source of energy harvested and used by humans.
6. Some of the carbon dioxide created by burning biomass can be absorbed by planting new biomass.
7. The amount of energy stored in biomass is less than the amount of energy stored in an equivalent weight of a fossil fuel.
8. Biomass can be used as a fuel because it captures and stores radiant energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis.
9. Less than 2% of American homes use biomass (burn wood) as their only heat source.
10. Biomass is abundant and can be produced almost everywhere in the U.S.
11. Burning biomass can produce odors and emissions.
12. Burning biomass in a waste-to-energy plant produces a small amount of U.S. electricity.
13. Biomass provides 5.3 percent of the nation’s total energy demand.
14. Today, about 36 percent of biomass energy comes from wood.
15. The pulp and paper industries use waste wood to generate steam and electricity, which saves money because it reduces the amount of other fuels and electricity they purchase to operate their facilities.
16. Biomass can be made into ethanol, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel. These are cleaner-burning than unleaded gasoline and traditional diesel.
17. Alcohol fuels made from biomass can be domestically produced.
18. Mixing 10 percent ethanol with gasoline produces E10, a cleaner-burning fuel used nationwide.
19. Burning biomass in a waste-to-energy plant reduces the amount of garbage sent to landfills.
20. Waste-to-energy plants must use scrubbers and other technologies to reduce emissions and odors.
1. Coal is one of the most abundant fuels in the United States. We have a 400 year supply based on the current rate of consumption.
2. Although coal is still being formed today, we use it thousands of times faster than it is formed.
3. Coal generates 15.2 percent of the electricity in the U.S.
4. The U.S. exports about 17 percent of the coal it produces to other countries.
5. Coal has been burned to cook food and heat living spaces and water for thousands of years.
6. Today, about 89 percent of the coal consumed in the U.S. is used by the electric power sector to generate electricity.
7. When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and other pollutants are produced.
8. To remove coal buried deep in the earth, mine shafts are constructed to bring the coal to the surface.
9. An easier way to mine coal near the earth’s surface is to remove the layers of earth to uncover the coal. This is called surface mining.
10. Large amounts of land are disturbed in the process of surface mining.
11. Surface mines can be restored to grasslands or parks after the coal is removed.
12. About sixty percent of the nation’s coal is produced from surface mines.
13. The water that filters through abandoned mines can pick up chemicals that pollute the water if the mines are not closed correctly.
14. Coal is used to smelt iron into steel and by the paper and building supply industries.
15. Coal can be turned into a gas to make it burn cleaner. This process is expensive.
16. Coal mining can be dangerous for miners due to gases and explosion hazards.
17. Ash from coal plants can be recycled and used for cement additives, roadway materials, and even in habitat restoration for oysters.
18. Some cleaner coal technologies require less coal to produce the same amount of electricity. These technologies are expensive and not widely used.
19. The methane gas that is found around much of the coal in the U.S. is a valuable resource.
20. The electricity industry must use items like scrubbers to reduce harmful emissions and pollutants from coal plants.
Geothermal
1. Geothermal energy comes from heat within the Earth.
2. Examples of geothermal energy are hot springs, volcanoes, and geysers.
3. Geothermal energy is generated in Earth’s core, which is made of magma (molten iron) surrounding a solid, mostly iron core.
4. Red hot temperatures are maintained inside the Earth because of the slow decay of radioactive particles found in all rocks, and the immense pressure on the core.
5. Geothermal energy is renewable. The hot water used by power plants is replenished by precipitation and the geothermal heat is continually produced.
6. Wells can be built to pump super-heated water to the surface.
7. Geothermal energy is used to produce electricity and to heat and cool buildings.
8. Geothermal energy was used by ancient people for heating and bathing. Hot springs are said to have therapeutic effects today.
9. In 1904, the Italians first used steam erupting from the earth to power a turbine generator.
10. Dry steam reservoirs are the most efficient for producing electricity, but they are very rare.
11. The United States generates more electricity from geothermal than most countries in the world.
12. High temperature geothermal resources capable of producing electricity are not economically available in all parts of the nation.
13. The most active geothermal resources are found along major tectonic plate boundaries, where magma comes very near Earth’s surface.
14. Geothermal energy produces less than one percent of the electricity consumed in the nation today.
15. Geothermal energy does little damage to the environment because geothermal power plants sit on or near the geothermal reservoirs and do not burn any fuel.
16. Geothermal steam and hot water naturally contain traces of hydrogen sulfide and other gases, as well as chemicals that are harmful at high concentrations.
