When Disaster Strikes Activity Information Pack

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Contents Overview of When Disaster Strikes ....................................................................................... 2

Pre-activity preparation ......................................................................................................... 3

Volunteer Preparation ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Materials Required ................................................................................................................ 5

Lesson Plan .......................................................................................................................... 6

Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................... 6

Lesson Timings ................................................................................................................. 6

Add-on disasters ................................................................................................................ 7

Natural Disasters Information Pack ..................................................................................... 14

Volcanic eruption ............................................................................................................. 14

Tsunami .......................................................................................................................... 15

Earthquake ...................................................................................................................... 16

Avalanche ....................................................................................................................... 17

Renewable Energy Information Pack .................................................................................. 18

Geothermal Energy ......................................................................................................... 18

Biomass .......................................................................................................................... 20

Biomass Fact File ............................................................................................................ 20

Solar Power ..................................................................................................................... 20

Solar Power Fact File ...................................................................................................... 21

Wind Power ..................................................................................................................... 21

Wind Power Fact File ...................................................................................................... 22

Hydro Power.................................................................................................................... 23

Definition ......................................................................................................................... 23

Hydroelectric Dams ......................................................................................................... 23

Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 25

Summary Sheet .................................................................................................................. 25

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Overview of When Disaster Strikes

When Disaster Strikes is an event aimed to be run for 3.5 hours. It is most suitable for

secondary school students from Year 7 to Year 11 – the difficulty can be altered to suit the

age group. Students are to be split into groups of 5 (no less than 4 and no more than 6 in a

group).

In the activity, the students must act as an emergency relief organisation to organise and build

a disaster relief camp for people affected by a natural disaster. Each group of students will be

given a natural disaster scenario. There are 4 scenarios so if there are more than 4 groups

then groups may have the same disaster.

In each of these scenarios, generator equipment has been donated to provide emergency

power, but the aid services experience difficulties receiving enough fuel to run the shelter for

the required length of time, meaning that a temporary alternative source of power is required.

The teams must design a camp that uses the generators alongside renewable energy sources

that can deliver a specified amount of electricity subject to a number on constraints. Students

will have to make a series of fundamental decisions based on the nature of the disaster area

and the damage done. They must understand what the priority is for each disaster. The

students will have to decide how to care for the most number of people within a standard camp

size on which they will need to allocate space for housing and key buildings. Each team is

assigned the same budget with which they can use to purchase tokens which represent the

facilities and power source.

If run as a longer session students can also build 3D models of their camp using recycled

materials. This can work as a visual representation for their camp for a 5 minute presentation

that they are expected to give to the class at the end of the activity. They must describe and

justify the decisions they have made for their camp and discuss the challenges they have

faced with the class and volunteers.

The activity aims to target improvement in the following skills:

Problem solving and analytical thinking

Decision making

Team work

Communication (with group and presentation skills)

Application of scientific knowledge

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Pre-activity preparation

The activity is a fun challenge for students which aims to improve their soft skills. In order for

the activity to run smoothly it is useful for the students to come prepared with some background

knowledge of the natural disaster scenarios and renewable energy sources. We suggest that

a volunteer creates a lesson to teach students the contents of this pack to prepare and get

them thinking about all the different effects of a disaster and how they must work together to

make a suitable plan of action.

There are four different natural disaster scenarios: tsunami, volcanic eruption, earthquake and

avalanche. It is important for students to understand and link the following to the overall effects

of the disaster:

Severity of the disaster

Vulnerability of the population

Number of people affected

Location, including natural resources available, weather conditions and altitude

Effects of the disaster (what is the priority – food, healthcare, housing)

There are a number of renewable sources which the students may choose to generate power

on their camps with. The lesson should provide them with the following:

Scientific background of how power is generated from the renewable sources

Advantages and disadvantages of renewable sources vs. fossil fuels

Conditions at which renewable sources would be used

What natural resources are available

Please use the disaster brief and information pack as guidance of what to teach in the pre-

activity lesson and feel free to alter or add to the content.

It is advisable to organise a lesson for the students before the actual activity aiming to

introduce them to the disasters. This is critical for the activity to run smoothly and for the

students to gain maximum value.

It is encouraged that the volunteer who runs the pre-activity sessions, possibly with knowledge

in science or geography, attends the session on the day to help guide the students through

the activity.

