How Much Land Does It Take to Power the World?
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Economics, Engineering
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Provided by TED-Ed
What it is
- This animated video from TED-Ed compares how much space would be needed to power the world using fossil fuels, nuclear power, wind power, and solar panels.
- The video discusses other factors that need to be taken into account, including other environmental impacts, the costs of each, the wastes produced (if any), and the availability of natural resources required.
- This video is accompanied by five multiple-choice and three short-answer questions, along with links to additional resources.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video makes easy-to-understand comparisons between energy sources.
- It touches on the benefits and drawbacks of each energy source.
Prerequisites
- The video references Grand Bahama island, Delaware, South Korea, and Mexico for size comparisons. The video shows their relative size but it may be helpful for students to also see these on a map.
- Students should already be familiar with how these energy sources are used for electricity.
- Students must create an account to save their answers to the questions, and teachers can create an account to view and download these answers or customize the lesson.
- There is an ad before the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Resources that can help students further explore the geographic suitability of some energy types include this map that displays solar energy potential, this video about global wind patterns, and this map that displays all the energy infrastructure and resources in the U.S.
- In an economics class, students can further explore the upfront and marginal costs of the different types of energy.
- Another resource related to land use and energy production is the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator.
From the scientist review
The different ways we generate electricity all require different spatial needs. This TED-Ed video highlights those differences. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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