The article outlines a couple of the most recent resources developed by the Centre for Alternative Technology for teaching about energy. The key elements are providing sound information on all the significant sources and inspiring pupils to make their own decisions about energy futures based on evidence. Our experience is that engaging pupils in…

The purpose of this activity is to make students aware that there is no free energy source for the present or the future and that all technologies are potential threats to the environment. The activity consists of a short reading (discussing basic trade-offs, issues, and decisions related to petroleum, coal, and nuclear energy sources) and student…

Problem Statement: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has found itself at a decision point. Vogtle depends on their natural draft cooling towers to remove heat from the power cycle. Depending on the efficiency of the towers, the cycle can realize more or less power…

Stresses the importance of energy education and discusses various aspects of and trends related to energy in the United States. These include energy costs, recession and energy conservation, the nuclear debate, environmental concerns (including acid rain), solar energy, technological developments, energy policy/politics, and projection of energy…

Nuclear power was considered vital to humanity's future until just a short time ago. Since the late seventies, economic viability has joined a list of such issues as waste disposal and radiation hazards which call into question the future of nuclear power. This document discusses (in separate sections): (1) the selling of nuclear power, including…

There is a pressing need for the involvement of the educational community in electrical energy matters. The case for that involvement is persuasive as evidenced by examples of energy illiteracy in the mass communication media. Intellectual wastelands breed governmental indecision and foster conditions in which the entrepreneurial sector cannot…

A meta-analysis of theoretical debates concerned with the assessment of risk associated with the use of nuclear power as an energy source is presented in this paper. Based on a central premise that risk assessment has a direct impact on national policy decisions and is associated with different perspectives reflective of different social sectors,…