Objectives
This section will help you to
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understand, generally, where the U.S. gets its energy resources;
Clinton Power Station is small nuclear power plant located in Clinton, IL just 170 miles east of Indianapolis. This plant produces 1065 megawatts of electricity. That is enough to power about 700,000 average American homes. President Obama’s administration is working on developing our Nation’s Nuclear Power as a means to off-set our dependency on foreign sources of energy, namely oil from Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, and the Middle East. (Photo Credit: NRC) - understand “Peak Oil” and its importance to our future oil needs;
- describe the general patterns of energy consumption in the U.S. and Indiana;
- explain where and how Indiana obtains its energy resources;
- identify the types of major fossil fuels and their environmental impacts;
- understand how nuclear, geothermal, solar, water (hydropower), and wind energy work, the pros and cons of each, and their current and expected (future) use – make a table!;
- explain the problems with current transportation norms in the U.S. (and other developed countries) and what the alternatives are;
- recognize how a hybrid car works and how it compares to a normal car; and
- interpret important issues related to energy policy, energy conservation, and the concept of sustainable energy development.
If you would like a guide to help you to achieve these learning objectives for this module, please click here for an “Objective Guide.”