Teaching about Energy with Google EarthGlenn A. Richard

Mineral Physics Institute

Stony Brook University

Dixie Valley is a dual-flash geothermal plant located in Dixie Valley, Nevada. It has a nameplate capacity of 60.5 megawatts and an average output of 60 megawatts. The plant has been in operation since 1988.

Energy produced by the plant is under contact to Sierra Pacific Power Company. It is connected to the electric grid via a 228 mile transmission line to a utility substation.

Photo and descriptive information from from Nevada State Office of Energy http://energy.state.nv.us/html_info/dixie.html

Google Earth image

GEO 311: Geoscience and Global ConcernsStony Brook University

GEO 311: Geoscience and Global ConcernsTopics Covered During Tuesday Computer Laboratory Sessions — Fall, 2008

September 9, 2008 - Northwest PassageSeptember 16, 2008 - Energy Consumption Rates across the USA and the WorldSeptember 23, 2008 - Overview of Oil Reserves, Production and ConsumptionOctober 7, 2008 - Trends in Oil ConsumptionOctober 14, 2008 - Predictions of World Oil ReservesOctober 21 and 28, 2008 - Selecting Sites for Renewable Energy ProjectsNovember 4, 2008 - The Boxing Day TsunamiNovember 11 and 18, 2008 - Carbon in the AtmosphereNovemner 25, 2008 - Nuclear Half-LivesDecember 2, 2008 - Potential Tidal Energy SitesDecember 9, 2008 - Solar Photovoltaic Energy

Tuesday Computer Laboratory Sessions – Students work in small groups to investigate energy and other topics.Enrollment includes geoscience majors and non-majors

Where’sthis?

BuffaloMountain,WV (Coal)

Google Earth image

Why teach with Google Earth? GE presents data in a geographic context. GE Includes imagery and layers; Lots of third-party data available. GE is appropriate for educational use in a wide range of subject areas. GE is an effective tool for integrating the study of multiple disciplines. GE has a large active user community with a public discussion forum. GE enables users to easily create and display their own data. GE can be launched easily to explore an issue that arises during an

informal discussion. Students need exercise in spatial thinking.List adapted from SERC: Why Teach With Google Earth?http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/google_earth/why.html(Part of the Teaching with Google Earth module)

Frontier Refining, Cheyenne, WY

Where’s this?

Google Earth image

Why use Google Earth to Teach about Energy?

• Many energy-related phenomena are geographic in nature.– Where’s the oil? Who’s using it up?– What is the average wind speed here?– Where are the sunny places?– What is the tidal range here?– Where’s the geothermal potential?– Where are the brownfields?

• Energy is an interdisciplinary topic.• GE can relate energy to features visible on the Earth’s

surface, or to other geological features that can be mapped.• GE can juxtapose KML or other data from multiple sources

to investigate phenomenological relationships.

Altamont Pass, CAWhere’s this?

Google Earth image

The 10,000-Foot Viewcan be used to initiate discussions about energy.

NorthportPowerStation,Long Island

WinooskiOne, Vermont

NiagaraFalls,New York

Coal Mine, Garzweiler, Germany

Wind Farm,Arlington,Wyoming

ThreeGorgesDam,China

La Rance Tidal Barrage,France

Freight Train Cars,Chicago

Site of Wave Farm,Aguçadoura, Portugal

SuncorRefinery,Denver,Colorado

Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant,New York

Chernobyl

Yucca Mountain,Nevada

C.A.C.T.U.S.Telescope,Barstow,California

Grand Coulee Dam,Washington

Athabasca,Alberta

Google Earth images

Reference Tool during Lectures and Seminar Discussions

Easy to assemble existing data from multiple sources to explore a topic.

Overlay image from: Nevada Transmission System Detailshttp://gov.state.nv.us/RETAAC-I/FinalReport/RETAAC%20Phase%20I%20Appendix%20II.pdfDixie Valley placemark from Google Earth Community: Geothermal Power Facilitieshttp://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=1033797

Can find maps to create overlays quickly during a lab activity or informal class discussion in a computer lab.

Google Earth: effective for “quick studies”.

Overlay: Nevada Transmission System

Where’s this?

LarderelloGeothermalPlant, Italy

Google Earth images

Google Earth image

Energy Consumption Rates across the USA and the World

Students use data from the Google Earth Community and BP to compare state and international rates of energy consumption.

•What country consumes oil at the highest rate per capita? •What states consume oil at the highest rates per capita, according to the map?•What do you believe may be the explanation for the order of these rankings?

Height of each prism proportional to per capita rate of oil consumption for each state or country.

Selected States Energy Table

Google Earth images

Selecting Sites for Renewable Energy Projects

Students create overlays and use other data from the Energy Information Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency for site selection.

Google Earth with overlays of maps from the Energy Information Administration and polluted site data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Student groups choose and mark locations for facilities that utilize each of the following types of energy sources and provide explanations for their selections. •Solar Energy •Bioenergy •Hydroelectricity •Tidal Power •Wind Energy •Wave Energy •Geothermal Energy

From Wikipedia: Wind power

P = ρ AV3

Google Earth image

Potential Tidal Energy SitesBoundary and tidal range data for estuaries used in ArcGIS and Excel to quantify tidal energy for power generation through a barrage and to assess possible adverse environmental effects.

Although this activity uses ArcGIS, it is being adapted for Google Earth.

Need to determine areas of estuaries.

• Cannot be done directly with free version of Google Earth, but could be estimated.

• Easier to measure with GE Pro.

• Can be calculated using ArcGIS.

(Proportional to the square of the tidal range)

Gravitational potential energy

Ep = ½ A ρ g h2

Environmental Consequences of Using Tidal Energy

Existence of salt marshes on Long Island Sound depends upon tides. These marshes can be seen on Google Earth. Tidal barrages alter the tidal cycle.

Usine marémotrice de la Rance,France

Flax Pond Tidal Marsh,Long Island Sound

Google Earth images

Northwest PassageStudents use data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center inGoogle Earth to …• Observe and explain seasonal and long term changes in ice extent.• Measure impacts of the melting of polar ice on lengths of shipping routes.

Data from National Snow and Ice Data Center. Northwest Passage, sans some of the ice.Google Earth image

Needs

• More geographic data for energy sources, infrastructure, etc.• Good documentation with metadata• Data access and visualizations tools (e.g., Google Earth API applications)• Better search capabilities for finding datasets• New interdisciplinary educational materials• Energized network of people interested in energy education

Solar One, Solar Two Power Tower Projects, then C.A.C.T.U.S. Telescope, Barstow, CA34° 52′ 18.73″ N, 116° 50′ 3.08″ W

Where’s this?

“This workshop … … will bring together geoscience educators, research scientists, economists and policy experts to share their understanding about energy in the context of teaching and learning geoscience. The workshop will also showcase approaches for teaching about energy and provide a forum to develop new educational materials”.

Google Earth image