How much coal is required to power your home?
Simulation
Our home appliances work like magic, but have you thought about how we generated the electricity to make them work?
In this simulation you'll explore the effect of using a range of household appliances and then amplify that effect over entire countries.
Instructions
Click on appliances in the house to turn them on.
Click on the same appliance again to turn it off.
Observe the effect on the coal consumption per minute.
You can change countries by clicking on the map.
Discussion questions
How much coal is used up by leaving the lights on when you're out?
How much coal is used up if all of the United States played Playstation for an hour?
Details
NGSS
- DCI | ESS3.A: Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for many different resources. Minerals, fresh water, and biosphere resources are limited, and many are not renewable or replaceable over human lifetimes. These resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes.
- PE | MS-ESS3-4: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.
Learning Objectives
Understand the connection between appliance use and the resources required to power those appliances at scale.
Concepts
Energy
Energy Efficiency
Electricity generation
Coal-fired power station
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