Student Activities

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Case Study

Teacher's Notes

Lower Secondary

Introductory activities

1. a) As a class, list the main uses of electricity in your daily life.
   Discuss what might happen if the power supply was shut down for any length of time.

   b) Using your atlas, locate the Avarali ranges, Sirohi, Abu Road and Kota.
   Discuss the features of this region such as roads and rail, rivers and lakes etc.

   c) Discuss the ways that electricity might be used by the local people in their daily lives.

   d) Discuss what life might be like for people without access to reliable electricity supplies.

   e) Brainstorm what is meant by the term 'renewable energy'.

   Read the case study.

2. In pairs, list the main difficulties experienced with electricity by the people of Mt. Abu. Compare these with any problems you may have experienced or know about in your own home or community.

3. Imagine you are a tourist visiting Mt. Abu. Write a postcard home to Australia describing one main problem with the power supply e.g. a bad storm or electricity theft.

4. In pairs, discuss the likely benefits of the Academy for a Better World's renewable energy projects. List the ways in which each of these reduces the need for mains power.

5. Write a newspaper article that highlights how the sun and the wind can change the lives of people in remote areas. Make your headline eye-catching.

6. In small groups, use butcher paper to draw a cause and effect wheel that shows the full range of likely benefits from using renewable, rather than mains energy.

7. Choose one of the above benefits and in pairs, design and make a poster that highlights this e.g. cost savings, environmental improvement etc. The slogan should reinforce this.

8. As a group project, investigate the uses of power in each group member's household. List the watts used by each appliance and calculate the daily usage. Is this more or less than the 1,000 watts provided from the solar-wind hybrid system? How could this amount be reduced? List the benefits for your family, community and the planet.

9. As a class discuss any renewable energy systems that you know about in your own community such as solar hot water heating, wind generated water pumps, solar heated swimming pools etc.

10. Australia is promoting the use of "green power". What does this mean? Contact your local electricity supplier, council and environmental groups for information. As a class organise a display for your school or local library that promotes its use.

11. There are many people living in remote areas across Australia. As a class discuss how their needs for power might be met.

    Follow up activities.
    Based on extra resources

12. Browse the Internet web sites listed in the resources guide. Search out the information on remote area power supplies (RAPS). In groups, create a display or report and share these.

13. In pairs, Design a house based on renewable energy and energy conservation. Take into account all basic daily needs, the siting of the house for maximum sunshine use, building materials, trees for shade etc.

14. Based on the Global Warming - Cool It guide, prepare a 6 month energy conservation plan for your home or school. Monitor and audit your the results each month. Determine the economic and environmental savings.