Energy SFW Conventional Energy Technologies and The Grid (September 2008)

Skills for Work:
Energy
Intermediate 2
Conventional Energy
Technologies and the Grid
Support Material
September 2008
Energy: Conventional Energy Technologies and the Grid – (Intermediate 2)
Acknowledgements
SFEU is grateful to the subject specialists in Scotland’s Colleges and other
agencies and industry bodies who have been involved in the writing of this and
other support materials in the Skills for Work series. SFEU is also grateful for the
contribution of the Scottish Qualifications Authority in the compilation of these
materials, specifically for its permission to reproduce extracts from Course and
Unit Specifications and the Skills for Work Rationale.
We are also grateful to the following for permission to use images
Ryan James King

Gary Honeyman
Scottish Gazetteer
Scottish and Southern Energy
RS Components
Voith-Siemens
The National Grid
Carnegie College
© Scottish Further Education Unit 2008
Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU)

Argyll Court
Castle Business Park
Stirling
FK9 4TY
website: www.sfeu.ac.uk
e-mail: sfeu@sfeu.ac.uk
SFEU is a Registered Scottish Charity No. SC021876 and a

Company Limited by Guarantee No. SC143514 VAT No. 617148346
These support materials were produced with assistance from the European Social Fund.
Scottish Further Education Unit 3


Energy (Intermediate 2)
Energy: Conventional Energy
Technologies and the Grid
F3FV 11
Introduction
These notes are provided to support teachers and lecturers presenting the
Scottish Qualifications Authority Course F3FV 11, Energy: Conventional Energy
Technologies and the Grid (Intermediate 2).
Copyright for this pack is held by the Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU).
However, teachers and lecturers have permission to use the pack and reproduce
items from the pack provided that this is to support teaching and learning
processes and that no profit is made from such use. If reproduced in part, the
source should be acknowledged.
Enquiries relating to this support pack or issues relating to copyright should be

addressed to:
Marketing Officer - Communications

The Scottish Further Education Unit
Argyll Court
Castle Business Park
Stirling
FK9 4TY
Website: www.sfeu.ac.uk
Further information regarding this Unit including Unit Specifications, National

Assessment Bank materials, Centre Approval and certification can be obtained
from:
The Scottish Qualifications Authority

Optima Building
58 Robertson Street
Glasgow
G2 8DQ
Website: www.sqa.org.uk

Class Sets
Class sets of this pack may be purchased direct from the printer. Costs are
dependent on the size of the pack and the number of copies. Please contact:
Elanders Hindson
Merlin Way
New York Business Park
North Tyneside
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Tel: 0191 280 0400

e-mail: info@elandershindson.co.uk
Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this support pack,
teachers and lecturers should satisfy themselves that the information passed to
candidates is accurate and in accordance with the current SQA arrangements
documents. SFEU will accept no responsibility for any consequences deriving
either directly or indirectly from the use of this pack.

Contents
How to Use this Pack 9
Reference Section 10
What are Skills for Work Courses all about? 11
The Course in Energy (Intermediate 2) 14
Unit Outcomes, PCs and Evidence Requirements 17
Employability Skills Profile 20
Careers Scotland Support 21
Tutor Support Section 22

Learning and Teaching with Under 16s 23
General Guidance on Unit Delivery 27
Unit Induction 27
Learning and Teaching Approach 27
Resources 30
Signposting of Employability Skills 34
Generating Evidence and Assessment Opportunities for Employability Skills 35
Suggested Answers to Student Activities 40
Student Support Section 44

Tutor Note on Student Activities 45
Welcome to Energy: Conventional Technology and the Grid 46
Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy: Carbon Footprint 48
Energy: Loss, Efficiency and Consumption 50
Power Stations 58
Oil Fired Power Stations 58
Coal Fired Power Stations 61
Gas Fired Power Stations 64
Nuclear Power Stations 68
Hydro Power Stations 76
Hydro Power Engineers 77

Turbines 79
The National Grid 85
Substations 91
Transformers 91
Busbars 93
Switchgear 95
The Future of Electricity Supplies 99
Glossary of Terms 101
Appendix 103