At the end of this Information Pack is the Students Information Pack. Please print and

distribute the Students information Pack to the students during the pre-activity lesson so that

they can familiarise themselves with the content.

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Review the reading material and slides available carefully

Make sure you are comfortable the activity and the information contained within the slide

pack. Practice presentation delivery and ensure that you can adhere to the allocated time.

The students ask a lot of questions throughout the activity so good knowledge is required

or reference material should be to hand to encourage discussion. In case a group of people

is presenting make sure to split the presentation sections beforehand. Familiarise yourself

with the required room set up.

Materials/Handouts

If required, print handouts for the students or slide notes for volunteers to bring to the

session. For example print 1 student information pack for each group as reference.

Prepare a box with all the required materials for the session in advance. It would be best

to have everything separated for each group especially the tokens. Make sure to

communicate with the school for the required materials and account for any of the

materials they can’t provide

Room setup

A standard classroom is suitable. A projector is required. The students should be already

split in groups (Recommended 5/group no less than 4 and no more than 6) and know what

natural disaster they will be tackling. There are 4 scenarios so if there are more than 4

groups then groups may have the same disaster. Just ensure the room is set up properly

so that the students can sit in their assigned groups.

Please ensure there is enough material for the group size and the way you want to run the

session.

Health and safety

A risk assessment should be carried out by the school. Make sure to review and

understand the possible risks involved (i.e. Use of scissors).

During the session, keep an eye out for misuse of the scissors and materials.

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Materials Required

Item Amount

For the presentation

Laptop/computer with projector available

1

Slides pack in USB 1

Paper for handouts 1 per group

For the activity Laminated A3 card 1 per group

White tokens 1 pack per group

Coloured tokens 1 pack per group

Pens/pencil/whiteboard marker As per no. of

students

Paper As per no. of

students

Calculator 1 per group

Scissors, glue, tape 2 per group

Whiteboard rubbers, rubbers 1 per group

Student Information Pack 1 per group

Finance sheet (electronic) 1 per event

Whiteboard cleaner 1

Stickers (For team roles) Same as number of students per

group

If required to print more tokens see below for quantities (Quantity is per group and per colour

(W=white, C=Group colour). Token examples can be found in associated documents.

Token Qty

Token Qty

W C W C

Hospital (Each) 1 1 Geothermal 1 8

Supply depot 1 1 Clinics 1 12

HQ 1 1 Wind turbine (Large) 1 12

Waste disposal (Large) 1 1 Wind turbine (Medium) 1 12

Waste disposal (Small) 1 1 Wind turbine (Small) 1 15

Generator 1 2 Cabins 1 35

Canteen 1 8 Solar panels 1 35

Hydro pump 1 4 Tents 1 35

Biomass boilers 1 5 Hydroelectric dam 1 1

Solar dishes 1 6 Pelamis wave power 1 1

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Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives The student’s learning objectives are:

Understanding of what needs to be taken into account when dealing with a natural

disaster

Planning, budgeting and logistics

Decision making and problem solving supported by logical thinking

Lesson Timings The total length of the session is 3.5 hours.

Section Time (min)

Introduction 3

Introduction of volunteers attending the session

Presentation 30

Itinerary (Slide 2) 1

Introduce the session agenda and what the students will be attempting to do.

Natural disaster background (Slides 3-7) 5

Define what is a natural disaster

Give examples of natural disasters by initiating an interactive discussion

Activity brief (Slides 8-17) 22

Explain the concept of the activity the students will be attempting

Specifically talk about the task, requirements and deliverables

Introduce what the tokens represent

Logistics activity 8-10

Explain the process of buying tokens

Inform students about the modelling exercise of the activity

Inform student about presenting their ideas

Wrap up and Summary (Slide 14) 2

Session summary

Section Time (min)

Activity 120

During the activity please walk around the groups and observe their progress. Offer help and advice. Keep track of time and warn teams accordingly.

Completion of plan 60

Challenge students to think about their location in the world and plan accordingly.

Direct students to think depending on their disaster what is the highest priority, food, healthcare, housing.

