Unit of Inquiry: Energy

Central Idea: Our use of energy resources

impacts our environment and the way we live
Summative Assessment 22 January 2015

The impact of energy usage on the environment and

people, using Hong Kong as an example.

About Hong Kong

One of the most densely populated cities on earth!
Around seven million people in a really small space
Therefore Hong Kong uses A LOT of power
So, two questions :
1: where does Hong Kong get its power from?
2: how is that power generated?

How is power generated

A turbine creates electricity by spinning a metal rod which
is connected to gears and turns an electric motor.

The Grid?
What is the grid? The grid is simply those ugly electrical power
lines that you see running along the side of the road. Although
they are ugly, those power lines are very important.
You know what a power station is, right? A power station
regulates the amount of power that goes to your house. One
house uses about 903 kWh per month, but a power station
pumps out around 20,000 kWh a week! Theres billions of
megawatts going back and forth in the grid, and if all that
electricity went into your house it would short circuit the whole
house. You need a step-down transformer to convert the power
from 200,000 kWh to 903 kWh.
*Refers to the U.S.

How could Hong Kong get its

power
Hong Kong could get its power by:
Wind farm
Nuclear
Coal
Solar
Hydro
Oil
Gas

How does Hong Kong

gets its power?
Percentage

23
54

Coal
Natural Gas
Nuclear

23

They import their nuclear power from mainland China.

Coal
Hong Kong government says that natural gas and oil are
the culprits for Hong Kong's pollution, but its really a coal
power plant located on Lamma Island.

How coal is made into energy

Like gas and oil, coal is put into a chamber and burned
below another chamber and boils the water. This creates
steam and turns a bunch of turbines which are connected
to wires and gets uploaded to the grid for your needs.

Cause and effect for Coal

Coal is burned
People are digging in the
mine
Adds to the green house
effect
Those people get black
lung disease

Natural Gas
WARNING! this is not the smelly kind of natural gas
Natural gas is drilled for like oil except its a bit harder to
contain since it is a gas.

How Natural gas is made into power

The gas is burned in a metal container and heats up a
tank of water which creates steam and turns a bunch of
turbines, those turbines are connected to an electric
generator and that is wired to a transformer and then
stores the power in the grid. (the grid is where all of a
countrys power is put for usage)

Pros and Cons

Pros
Great for heating
Good for cooking
Fuels hot air balloons
Its clean
Cons
Smells
Highly flammable
Hard to contain
Expensive

Nuclear power
Nuclear power is generated by heating water through the
energy created by nuclear fuel rods in a reactor. Heat is
created by having a controlled nuclear explosion.
Hong Kong doesnt have its own nuclear reactor. It buys
the power from a nuclear power plant in mainland China.

How does nuclear power work?

1.Uranium is put into fuel cells which are lowered into a
reactor.
2.When many fuel cells are close together they release
atoms which split and multiply. This is called nuclear
fission.
3.The energy released creates friction which heats the
water and produces steam.
4.The steam drives the turbine and runs the generator!

Cause and Effect

Plant explodes
Radiation leaks
Uranium runs out

Nuclear fallout
Radiation poisoning
No more power

Pros and Cons

Pros
One nuclear power plant can run at a 91%! efficiency
rate
Quite clean
Cons
Produces 2,000 metric tons of radio active waste!
High risk if there is a safety failure

Summary
Hong Kong is paying a cheap price for its power if you
measure it in dollars.
But, its paying a big price if you measure in human
health.

References
"Energy.gov." How Do Wind Turbines Work? N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
N.p., n.d. Web.
http://burnanenergyjournal.com/power-grid-technology/
Dad
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-nuclear-energy
http://www.energyland.emsd.gov.hk/en/enrgy/renewable/index.html
http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=1
http://www.eia.gov/kids/egergy.cfm?page=riddles
Mum
http://enerhope.advancedwebsites.ca/images/jan11cogen/Slide2.JPG