17. The gases and chemicals from geothermal power plants are usually reinjected into the Earth.
18. The temperature of the earth a few feet underground remains constant year round—about 52 degrees Fahrenheit in moderate climates.
19. Low temperature geothermal energy is available everywhere in the U.S. for heating and cooling homes.
20. Geothermal heat pumps use the Earth’s constant temperature as an energy source to heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer.
Hydropower
1. Moving water has been used as a source of energy for thousands of years.
2. Hydropower is considered one of the cleanest and cheapest energy sources in widespread use today.
3. Moving water is a renewable energy source.
4. Moving water can turn a turbine to generate electricity.
5. Hydropower was first used to turn water wheels to grind grain.
6. Hydroelectric power is reliable because dams can be built to store water. Controlling the flow of the stored water allows a power plant to operate in all weather conditions and at times of greater electrical demand.
7. About 5-10 percent of total U.S. electricity is generated by hydropower plants, depending on the amount of rainfall.
8. Hydropower provides the U.S. with about 0.9 percent of our total energy consumption.
9. Low-impact, conduit, run-of-river, and other conventional hydropower technologies coupled with pumped storage hydropower could help to expand the use of hydropower in the future.
10. The nation’s largest producer of hydroelectric power is the federal government, which operates many large dams and power plants.
11. There are about 2,200 hydroelectric power dams in the U.S. today.
12. There are over 90,000 dams in the U.S. Many do not have generating plants on them.
13. The Department of Energy predicts that making improvements at existing hydropower plants and building new plants could add 50 gigawatts of hydroelectric capacity by 2050.
14. When a hydropower dam is built, thousands of acres of nearby land are flooded to create a reservoir.
15. Projects using the energy in waves, tides, and currents for electricity generation are being tested in the U.S. and used in several locations around the world.
16. Dams can disturb the migration and spawning of fish populations in the river.
17. Dams can alter the natural flow of the river and change the amount of water that reaches communities downstream.
18. Reservoirs that result from construction of a dam are often developed for recreational purposes, such as boating and fishing.
19. The use of conventional hydropower in the U.S. is not expected to increase significantly in the future, but wave and tidal projects are expected to increase.
20. Some countries use hydropower as their main source to produce electricity. Paraguay, in South America, produces 100 percent of its electricity from hydropower.
Natural Gas
1. Natural gas was formed from the decomposition of tiny sea plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago.
2. Natural gas is mostly made of a chemical called methane.
3. Natural gas is odorless; an odorant called mercaptan is added for safety.
4. Natural gas can be processed and other products, like propane and the materials in plastics, can be recovered from it.
5. Natural gas is considered to be the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. It produces almost no sulfur or nitrogen oxides.
6. Natural gas and petroleum are often found together in underground deposits.
7. In the past, oil drillers were not interested in the natural gas that was found at the site of an oil well. Today, it is as valuable as the oil.
8. The invention of high pressure pipelines has made it possible to transport natural gas all over the U.S.
9. Leaks can occur in natural gas pipelines. Fires and explosions can result from these leaks if proper safety precautions are not taken.
10. About 3 percent of the natural gas we produce comes from federal offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico.
11. Natural gas is a nonrenewable resource.
12. Today, the U.S. has a large supply of natural gas. There are also large reserves of natural gas offshore, on the outer continental shelf, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
13. Natural gas is used by homes, businesses, industry, and for electric power generation. It is the number one source used for electric power, generating over 40% of U.S. electricity.
14. Natural gas can be used as a cleaner-burning transportation fuel in place of gasoline or diesel.
15. Natural gas can be produced from renewable biomass sources. This natural gas is fully interchangeable with conventional natural gas.
16. Natural gas accounts for 40.3 percent of total U.S. energy consumption.
17. Demand for natural gas changes daily and seasonally. Storing extra natural gas during times of low demand ensures natural gas will be available when it is needed during periods of high demand. It is stored in large underground storage facilities, like depleted oil fields, or above ground in small tanks.
18. Just under half of the homes in the U.S. use natural gas as their main heating fuel.
19. Natural gas can be used to produce peak load electricity because natural gas furnaces can be brought on line and shut down quickly and efficiently to generate steam for electricity.
20. Burning methane produces carbon dioxide. Both methane and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases that trap heat energy. Increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere affect the global climate.
