Watch videos on energy poverty
Energy Poverty (1:25)
William Kamkambwa's Story (5:43)
Engage students in a discussion of how and why providing energy to everyone is still an issue today. This process is intended to create questions for inquiry and further research into the issue.
Optional/Additional Resources
Design Challenge narrative
It is estimated that 1.1 billion people around the globe lack access to electricity, with major concentrations in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia (India, China, etc.). Why is a complete lack of access to electricity concentrated in those areas? Where else does this severe energy poverty exist? No access to electricity means that energy needs for survival and day-to-day tasks depend on more traditional energy sources, primarily the combustion of biofuels. Reliance on these more primitive energy sources has other consequences for the environment and human health. What are some examples of these traditional fuels and what are the related consequences? How long has electricity been readily available in more developed parts of the world? Why is it still difficult today to provide power where people need it in least developed countries? What challenges still exist to provide electricity to these areas and what are some opportunities for these communities afforded by modern technology?
Students should work in groups of 3-4.
The objective of this design challenge is for the students to identify an issue or problem for those that endure a complete or near-complete lack of access to modern energy sources and to develop a potential solution to that issue. The big problem is energy poverty but the students will need to identify a smaller, specific problem that exists for someone that experiences or has experienced extreme energy poverty and engineer a potential solution for the problem. One of the first priorities will be doing research on energy poverty and identifying interview candidates that have experienced lack of access to energy. Once they understand the issues these people face they will: 1) develop an activity that helps others empathize with a specific problem that the user experiences, 2) run that activity with test groups to receive feedback and make improvements, and 3) engineer a product to address the problem. The project culminates in a TED Talk-style symposium where the student group will have a limited time to tell the story of their user and show their product as a solution to a problem that their user experiences.
For the instructor there is some flexibility in this challenge for you to direct the learning objectives or to leave the challenge wide open. For example, if you would like to dive deeper into solar energy you could direct the students to develop a solar solution and use the challenge as an opportunity to deliver solar energy content. Additionally there is opportunity to drive multiple standards, solar + wind, batteries + electricity, etc. Study each and let them make decisions based on their understanding of the advantages and constraints of each type of energy. Or leave the challenge open and allow the students to choose their project and demonstrate their own learning and mastery of relevant standards.
There is also an opportunity for you to drive the project in a specific direction. For example: energy poverty issues related to schooling in least developed nations, providing healthcare, cooking, agriculture, etc. These types of issues might be discovered during a group brainstorm or small group research. After identifying and discussing concerns as a class perhaps each group might pick one topic each to pursue. The key component in any case is student choice but it's up to you to decide how much you'd like to constrain or guide the project.
While tackling the challenge, all students should engage in the complete engineering design process using the EDPL to record their steps. The process begins with students researching energy poverty problems and concerns and developing a user profile to guide the Problem Understanding step.
1-2: Create an understanding of how we use energy in our every day lives
3: Develop a definition of energy poverty and how the definition may vary depending on location, scope or subject
4: Identify and interview a user that experiences or has experienced energy poverty
5: Curate a list of guides and constraints based on user feedback and knowledge of the user's circumstances
6: Focus on one energy poverty issue that the user experiences
7: Brainstorm ideas for solutions and evaluate against criteria developed based on guides and constraints
Prototyping an Activity and a Device
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