How to Use this Pack

None of the material in this pack is mandatory. Rather, it is intended as a guide
and an aid to delivery of the Unit and aims to provide centres with a flexible set of
materials and activities which can be selected, adapted and used in whatever way
suits individual circumstances. It may also be a useful supplement to tried and
tested materials that you have developed yourself. The pack is available on the
SFEU website in Word format to enable you to customise it to suit your own
needs.
The pack is organised into several sections:
The Reference Section provides information on the rationale for, and ethos
behind, Skills for Work courses, the course rationale, the Unit Outcomes and
evidence requirements and the Employability Skills Profile for Skills for Work
Energy: (Intermediate 2), showing where the specified employability skills and
attitudes can be evidenced and assessed throughout the Course and in this unit.
The Tutor Support Section contains a suggested approach to teaching the Unit,
advice on learning and teaching with under-16s, guidance on unit induction, unit
delivery and advice on integrating the development of employability skills
throughout the unit. Industrial visits and lectures from external industry experts
would help enhance the teaching process. Finally, this section suggests resources
which may be useful for tutors and students.
The Student Support Section contains guidance and instruction on how students
should approach the methods available to seek out information for investigations.
The student notes provided do not constitute comprehensive coverage of
conventional technologies and the grid because it is expected that the students
will research and investigate the topics themselves. However, industry specific
websites are suggested. Internet access will be required to complete this unit.
The investigation brief and worksheets are contained in the NAB for the Unit.
You may wish to place material from the student notes on your own Intranet by
downloading this pack from the Skills for Work section of the SFEU website
http://www.sfeu.ac.uk/skills_for_work
Activities are identified with the symbol:

Reference Section

What are Skills for Work Courses all about?
Skills for Work Courses are designed to help candidates to develop:

• skills and knowledge in a broad vocational area
• Core Skills
• an understanding of the workplace
• positive attitudes to learning
• skills and attitudes for employability.
A key feature of these Courses is the emphasis on experiential learning. This

means learning through practical experience and learning by reflecting on
experience.
Learning through practical experience

Teaching/learning programmes should include some or all of the following:
• learning in real or simulated workplace settings
• learning through role play activities in vocational contexts
• carrying out case study work
• planning and carrying out practical tasks and assignments.
Learning through reflecting at all stages of the experience
Teaching/learning programmes should include some or all of the following:

• preparing and planning for the experience
• taking stock throughout the experience - reviewing and adapting as necessary
• reflecting after the activity has been completed - evaluating, self-assessing and
identifying learning points.
The Skills for Work Courses are also designed to provide candidates with
opportunities for developing Core Skills and enhancing skills and attitudes for
employability.

Core Skills
The five Core Skills are:
• Communication
• Numeracy
• Information Technology
• Problem Solving
• Working with Others
Employability
The skills and attitudes for employability, including self-employment, are outlined
below:
• generic skills/attitudes valued by employers
• understanding of the workplace and the employee’s responsibilities, for
example timekeeping, appearance, customer care
• self-evaluation skills
• positive attitude to learning
• flexible approaches to solving problems
• adaptability and positive attitude to change
• confidence to set goals, reflect and learn from experience.
• specific vocational skills/knowledge
• Course Specifications highlight the links to National Occupational
Standards in the vocational area and identify progression opportunities
Opportunities for developing these skills and attitudes are highlighted in each of
the Course and Unit Specifications. These opportunities include giving young
people direct access to workplace experiences or, through partnership
arrangements, providing different learning environments and experiences which
simulate aspects of the workplace. These experiences might include visits, visiting
speakers, role play and other practical activities.

A Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Executive 2004) identifies aspirations for

every young person. These are that they should become:
• successful learners
• confident individuals
• responsible citizens
• effective contributors.
The learning environments, the focus on experiential learning and the

opportunities to develop employability and Core Skills in these Courses contribute
to meeting these aspirations.

The Course in Energy (Intermediate 2)

Course Rationale
This Course is intended to equip candidates with the necessary knowledge and
skills which will enhance their prospects for employment in the wide range of
opportunities within energy sectors. The Course will allow candidates to develop a
range of employability skills which are of particular relevance to energy industries.
Core Skills of Information Technology and Problem Solving will also be developed
throughout the Course where opportunities arise. The Course will offer a variety of
approaches to learning and teaching and will include a strong element of
experiential learning. It is intended that some of the Course will be delivered and
assessed in a different learning environment to that of the school through a
partnership arrangement with a college, training provider, or employer.
There are many technologies used in the production of energy and this course
has been designed to contain both an electrical generation practical/skills element
using wind turbines and a heat generation practical/skills element using solar
panels. These elements were selected to ensure candidates received a range of
skills using different technologies that are involved in the generation of energy.
Other systems used to generate energy from both the traditional/conventional and
renewable systems will be discussed and evaluated during the Course.
The primary target group for this Course is school candidates in S3 and S4.
However, the Course is also suitable for S5/S6 candidates and adult candidates
who are seeking to enhance their employability and vocational skills in the energy
sector.
The general aims of the Course are to:
• widen participation in vocationally-related learning for 14–16 year olds