Suggest that it would be best if roles are assigned within the team

Within this time students should complete their camp relief plan outline

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Highlight to the students that they should have budget and power calculations written clearly for review by the volunteers

If some teams are progressing fast you can introduce a second disaster after their plan is complete to increase complexity. *

Buying tokens and finalising approach 45

Students should create a list of all the tokens required and take it to the finance volunteer

Students should place all tokens on their camp relied boundary

Highlight that this is the time to rethink their plan and make changes if they need to (buy more buildings, power sources etc)

Students should start building their power models

Preparing for the presentation 15

Students should start preparing for their presentations

Advice that all students should at least have a small input

Highlight that it is important to explain their thought process and their approach in terms of solving the problem

Section Time (min)

Presentations and discussion 40

Team presentations 20

Pay attention to the teams presenting and explanations given for the decisions made

During the presentation have in mind previous suggestions that you made to the team or observations that can lead to questions

Discussion/Possible Questions 20

How did you divide the roles within the team?

If you could do the activity again what would you do differently?

Did you find it easy to keep within budget given the demand of supplies for the disaster?

What was your biggest challenge?

Make questions relevant to their plans. Why did you choose ‘x’ power source,‘x’ building……?

* Add-on disasters

Earthquake – Aftershock

Avalanche – Second avalanche covering part of their camp

Tsunami – Issues with one of the generators decreasing their power by 20%, Water

contamination

Volcanic eruption – Second volcanic explosion

Note: During the activity one of the volunteers should track the budget and power

requirements using the finance sheet provided.

Remember: Communication between volunteers is important for this event in order

for all student groups to finish on time and the activity to run smoothly.

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Slides and Notes

Slide 1 When Disaster Strikes…

… What can you do?

Slide 2 Timings

Activity Time

Intro + Activity brief 30 minutes

Group work on activity 1 hour

Group work on activity 1 hour

Presentations/lunch 30 minutes

2

Please use as a guide only and feel free to readjust to suit

Slide 3 Natural Disaster Strikes

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth

Factors that define a natural disaster:

Severity of hazard

Vulnerability of population

Capacity/Resources available

3

Outline the definition and impact of a natural disaster on a community. One of the worst things about a natural disaster is that most of the time they are unexpected, and you often don’t know how bad they are going to be until its too late. Often the right support takes too long to help the people in trouble because they were unprepared. Emphasise that the factors that affect the approach of the rescue team and tell the students that they should also take them into account.

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Slide 4

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Explain how the natural disaster occurs and give examples of real life events. Include the students in the discussion by asking them what they know about the natural disaster Draw attention to the difficulties of the disaster and possible characteristics of the location.

Slide 5

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Same as slide 4

Slide 6

6

Tsu

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Same as slide 4

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Slide 7

7

Vo

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Same as slide 4

Slide 8 Natural disaster simulation activity

You are a team of international emergency aid specialists called in to help with a natural disaster. (STEM professionals are key in such emergencies)

You have 2 hours to plan how best to help the people affected by your disaster.

Your team is funded by public donations so you have a strict budget

You have to complete two tasks:

Plan your camp

Model a power generation system / camp facility

You will also have to prepare a short presentation of your plan to report to the rest of the groups

8

Explain the specifics of the activity Highlight how important STEM professionals are for dealing with this kind of situations and why Make the teams aware that they are in charge of decisions and timings

Slide 9 Task

Each team has a white board – this represents a relief camp boundary that is undamaged land at the disaster site

You have to fit all the structures needed to run the camp

Keep to budget and deadline

You can use this model to support your presentation

Draw your plan on it first, before making the model

9

Explain the overall task and that the whiteboard represents the only safe area for the refugees to shelter in. It is really important that this space is used wisely. People have nowhere else to go in the area. Emphasise the space constraint

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Slide 10 Task

The key things you need to think about when planning your camp and presentation:

Generating power to run services

Fitting in key structures

Making space to house and feed as many people as you can

10

Draw attention to the main requirements and deliverables of the activity. At this point explain to the students that they are best off taking specific roles within the team, to make sure they meet their deadline.

Slide 11 Camp plan

Tokens represent buildings. You will have to buy these using your budget.

Some are provided free of charge by the aid agency you work for (1x Canteen).

Every building has a price and a power requirement

11

Display the tokens and explain what they represent. Tell students that each building has a cost and power requirement.

Slide 12 Power your relief camp

Generators - they might not be powerful enough to run your whole camp.

Renewable energy sources - to provide additional power for your buildings.

Remember the power sources provide you with the power to use and the buildings you choose consume that power.