Petroleum
1. The word petroleum is derived from the word petro, meaning rock, and the word oleum, meaning oil.
2. Petroleum deposits were formed over hundreds of millions of years from the remains of marine plants and animals.
3. Petroleum is a nonrenewable energy source.
4. Oil deposits are found in many areas, onshore and offshore.
5. The U.S. imports about 42 percent of the crude oil and petroleum products it uses from other countries because it is cheaper than producing them domestically.
6. The U.S. has large petroleum deposits in Alaska and offshore.
7. Many offshore resources are off-limits to development due to state and federal regulations.
8. About 13 percent of the oil the U.S. produces comes from offshore wells, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico.
9. Petroleum straight from the well—crude oil—is not very useful. It must be refined into gasoline and other products.
10. Petroleum refining uses the boiling points of different hydrocarbon molecules to separate them for different uses.
11. We get many fuels from refining petroleum—gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel—that can be burned to produce heat, light, electricity, or motion.
12. Many chemical products from petroleum can be used to make plastics, medicines, fertilizers, and other products.
13. When petroleum products are burned, harmful emissions and greenhouse gases are produced that create air pollution and affect the global climate.
14. To protect the environment, oil drilling and production are regulated by federal and state governments.
15. Oil is transported by pipeline, truck, or tanker to where it is refined and/or used.
16. If oil is spilled into the water or onto the land, it can cause damage to the environment.
17. Petroleum products are efficient, economical transportation fuels. Most transportation in the U.S. is fueled by petroleum products.
18. Today, gasoline powered vehicles produce fewer emissions than they used to, due to advances in engine design and fuel formulation.
19. Petroleum is the leading source of energy in the U.S. It supplies 38 percent of the energy we use.
20. At current rates of consumption, the global supply of crude oil, other liquid hydrocarbons, and biofuels is expected to be adequate to meet the world's demand for liquid fuels through 2050.
Propane
1. About 74 percent of the propane we use comes from natural gas processing, and about 11 percent from petroleum refining. We import about 14 percent of the propane we use.
2. Under normal conditions propane is a gas, but under moderate pressure or low temperature, propane becomes a liquid.
3. Propane is stored as a liquid in pressurized tanks because it takes up 1/270 of the space it occupies as a gas, and is very portable.
4. Propane becomes a gas when it is released from the pressure in the tank. As a gas, it is used to fuel appliances, such as outdoor barbeque grills.
5. Like natural gas, propane is colorless and odorless. An odorant called mercaptan is added as a safety measure.
6. Propane is a nonrenewable energy source.
7. Propane is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel.
8. Propane is moved through pipelines to distribution terminals.
9. Propane is taken from distribution terminals to bulk plants by trains, trucks, barges, and supertankers. Local dealers fill their small tank trucks and distribute it to their clients.
10. Propane is mostly used in rural areas that do not have reliable access to utilities. Homes and businesses use it for heating, hot water, cooking, and clothes drying.
11. Farms rely on propane to dry crops, power tractors, heat greenhouses, and warm chicken houses.
12. Propane is also used by delivery companies, government agencies, and utility companies to fuel their fleet vehicles.
13. As a vehicle fuel, propane is cleaner-burning than gasoline or diesel, and leaves car engines free of deposits. Engines fueled by propane also produce fewer emissions.
14. There is a slight drop in miles per gallon when propane is used to fuel vehicles instead of gasoline.
15. Propane is not widely used as a transportation fuel because it is not as conveniently available as gasoline or diesel.
16. An automobile engine must be adjusted to use propane.
17. Propane gas is heavier than air and can explode if the propane is ignited.
18. Propane is more expensive than natural gas, but can be similar in cost to kerosene and heating oil, depending on the heating system used.
19. Propane is often used to power indoor vehicles such as forklifts.
20. Propane supplies and price are tied to oil and natural gas supplies and costs.
1. The sun radiates more energy in one day than the world can use in a year.
2. The sun is a star made up mostly of hydrogen and helium gas. It produces radiant energy in a process called nuclear fusion.
3. Harnessing radiant energy from the sun is difficult because the energy that reaches the Earth is very spread out.
4. Only a small part of the solar energy radiated ever reaches the Earth.
5. It takes the sun’s energy just over eight minutes to travel 93 million miles to the Earth.
6. Solar energy is a renewable energy source.
7. Solar energy is used to heat passive solar buildings and water and to generate about 5.1 percent of U.S. electricity.
8. The amount of solar energy reaching an area depends on the time of day, season of the year, cloud coverage, and geographic location.
