Have you ever thought about where our electricity comes from?

Have you ever thought about where our electricity comes from? Umm, I don’t know. How could we find out Professor? Perhaps the class can help us

This is how electricity gets into our homes

How many points can you score for giving the right answers to this energy quiz? Good ideas and suggestions can earn a point too, if your teacher decides you deserve it!

Part A. One point for correctly filling in each word. 1. Electricity is conducted to the light along w_ _ _ _ . 2. The electricity we use is measured by a m _ _ _ _. 3. Cables carrying electricity to the house can be supported by p _ _ _ _ or py_ _ _ _. 4. Sometimes the cables carrying electricity to the house are b _ _ _ _ _ beneath the ground. i r e s e t e r o l e s l o n s u r i e d Now we know how electricity gets to our homes. But where is the electricity produced?

C B A D Here are some of the places where electricity is produced. Coal fired power station Gas fired power station Wind Farm Part B. Do you know which picture is 1. The wind farm 2. The coal fired power station 3. The nuclear power station 4. The gas fired power station Nuclear power station

Part C.Look at the diagram then fill in the missing words below. e a t e d 1. In the coal and gas fired power stations, water is h _ _ _ _ _ 2. The water vaporises into s _ _ _ _ 3. The steam is used to t _ _ _ a turbine 4. The turbine generates e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ t e a m u r n l e c t r i c i t y

Good news or bad news – Coal fired power stations • Part D. In which column would you put each of the following? • These power stations produce lots of electricity in the UK (37%). • 2. They cause pollution that • contributes to global warming. • 3. The coal they burn is gradually running out. • 4. Mining the coal provides jobs for people. • 5. Coal has to be transported great distances from other countries. 1 2 3 4 5

Good news or bad news - Gas fired power stations • In which column would you • put each of the following? • These power stations produce lots of electricity in the UK (30%). • The gas they burn is gradually running out. • Gas has to be transported great distances from other countries. • They cause pollution that contributes to global warming. 1 2 3 4

Good news or bad news -Nuclear power stations • In which column would you put each of the following? • These power stations produce lots of electricity in the UK (20%). • Nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide. • The power stations use an expensive and quite rare fuel called uranium. • Nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste that will be dangerous for thousands of years and is difficult and expensive to store safely. 1 3 2 4

Good news or bad news - Wind Farms • In which column would you put each of the following? • There is a lot of wind in the UK. • Wind turbines don't produce carbon dioxide or other air pollution. • Wind power will not run out. • They don’t work when it is not windy. • Some people think that they look ugly • and spoil the view. • 6. They produce only a small amount of our electricity (less than 5%). • It takes a large number of turbines to produce as much electricity as a coal, • gas or nuclear power station. 1 4 2 5 3 6 7

How well did you do? 30 or less Oh dear! 31-40 Good 41-45 Very good 46 or above Excellent This PowerPoint and lesson are based on work by Ian Mitchell, The Green Egg Company, developed & edited by Amie Andrews for TLCP and Ali Ross, Sundog Energy.

Have you ever thought about where our electricity comes from?