12

Hydropump

Solar roof panelsGenerator

Explain that there is given power from the generators and additional power if required from other sources. Emphasise that there is no one correct way to power the site as long as decisions are made with supporting calculations and good logic. What you will find is that a compromise is reached most of the time.

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Slide 13 Activity: Planning the basics

Make the first calculations (power and budget) for the buildings you should definitely include in your camp

Key structures: HQ, Supply deposit, Canteen

Power: 2 x Cummins generators (2MW)

Budget: 2 million pounds

13

During this first activity the objective is for students to perform some initial calculations and understand how to use their budget and information given about the buildings At this point they only need to do calculations for the key structures. Ensure that every team completes the calculations correctly and everybody understands how the activity works before proceeding.

Slide 14 Tokens

White tokens are examples for you to plan with.

Once your plan is complete you can buy resources for each building or power sources to stick to your plan

Sketch out a draft on your ‘camp’ with pens.

Everything has to fit on the space you have been given.

Make a list of the things you want to buy and take it to the person handling finances.

14

Explain the token buying process and how the tokens should be used on the outline of the relief camp Point out that it would be good to create a list of required resources before going to the finance volunteer Identify who the finance person is so that teams know where to go to get the tokens.

Slide 15 Power System/Camp Models

Your models do not have to be in scale to the 2D plan on the whiteboard.

You can use the available materials in any way you think are necessary to display how you will generate and distribute electricity or house the ones affected.

You can only make models of components you have bought tokens for.

15

This slide is describing an optional element to the activity, making 3D models of their power systems using scrap/recycled materials. If this aspect of the activity is not being run, please hide this slide, but do not delete it. Given the time available allow the students to either model one power source or even their whole camp if they want to. Emphasise that a model could really help during their presentations

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Slide 16 Presentation

Describe your plan and show how you will spend the money you have been given.

You will be asked questions, so you have to think carefully about your response plan.

Time: 5 mins

16

Emphasise that the time available is 5 mins for the presentation and 5 mins for questions. Suggest that all team members should be involved and contribute to the presentation What we really want to see being presented is their thought process and justification for the choices made.

Slide 17 Key points

Time: 2 hours

Budget: 2 million

Power made available at the start: 2 MW

17

Facilities Cost (£)Power

required (kW)

Power Generation Cost (£)Power Rating (kW)

Command and control centre 10000 300 Generators 2000

Supply depot 1000 100 Wind Turbine kit 1 (budget) 1,000 20

Tent 500 40 Wind Turbine kit 2 (mid-range) 2,500 60

Cabin 1,000 30 Wind Turbine kit 3 (deluxe) 5,000 100

Hospital* 500,000 250 Solar collection dish 10,000 200

Clinic 50,000 50 Cabin roof solar set 1,000 10

Canteen 10,000 80 Hydropower pump 25,000 300

Waste disposal facility, large 5,000 Biomass boiler 12,000 250

Waste disposal facility, small 2,000 Geothermal bore hole 10,000 150

2 MW = 2000 kW = 2 000 000 W

Before allowing the kids to dive into the activity highlight again quickly the key points. The cost and power requirements are on the slide. This slide should remain on board throughout the session for reference

Slide 18 Session summary

Planning, budgeting, decision making, problem solving

Team work

Presenting skills

Importance of STEM

18

At the end of the session discuss with the students what they learnt throughout this activity and the skills they have exercised. Briefly talk about understanding now how important STEM subjects are. Problem solving and logical thinking skills exercised when studying STEM subjects Understanding different technologies and where they could be used Variety of challenges and issues to deal with Increasing demand for STEM professionals

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Natural Disasters Information Pack

Volcanic eruption

Iceland is called Iceland for a reason: it is a cold, windy place with more glaciers than trees. It

is a large island covered in mountain ranges and waterfalls. It is close to the Arctic Circle,

meaning that for half the year the days are either very short or have 24hour night. Although it

is a well-developed country, it is situated on land that was made by massive undersea volcanic

eruptions. Even now, millions of years later, these volcanoes are still classed as active. Luckily

this generally means that one of the 130 volcanic mountains just spits out ash and steam every

few hundred years. Sometimes though, a volcano will fully erupt.