9. Solar water heaters can reduce energy bills when installed.
10. A solar collector can be used to capture sunlight and change it into usable heat energy.
11. An active solar home in the Northern Hemisphere uses special equipment on the south side of the building to absorb sunlight and change it into thermal energy. Air or water flows through the collector and is warmed by the energy inside.
12. Passive solar homes do not depend on mechanical equipment to transform radiant energy into thermal energy.
13. Photovoltaic cells can convert radiant energy from the sun directly into electricity.
14. Concentrated solar power technology uses reflective mirrors to focus solar energy, producing high temperatures and generating electricity.
15. Photovoltaic—or PV—systems have a long payback period because of their initial cost.
16. Small PV systems power calculators and wrist-watches. Larger systems pump water, power communications equipment, and supply electricity to single homes or businesses.
17. Some toxic materials and chemicals are used to make PV cells. Some solar thermal systems use potentially hazardous fluids to transfer heat. Leaks of these materials could harm the environment.
18. PV systems can supply electricity in remote areas without power lines.
19. Large solar systems can take up a large amount of land or can be placed on large, flat roofs.
20. Solar energy systems do not pollute the air or produce carbon dioxide.
Uranium
1. In 1939, scientists discovered that certain atoms could be split. The splitting of these atoms releases a great amount of energy.
2. Ninety-four nuclear power reactors at 54 plants operate in the U.S.
3. Nuclear plants provide 18.2 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S.
4. A nuclear reactor can supply a large amount of energy using a very small amount of fuel.
5. The construction of nuclear power plants is very expensive compared to some other types of power plants.
6. Nuclear reactors do not burn uranium or fuel to generate electrical power. They split the uranium atoms—so their emissions are minimal.
7. Uranium is easy to transport.
8. Uranium is inexpensive.
9. The U.S. has abundant supplies of uranium. However, we import almost all of the uranium used in power plants because it is cheaper than mining it.
10. Nuclear power plants produce electricity by heating water into steam in the same way as fossil fuel plants.
11. Workers at nuclear power plants receive less radiation from the plant than they do from other sources like medical x-rays or airplane trips.
12. Some parts of reactors become radioactive after they have been used.
13. Radioactive waste at a nuclear power plant is stored in spent fuel pools for several years. Then it is moved to a dry cask storage container above ground at the power plant.
14. Uranium has a very high energy density, producing a large amount of energy from a small amount of mass or space.
15. Uranium is a nonrenewable energy source.
16. A nuclear power plant produces a lot of waste heat. If this heat is put into a moving water system, the water temperature can increase.
17. The main health risk from a nuclear power plant is potential radiation exposure.
18. Nuclear power plants in the U.S. are highly regulated.
19. An accident at a nuclear power plant could cause widespread damage if people or the environment were exposed to high levels of radioactivity.
20. There has been renewed interest in nuclear power in the U.S. as the concern for global climate change has increased and the need for more electric power has intensified to support computing and data centers.
1. Wind is air in motion caused by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the sun.
2. Wind turbines do not cause air or water pollution because no fuel is burned to generate electricity.
3. Wind is a renewable source of energy.
4. Over the course of a year, modern wind turbines can generate usable amounts of electricity over 90 percent of the time.
5. For hundreds of years, windmills were used to grind wheat and corn, to pump water, and to cut wood at sawmills.
6. Wind turbines have turning blades to harness the wind’s kinetic energy. The blades are connected to drive shafts that turn generators to make electricity.
7. Wind plants can typically convert 25-45 percent of the wind’s kinetic energy into electricity.
8. When the wind is not blowing, other sources of energy must be used to generate needed electricity.
9. The locations of wind farms are carefully planned—good sites include the tops of smooth, rounded hills, open plains, mountain gaps, and on lakes or oceans.
10. Offshore turbines are larger and generate more electricity than turbines on land.
11. Wind power plants, or wind farms, are clusters of several wind turbines spread over a large area. The land around the wind turbines can also be used for grazing, growing crops, or fishing.
12. Wind farms are often owned and operated by businesses who sell the electricity to utility companies.
13. Wind turbines can be used in remote areas that do not otherwise have access to electricity.
14. Almost every state has the capacity to produce electricity from wind.
15. The amount of electricity generated by wind has grown significantly in the U.S. since 2000. Today, wind power generates 10.5 percent of the electricity we consume.
