Weighing Energy Resources
Aligned to HS-ESS3-2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Every way of getting energy or minerals has both benefits and costs, so choices are made by comparing cost-benefit ratios. Factors include price, available supply, environmental damage, and how long the resource will last.
Worked examples
Example 1
A town choosing between a coal plant and a solar farm weighs trade-offs: coal is cheap to build and runs at night but pollutes the air and adds carbon dioxide, while solar is clean but costs more upfront and only makes power when the sun shines.
Example 2
Compare over the whole lifetime. Solar costs more to build and almost nothing to run; coal is the reverse, plus a fuel bill forever.
Example 3
The cheapest option on a spreadsheet can be the most expensive in practice, once health costs from air pollution are counted.
Practice questions
- Observe: No energy source is free of drawbacks. What categories of cost and benefit would you need to compare fairly?
- Model: Make a two-column table listing the costs and benefits of two energy sources for a specific community.
- Explain: Evaluate whether a windy coastal town should build wind turbines or a natural gas plant, and justify your recommendation using cost-benefit reasoning.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Evaluar recursos energéticos
Cada forma de obtener energía o minerales tiene beneficios y costos, así que las decisiones se toman comparando relaciones costo-beneficio. Los factores incluyen el precio, el suministro disponible, el daño ambiental y cuánto durará el recurso.
Ejemplo 1: Un pueblo que elige entre una planta de carbón y un parque solar sopesa ventajas y desventajas: el carbón es barato de construir y funciona de noche pero contamina el aire y agrega dióxido de carbono, mientras que la energía solar es limpia pero cuesta más al inicio y solo genera cuando hay sol.
Ejemplo 2: Compara a lo largo de toda la vida útil. La solar cuesta más construirla y casi nada operarla; el carbón es al revés, más una factura de combustible para siempre.
Ejemplo 3: La opción más barata en una hoja de cálculo puede ser la más cara en la práctica, una vez que se cuentan los costos de salud por contaminación del aire.
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