One major event took place in 2010. A volcano under an icecap exploded, flooding a lot of

south Iceland with water and then lava. The volcano spewed out thousands of tons of thick

hot ash that was carried with the wind to disrupt flights all across the world and cover much of

Europe in dust. Iceland saw much more disruption in days to follow, with earth tremors,

evacuations and power outages. Two thirds of Iceland’s entire population live in or near its

capital city Reykjavik, which is close to Eyjafjallajökull (Eye-ya-fya-la-yo-kull!) – The volcano

that has just erupted.

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Tsunami

The country of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), located 31 miles off the south-eastern coast of India, was hit by a tsunami triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. A long stretch of Sri Lanka’s coast was devastated by these killer waves, with more than 30,000 dead and staggering 1.5 million people displaced and homeless.

Although 1,600km from the epicentre, the waves struck with huge force and swept inland as far as 5 kilometres. Waves as high as six meters had crashed into coastal villages, sweeping away people, cars and the "Sea Queen" cruise liner moving between Colombo and Galle - killing 1,300 on-board out of the 1,600 passengers.

The coastal lifestyle of people in Sri Lanka contributed to the high death toll. In addition to the high number of fatalities, approximately 90,000 buildings were destroyed. Houses were easily destroyed since they were built mostly from wood. This wooden debris that was left behind is now raising issues of its own. The whole area is in desperate need of immediate aid to prevent the natural disaster from becoming even worse.

The situation during this first

week is critical as very little supplies are being received

by the affected people due to poor road conditions, and

international aid not arriving. The most urgent need at

this stage is to set up refugee camps which can provide

the injured and now homeless with shelter, medical

treatment, food supplies and clean water.

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Earthquake

Nepal is a country located in South Asia bordering China and India. It is a developing country

struggling with high levels of hunger and poverty. Dramatic differences in elevation can be

found across the land ranging from 600m to 8000m where Nepal enters the Himalayan Range.

Due to the above, temperatures vary accordingly depending on the altitude. Daylight is limited

during the winter months however it increases considerably as we move towards the summer.

Nepal lies towards the southern

limit of the collisional boundary

where the Indian Plate, carrying

India under-thrusts the Eurasian

Plate, carrying much of Europe

and Asia. This means that

Nepal is susceptible to

earthquakes as the plates move

along or under each other.

In April of 2015 a massive

earthquake of 7.9 Richter with

epicenter the Gorkha - Kathmandu region (Average altitude 1400m with temperatures ranging

from 4oC in the winter to 25 oC in the summer) occurred. The earthquake was caused by a

sudden thrust as the Indian Plate was slowly diving underneath the Eurasian Plate and was

detectable in areas as far as 1900km away from the epicenter. There were multiple

aftershocks and the consequences for the people living in the affected areas were severe.

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Avalanche

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal triggered a massive avalanche close to the Mount

Everest base camp. The amount of snow and debris that rushed down the mountainside

smothered everything in its path and had severe consequences for the villagers and climbers

in the area.

The Everest base camp is located at an altitude of around 5000m and sees very low

temperatures and strong winds. Thousands of trekkers visit the base camp every year. There

is very limited vehicle access in the area so supplies are shipped by Sherpas and yaks or by

plane. After the avalanche the majority of the camp area was buried under tonnes of snow

and was completely cut off.

Such an event has happened again and your team is called to take action.

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Renewable Energy Information Pack Around the world there are many different opportunities to generate electricity without using

fossil fuels, however sustainable sources are not typically as dependable as using oil and

coal, however they have a much lower impact on the environment, in both extracting and

using the energy with the added bonus of not running out.

Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of

years in some countries for cooking and heating. It is

simply power derived from the Earth's internal heat.

Earth's internal heat is thermal energy generated from

radioactive decay and continual heat loss from Earth's

formation.

This thermal energy is contained in the rock and fluids

beneath Earth's crust. The Earth's natural heat produces

molten rock (magma) which heats/creates reservoirs of

superheated fluids (hot water or brine) at some locations

within relatively shallow distances of the Earth's surface.

These underground reservoirs of steam and hot water can be tapped to generate electricity or

to heat and cool buildings directly.

Geothermal Electricity refers to the power generated using heat from the Earth's core.

Geothermal electricity generation is possible by drilling wells to bring to the surface these

superheated fluids or steam to drive turbines.

It is considered renewable energy because this energy is essentially capturing the nearly

infinite heat which is generated by the ongoing process at the molten core of our planet.