16. Older wind turbines are very noisy; new technologies have eliminated most noise.
17. Wind turbines can injure birds or bats that fly into the spinning blades.
18. New technologies have decreased the cost of producing electricity from wind.
19. Wind turbines provide the U.S. with enough electricity to power over 44 million homes.
20. Offshore turbines cost more money to build and operate than turbines on land.
Great Energy Debate Evaluation Form
1. Did you conduct the entire activity?
2. Were the instructions clear and easy to follow?
3. Did the activity meet your academic objectives?
4. Was the activity age appropriate?
5. Were the allotted times sufficient to conduct the activities?
6. Was the activity easy to use?
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7. Was the preparation required acceptable for the activity? Yes
8. Were the students interested and motivated?
9. Was the energy knowledge content age appropriate?
10. Would you teach this activity again?
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No
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Other Comments:
AES
AES Clean Energy Development
American Electric Power Foundation
Appalachian Voices
Arizona Sustainability Alliance
Atlantic City Electric
Avangrid
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Berkshire Gas - Avangrid
BP America Inc
Bob Moran Charitable Giving Fund
Cape Light Compact–Massachusetts
Celanese Foundation
Central Alabama Electric Cooperative
CITGO
The City of Cuyahoga Falls
Clean Virginia
CLEAResult
ComEd
Con uence
ConocoPhillips
Constellation
Delmarva Power
Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development - Government of New Brunswick, Canada
Dominion Energy, Inc.
Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation
DonorsChoose
East Baton Rouge Parish Schools
East Kentucky Power Cooperative
EcoCentricNow
EDP Renewables
EduCon Educational Consulting
Elmo Foundation
Enel Green Power North America
EnergizeCT
ENGIE
Entergy
Equinix
Eversource
Exelon
Exelon Foundation
Foundation for Environmental Education
FPL
Generac
Georgia Power
Gerald Harrington, Geologist
Government of Thailand–Energy Ministry
Greater New Orleans STEM
GREEN Charter Schools
Green Power EMC
Guilford County Schools–North Carolina
Honeywell
National Sponsors and Partners
Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
Illinois International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Renewable Energy Fund
Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico
Interstate Natural Gas Association of America Foundation
Intuit
Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council -
Scale Up
Iowa Lakes Community College
Iowa State University
Iron Mountain Data Centers
Kansas Corporation Energy Commission
Kansas Energy Program – K-State Engineering
Extension
Katy Independent School District
Kentucky Environmental Education Council
Kentucky O ce of Energy Policy
Kentucky Power–An AEP Company
Liberty Utilities
Llano Land and Exploration
Louisiana State Energy O ce
Louisiana State University – Agricultural Center
LUMA
Marshall University
Mass Save
Mercedes Benz USA
Minneapolis Public Schools
Mississippi Development Authority–Energy Division
Motus Experiential
National Fuel
National Grid
National Hydropower Association
National Ocean Industries Association
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NC Green Power
Nebraskans for Solar
NextEra Energy Resources
Nicor Gas
NCi – Northeast Construction
North Shore Gas
O shore Technology Conference
Ohio Energy Project
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Energy Corporation
Omaha Public Power District
Ormat
Paci c Gas and Electric Company
PECO
Peoples Gas
Pepco
Performance Services, Inc.
Permian Basin Petroleum Museum
Phillips 66
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
PPG
Prince George’s County O ce of Human
Resource Management (MD)
Prince George’s County O ce of Sustainable Energy (MD)
Providence Public Schools
Public Service of Oklahoma - AEP
Quarto Publishing Group
The Rapha Foundation
Renewable Energy Alaska Project
Rhoades Energy
Rhode Island O ce of Energy Resources
Salal Foundation/Salal Credit Union
Salt River Project
Salt River Rural Electric Cooperative
Schneider Electric
C.T. Seaver Trust
Secure Solar Futures, LLC
Shell USA, Inc.
SMUD
Society of Petroleum Engineers
South Carolina Energy O ce
Southern Company Gas
Snohomish County PUD
SunTribe Solar
TXU Energy
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
United Illuminating Unitil
University of Iowa
University of Louisville
University of North Carolina
University of Northern Iowa
University of Rhode Island
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Energy–O ce of Energy
E ciency and Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy - Solar Decathlon
U.S. Department of Energy - Water Power
Technologies O ce
U.S. Department of Energy–Wind for Schools
U.S. Energy Information Administration
United States Virgin Islands Energy O ce
Vineyard Wind
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia Natural Gas
Vistra Energy
We Care Solar
West Virginia O ce of Energy
West Warwick Public Schools
Williams