Management

School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota Physics 1001, Energy and the Environment, Paper 1 due:Friday, October 18, 2013 You are to write a 2-3 page (double spaced, typed) paper on the subject: ”To what extent can hydropower be expected to meet electrical energy needs in the US and in China in the coming decades?” The paper should have 3 parts: 1. An introduction which defines the terms in the question clearly, including a brief explanation of the physical processes involved in storing energy as gravitational potential energy in water behind dams and converting it to electrical energy. 2. A middle section presenting facts relevant to the question, including total electrical energy needs (estimated from tables in the book or elsewhere, properly referenced), how much energy is available from a lake of given size and elevation, and an estimate of how many lakes of what area and elevation would be required to provide various fractions of the needed energy. This section should also present information you have found on the environmental impacts of building dams for hydropower generation and the associated costs and limitations for hydropower development. Use principles you have been learning in the course to make the estimates and compare your estimates with whatever information you can find in the book or the library (properly referenced). 3. Use the information given in section 2. to draw the best conclusions you can about the answer to the question. Include a discussion of the environmental impacts of building enough dams to provide various fractions of the total electrical energy needs.

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