• allow candidates to experience vocationally-related learning
• provide candidates with a broad introduction to the energy sector
• allow candidates the opportunity to develop skills relevant to the micro-
generation energy sector
• develop the candidates’ engineering skills
• encourage candidates to evaluate the impact of energy generation on the
environment
• encourage candidates to foster a good work ethic, including timekeeping, a
positive attitude and other relevant employability skills
• provide opportunities to develop a range of Core Skills in a realistic context
• encourage candidates to take charge of their own learning and development
• provide a range of teaching, learning, and assessment styles to motivate
candidates to achieve their full potential

• facilitate progression to further education and/or training
In particular, the specific aims of the Course are to:

• encourage candidates to consider a career in the energy sector
• develop an awareness of the role of conventional and renewable energy
systems in the UK
• develop an awareness of what opportunities there may be within the sector in
terms of the types and range of career options
• provide candidates with knowledge and skills which are directly relevant to
employment within the energy sector, eg. solar hot water and wind turbines
• provide opportunities for the personal development of skills and attitudes which
will improve the candidates’ employment potential within the energy sector
• develop the candidates’ awareness of their individual strengths and
weaknesses in relation to the requirements of the sector, and to reflect on how
this affects their employability potential
• raise awareness of the impact of the energy sector on the environment
• raise awareness of the responsibilities of the energy industry with regard to the
environment
Rationale for Course content
The production and use of energy is important in everyone’s life and is also an
important area of study and work. It is central to how we reduce our impact on the
environment when generating heat or electrical energy or power and to reducing
our CO2 emissions which are widely claimed to have an impact on climate change.
The generation of energy has traditionally been done through the use of fossil
fuels; oil, gas, and coal, with some renewable energy produced from hydro power.
Nuclear power was seen, and is still seen by some, as a method of generating
energy with zero carbon emissions, but the disposal of the radioactive spent fuel
is of major concern and this can counteract the advantages it has with zero
carbon emissions.
The development of most renewable energy systems is a recent innovation where

energy is generated from renewable energy sources, eg. wind, solar, geothermal,
bio-fuels, tidal, and wave. These systems have the advantage of generating
power with virtually zero carbon emissions. The bio-fuels and geothermal systems
can release power on demand, but most of the others depend of sources of
energy outwith the control of human beings, and consequently, do not have a
constant power output. For example, solar is not effective at night or when it is
particularly cold and cloudy; wind is not effective at low wind speeds or very high
wind speeds, and while tides are regular, they occur only a few times per week
and wind is required to generate waves in our oceans or seas.

The main themes of the course are: conventional energy production, renewable
energy production, converting energy from one form to another, industrial or
domestic energy generation facilities, practical work with solar panels and wind
turbines (integrating team work into the assembly process), and investigating
careers within the energy sector.
Optional areas covered are the size of an individual’s carbon footprint, oil and gas
extraction or conventional energy systems; their contribution to the total energy
generated in the UK and their environmental effects.
Candidates will study the overall status of energy in Scotland, and in the UK, in
general. They will explore the conventional methods of production, including their
efficiency levels, various energy conversion principles, and how energy can be
conserved. They will also explore the more recent developments in energy
production using renewable energy techniques and will develop practical skills in
the areas of plumbing, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Careers within the
energy sector have been integrated with employability skills which are developed
through practical activities.
The three optional Units offer different routes for candidates. They can opt for an
individual investigation and evaluation of their own carbon footprint, investigate
the size of the market segment taken up with conventional production techniques
and their sustainability, and explore the use of the national grid as a means of
transmitting electricity throughout the UK, or have an in-depth study into the
formation and extraction of one type of fuel in its raw state which is particularly
relevant to Scotland, ie. offshore oil and gas.

Unit Outcomes, PCs and Evidence Requirements

National Unit Specification: statement of standards
Unit:
Energy: Conventional Technologies and the Grid (Intermediate 2)
Acceptable performance in this Unit will be the satisfactory achievement of the

standards set out in this part of the Unit Specification. All sections of the statement
of standards are mandatory and cannot be altered without reference to the
Scottish Qualifications Authority.
Outcome 1
Investigate conventional energy systems in accordance with a given brief.
Performance Criteria
a) Gather relevant information from a variety of sources according to the given

brief.
b) Gather information on the contribution of selected energy systems to the UK.
c) Gather information on the environmental effects of selected energy systems.
d) Organise information gathered to produce clear summaries on the energy
contribution and environmental effects of conventional energy systems.
e) Check that all steps have been completed in accordance with the given brief,
including completing the work to the agreed timescale.
Outcome 2
Investigate electricity transmission and distribution through the national grid

system in accordance with a given brief.
a) Gather relevant information from a variety of sources according to the given

brief.
b) Gather information on ways of transmitting electricity through the national grid.
c) Gather information on ways of distributing electricity to the consumer.
d) Gather information on the environmental issues raised when using a national
grid system.
e) Organise information gathered to produce clear summaries on the
transmission and distribution of electricity, including environmental effects.
f) Check that all steps have been completed in accordance with the given brief,
including completing the work to the agreed timescale.