According to the Geothermal Energy Association, the heat continuously flowing from the core

of the Earth is estimated to be equivalent to 42,000 gigawatts (GW) of power (20+ times

today's global electricity generation). If harnessed properly, geothermal could become a

material contributor to global electricity generation. Geothermal power is cost effective,

reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas

near tectonic plate boundaries.

Dry Steam Power Plants

Steam plants are the most cost effective technology when the

geothermal resource produces dry steam. In these plants, steam

is passed directly through a turbine to generate electricity.

The Dry Steam technology allows for the steam from a

geothermal production well to be fed directly to a steam turbine

without a secondary heat exchanger. The turbine then converts

the change in steam pressure to mechanical rotational energy,

which is converted to electrical energy by a generator.

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Flash Steam Power Plants

It is more common for very high temperature geothermal

fluids to be produced from a geothermal resource. This

high temperature pressurized fluid is passed through a low

temperature tank which allows a portion of the flow to flash

off as steam, which is then directed to a turbine to generate

electricity.

The remaining spent geothermal fluid is either returned for

reinjection or, in some cases, may be used for additional

energy generation in a dual flash cycle where a second

flash tank is used to separate the fluid at a lower pressure

to drive the turbine and produce more power.

Binary-Cycle Power Plants

For lower resource temperatures, it is more efficient to

transfer heat from the geothermal fluid to a secondary fluid

with a lower boiling point that vaporizes. These vapours will

then drive the turbine, which generates electricity. Such

plants are called binary since a secondary fluid is used in

the actual power cycle.

Geothermal Energy Fact File

Dry Steam Flash Steam Binary-cycle

Average Output 150kW 150kW £150kW

Average Cost £10,000 £10,000 £12,000

Where Used High geothermal heat making dry steam (drier areas)

High geothermal heat making hot fluids (more humid areas)

Lower resource temperatures

Advantage Cost effective Fluid reused, less wasted energy

Lower temperatures

Disadvantage Expensive Expensive Expensive

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Biomass Biomass is biological material

derived from living, or recently living

organisms. It most often refers to

plants or plant-derived materials

which are specifically called

lignocellulosic biomass. As an

energy source, biomass can either

be used directly via combustion to

produce heat and electricity, or

indirectly after converting it to

various forms of biofuel.

Wood remains the largest biomass energy source

today; examples include forest residues (such as dead

trees, branches and tree stumps), yard clippings, wood

chips and even municipal solid waste. The biomass

used for electricity generation varies by region. Forest

by-products are common in the United States.

Agricultural waste is common in Mauritius (sugar cane

residue) and Southeast Asia (rice husks). Animal

husbandry residues, such as poultry litter, are common

in the UK.

The biomass power generating industry in the United

States, which consists of approximately 11,000 MW of

summer operating capacity actively supplying power to

the grid, produces about 1.4% of the U.S. electricity

supply.

Biomass Fact File

Average Output 250kW

Average Cost £12,000

Where Used Areas with high resource (ie. Wood, agricultural waste)

Advantage Uses waste material to generate electricity

Disadvantage Ash to landfill, release of dirty gasses

Solar Power

Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity,

either directly using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly

using concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar

power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems

to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam.

Photovoltaic cells convert light into electric current using

the photoelectric effect.

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Photovoltaic cells were initially, and still are, used to power

small and medium-sized applications, from

the calculator powered by a single solar cell to off-grid

homes powered by a photovoltaic array.

Photovoltaic systems use no fuel and modules typically last

25 to 40 years. The cost of installation is almost the only

cost, as there is very little maintenance required. 1 watt of

installed photovoltaic generates roughly 1 to 2 kWh/year,

as a result of the local insolation. The product of the local

cost of electricity and the insolation determines the

breakeven point for solar power.

Solar cells produce direct current (DC) power which

fluctuates with the sunlight's intensity. For practical use this

usually requires conversion to certain desired voltages or

alternating current (AC), through the use of inverters.

Multiple solar cells are connected inside modules. Modules

are wired together to form arrays, then tied to an inverter,

which produces power at the desired voltage, and for AC,

the desired frequency/phase.

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems use lenses or

mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of

sunlight into a small beam. The concentrated heat is then

used as a heat source for a conventional power plant. A wide range of concentrating

technologies are being used today. In some hot countries they are used to fire up furnaces to

burn industrial waste.

Solar Power Fact File

Average Output Collection dish =200kW, solar panel =10kW

Average Cost Collection dish =£10,000, solar panel = £1000

Where Used Sunny locations with no obstruction, small-medium sized applications

Advantage Clean, renewable energy, uses no fuel, last a long time, little maintenance

Disadvantage High installation cost

Wind Power Harnessing wind power is becoming more and more common, with environmental concerns

becoming more of an issue in the public eye, people are looking for good solutions to reduce

bills and reduce carbon footprints.

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind

turbines to make electrical power. Large wind farms consist of hundreds of individual wind

turbines which are connected to the electric power transmission network. Offshore wind is

steadier and stronger than on land, and offshore farms have less visual impact, but

construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher.

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Wind power is capital intensive, but has no fuel costs. The marginal cost of wind energy once

a plant is constructed is usually less than 1-cent per kW·h. This means that the profit generated

pays back the cost of construction fairly quickly.

Wind power is very consistent from year to year but has significant variation over shorter time

scales. Wind power hardly ever suffers major technical failures, since failures of individual

wind turbines in a big wind farm have hardly any effect on overall power, so that the distributed

wind power is highly reliable and predictable, whereas conventional generators, while far less

variable, can suffer major unpredictable outages.

Aerodynamic modelling is used to determine the optimum tower height, control systems,

number of blades and blade shape.

Small wind turbines may be used for a variety of applications including on- or off-grid

residences, telecom towers, offshore platforms, rural schools and clinics. Larger, more costly

turbines generally have geared power trains, alternating current output, flaps and are actively

pointed into the wind.

They are also good for producing emergency power when electric goes out. For instance kits

can be used to charge batteries (like a generator) then used when required or provide backup

power to allow you to continue use of essential electrical items in a black out.

How it works? – By applying simple generator technologies, the rotational effect of the turbine

turns a shaft connected to a gearbox. The gearbox can then alternate the speed of the output

shaft to the generator, depending on the speed of the wind. Very similar to a car gearbox,

when you select a low gear for low speeds and a higher gear for higher speeds. After leaving

the gearbox, the output shaft spins the generator.

As with all large scale power stations, electricity is generated by moving loops of copper wire

through a magnetic field. With a wind turbine, it is the shaft attached to the blades that spins

the copper coils. This electricity can then be transferred to batteries.

Wind Power Fact File

Average Output Budget =20kW, mid-range =60kW, deluxe =100kW

Average Cost Budget =£1000, mid-range =£2500, deluxe =£5000

Where Used Area with high wind speeds, high up or by the coast, no debris in the air

Advantage Clean, renewable energy, no fuel costs, profit generated quickly, predictable

Disadvantage Vast cost in initial set up and maintenance, visual impact

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Hydro Power Definition

Hydro-power or water power is power derived from the energy of falling water and running

water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. The first examples of hydropower used

large waterwheels to convert the kinetic energy of the flowing water into mechanical energy of

turning shafts and gears. Often to grind flour or power mechanical machines, once electrical

power was firmly established, some small scale projects use waterfalls or weirs to charge

battery banks as they can be quite cost effective and are relatively simple to install if there is

accurate geographical data.

Most hydropower installations are on a very large scale in order to make the best use of available resources, and to help overcome variations in the water flow and other conditions.

Hydroelectric Dams

A hydroelectric dam is a structure that uses falling or moving water to turn a water wheel or

turbine that drives a mechanical process such as processing materials like grinding flour or

creating electric power.

Large scale dams are used to create electrical energy on an industrial scale. They are located

on big rivers and the dam creates a lake as it

restricts the rivers natural flow. As the height of

the lake is greater than the river, the water has

a vast amount of gravitational potential energy.

The dam allows water to flow through the

structure passing through horizontally mounted

turbines which turn due to the high flow rate

and amount of water. This process turns the

Potential energy (P.E.) of the water into kinetic

energy (K.E.) of the turbine. The kinetic energy

is then transformed into electrical energy by the

electrical generators to create a high energy

output.

Hydroelectric Dam Fact File

Average Output 200 MW

Average Cost £30 Million for a major river

Where Used On a River

Advantage Clean, renewable energy

Disadvantage Vast cost in initial set up, Flooding due to creation of reservoirs

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Pelamis Wave Power Machine- (Sea-Snake)

The Pelamis wave power machine creates electrical power from the oscillating motion of

the sea. The machine is made from a number of sections joined together by hydraulic

joints. As one section experiences an oscillation, the joint causes hydraulic rams to force

hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic generator to create electrical power.