Outcome 3
Present findings on own energy consumption according to a given brief.
a) Present clear summary information on the contribution of conventional energy

systems.
b) Present clear summary information on the environmental effects of
conventional energy systems.
c) Present clear summary information on the transmission and distribution of
electricity.
d) Present clear summary information on the environmental issues of the national
grid
Evidence Requirements for this Unit
Evidence is required to demonstrate the candidates have achieved all Outcomes

and Performance Criteria.
Performance and product evidence is required for this Unit. The evidence should
be gathered at appropriate points throughout the Unit, in open-book conditions, in
response to a given brief.
Performance and product evidence
Candidates will carry out an individual investigation according to the instructions in

a given brief which covers all Outcomes and Performance Criteria. Findings will
be gathered in a folio which the assessor will discuss with the candidate to check
that all steps have been carried out as specified. The assessor will then complete
and retain a checklist for each candidate as evidence that all steps have been
carried out as specified in the brief.
Product evidence
Each candidate will produce a presentation which meets the Performance Criteria
in Outcome 3. The method of communication in the presentation may be chosen
by the candidate - written/oral, diagrammatic, graphical, and electronic - are all
acceptable. The candidate may also choose different forms of communication -
poster, leaflet, short talk, PowerPoint presentation - are all acceptable provided
the Performance Criteria are met.
An assessor checklist identifying the critical aspects of the presentation regardless

of form should be completed and retained for each candidate. The critical aspects
are:

• summary information must be clear

• summary information of the contribution of conventional energy systems to the
UK
• summary information on the environmental effects of conventional energy
systems
• summary information on the transmission of electricity
• summary information on electricity distribution systems
• summary information on the environmental effects of the national grid
Summary information of the contribution of conventional energy systems must

cover three of the following; coal power, oil power, gas power, hydro power or
nuclear power.
Summary information on the environmental effects for conventional energy

systems should include, where appropriate; carbon emissions, sustainability of
fuel, fuel pipe lines, waste products, radiation, wildlife, climate change, or health.
Summary information on transmission lines should include; cables, pylons,

underground cables, efficiencies, and high voltages.
Summary information on distribution systems should include; supply transformer

stations, step down voltages (133kV or 110kV), distribution to consumers (230V),
and domestic uses.
The National Assessment Bank (NAB) item for this Unit contains an appropriate
brief which covers the investigation and presentation requirements of the Unit and
an assessor observation checklist. Centres wishing to devise their own
assessments must refer to the NAB to ensure a comparable standard.
NB Centres must refer to the full Unit Specification for detailed

information related to this Unit.

Employability Skills Profile

In addition to the specific vocational skills developed and assessed in this Course,
employability skills are addressed as detailed in the table below. For the purposes
of the table, the Units are referred to as A, B, C and D as indicated.
Mandatory Units
Energy: Introduction =A
Energy: Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems =B
Energy: Domestic Wind Turbine Systems =C
Energy: Employability and Careers =D
Optional Units
Energy and the Individual =E
Energy: Oil/Gas Extraction =F
Energy: Conventional Production Technologies and the Grid =G
Employability skill/attitude Evidence
• maintaining good timekeeping and attendance A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• maintaining a tidy work place B, C
• seeking feedback and advice A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• following instructions B, C
• working co-operatively with others A, B, C
• selecting and using tools correctly and for the purpose B, C
they were designed
• using Personal Protective Equipment correctly and A, B, C
working safely
• following basic drawings correctly B, C
• checking quality of work A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• working to agreed deadlines A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• organising work effectively A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• working confidently A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• willingness to learn new skills or techniques B, C
• working independently A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• reflecting on own performance B, C
• learning from past experiences B, C
• awareness of a range of careers and job roles D
• developing investigation skills A, D, E/F/G
• developing presentation skills A, B, C, D, E/F/G
• developing creativity skills A, B, C, D, E/F/G