Pelamis Wave Power Fact File

Average Output 750 kW.

Average Cost £1.4 Million

Where Used The machine operates in water depths greater than 50m and is typically installed 2-10km from the coast

Advantage Clean, renewable energy

Disadvantage Location – Needs rough seas and is hard to get to if maintenance is needed

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Appendices

Summary Sheet

OPTIONS DESCRIPTION ENERGY TO RUN

COST PROMPTS

Logis

tics a

nd O

pera

tio

ns

Command and control centre

Camp headquarters, where all logistics and operational decisions are made

300kW £10,000 Each team must have one. Where should this be located in the camp?

Supply depot

Where all food and supplies are stored

100kW £1000 Each team must have one. Where should this be located in the camp?

Canteen

Only place people can get cooked food. 1 canteen = 200 people

80kW First one free, then £10,000

Does it cover enough people?

Waste disposal

Gets rid of rubbish and waste from the camp

- £5000 (large) £2000 (small but only if you have a biomass boiler)

Where should this be located in the camp? Near biomass boiler? Close to houses?

Healthcare

Field hospitals

Large, robust and deals with serious cases. Helps more people but uses more energy. Has lighting and air-con. 200 beds

250kW £500,000 What is the severity of the disaster on people – how bad are the injuries?

Clinic tents

Small, less serious cases but cheap. 20 beds

50kW £50,000 What is the severity of the disaster on people – how bad are the injuries? Tent – what are the weather conditions?

Shelter

Tents

A lot of people in small space but exposed to environment. Not suitable for cold and windy conditions. Need more electricity to heat and light. Have basic washing and toilet facilities. 30 beds

40kW £500 What is the temperature and weather conditions in the area?

Cabins

More expensive, hold less people but better protection. Cabin roof can carry 2 solar panels each. 20 beds.

30kW £1000 What is the temperature and weather conditions in the area?

Waste

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OPTIONS DESCRIPTION ENERGY

PRODUCED COST PROMPTS

Generators

Diesel powered standby generators. Can operate up to 600m high and 40C. If above these conditions, de-rate the power by 3% per 300m and 18% per 10C.

2x 1000 kW at ¼, ½, ¾ or full load (2 weeks fuels if full load)

Free What strategy are the students going for and why?

Geothermal bore hole

- Dry Stem Power Plant

- Flash Steam Power Plant

- Binary Cycle Power Plant

Power derived from Earth’s internal heat.

Which type of power plant did they chose and why

High geothermal heat making dry steam (drier areas)

150kW £10,000

High geothermal heat making hot fluids (more humid areas)

150kW £10,000

Lower resource temperatures 150kW £25,000

Solar collection dish

Conversion of sunlight into electricity. Used to power small and medium-sized applications

200kW £10,000 Is there enough sunlight / anything blocking sunlight?

Cabin roof solar set

Can be fitted onto a cabin. 2 solar sets can fit onto 1 cabin.

10kW £1000 Is there enough sunlight / anything blocking sunlight? Are there enough cabins for them?

Hydropower pump Power derived from the energy of falling water and running water. Usually large scale to make use of resource

300kW £25,000 What is the water source/ Is it nearby?

Wind Turbine kit 1 (budget)

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy. It is capital intensive, but has no fuel costs.

20kW £1,000 Is there enough wind / anything blocking the wind?

Wind Turbine kit 2 (mid-range)

60kW £2,500 Think about the power required.

Wind Turbine kit 3 (deluxe)

100kW £5,000 Where is this going to be placed.

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OPTIONS DESCRIPTION ENERGY

PRODUCED COST

Biomass boiler

Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat and electricity, or indirectly after converting it to various forms of biofuel. Biomass energy sources include wood, agricultural waste and animal husbandry residues.

250kW £12,000 What is going in the boiler? Which waste disposal unit are you using (recommend small one)? Think about impact on the environment

Hydroelectric dam

Large scale dams are used to create electrical energy on an industrial scale. They are located on big rivers

30,000 kW £3 mill Can you afford this?

Pelamis Wave Power Machine

Creates electrical power from the oscillating motion of the sea

750 kW £1.4 mill Can you afford this?