Careers Scotland Support

for School/College Collaboration for Scotland’s Colleges in
the Scottish Enterprise area
Since August 2006 Careers Scotland (SE and HI areas) has been funded by the
Scottish Government to support College/School Collaboration and encourage and
promote vocational educational choices for pupils in schools.
Careers Scotland (now part of Skills Development Scotland) has an important role
to play in selection, recruitment and pre-entry career guidance, as well as ongoing
support and pre-exit career guidance, to ensure the pupils’ experience of SfW is
capitalised upon in any future career planning.
Careers Scotland activity takes place locally and nationally under 4 objectives:
• Providing careers advice, guidance and employability support to pupils and

their parents pre, during and post vocational education experience, focusing
primarily but not exclusively on SfW pupils - demonstrating how these
educational choices have implications for future career options, and support
the achievement of future career goals and supporting effective transitions
• Providing targeted support to pupils at risk of becoming unemployed who
would benefit from undertaking a vocational course
• Partnership working to ensure vocational study is given parity of esteem with
other school and post school options, focusing on recruitment / selection and
retention of pupils on vocational courses
• Capacity building through relevant shared CPD events and resource
development to increase understanding of the process of uptake of vocational
options and facilitate more effective support to pupils navigating these options
For further information on Careers Scotland (SE)’s involvement in school/college

collaboration locally, please get in touch with your Careers Scotland Regional
contact:
South East (Edinburgh & Lothians; Forth Valley; Borders)

Stephen Benwell 01786 452043 stephen.benwell@careers-scotland.org.uk
North East (Tayside; Grampian; Fife)

Val Ormiston 01592-631155 valerie.ormiston@careers-scotland.org.uk
South West (Dumfries & Galloway; Ayrshire; Lanarkshire)

Jean Geddes 01698 742192 jean.geddes@careers-scotland.org.uk
West (Glasgow; Dunbartonshire; Renfrewshire)

Sandra Cheyne 0141 242 8338 sandra.cheyne@careers-scotland.org.uk

Tutor Support Section

Learning and Teaching with Under 16s

Scotland’s Colleges have made significant progress in meeting the needs of
young learners. Our knowledge of the learning process has increased significantly
and provides a range of strategies and approaches which gives us a clear steer
on how lecturers can add to their skill repertoire. Lecturers can, and do, provide a
stable learning environment where young students develop a sense of self-
respect, learn from appropriate role models and see an opportunity to progress.
There are basic enabling skills for practical application which can further develop
the learning process for this group of students. So what are the characteristics of
effective learning and teaching which will help to engage young learners?
Ten ways to improve the learning process for under 16s

(This list is not exhaustive!)
1. Activate prior knowledge and learning – ascertain what the learner knows
already and teach accordingly. Young people do have life experience but it is
more limited than adult learners and they may not always be aware of how it
will assist them in their current learning.
Tips - Question and answer; Quick Quiz; Quick diagnostic assessment on

computer; present key words from the course or unit and see how many they
recognise or know something about.
2. Tune learners into the Big Picture – the tutor knows the curriculum inside
out and why each lesson follows a sequence, however the young learner does
not have this information and is re-assured by being given the Big Picture.
Tips – Mind map or concept map; use visuals, for example wall displays of
diagrams, photographs, flow charts; explain the learning outcomes in language
they will understand; We Are Learning Today (WALT) targets and What I’m
Looking For (WILF) targets; give clear and visible success criteria for tasks.
3. Use Advance Organisers – these are lists of the key concept words that are
part of the course or unit.
Tip – Highlight on any text the concept words that you will be using; make a
visible list and put it on display – concept words can be struck off or referred to
as they occur (NB this helps with spelling and independent learning as they do
not have to keep checking meaning); highlight essential learning and action
points.
4. Vary the teaching approaches. The two main approaches are instructing
and demonstrating, however try to provide opportunities to facilitate learning.
Tips – Ask students what they know now that they did not know before, or
what they can do now they could not do before, at appropriate points in the
lesson or teaching block; ensure there are problem solving activities that can
be done individually or in groups; ask students to demonstrate what they have

learned; use a range of question and answer techniques that allow

participation and dialogue, eg. provide hints and cues so that they can arrive at
answers themselves.
5. Preview and review of learning. This helps to embed previous learning and
listening skills and provides another opportunity to elicit learner understanding.
Consolidates and reinforces learning.
Tips – At the beginning of each lesson, or session, review previous learning

and preview what is coming up; at the end of each lesson or session, review
what has taken place and what will be focussed on next time – these can both
be done through question and answer, quizzes and mind mapping activities.
6. Language in the learning environment. Do not assume that the language

which is used in the learning environment is always understood by young
learners, some words may be familiar but do not have the same meaning
when used vocationally.
Tips - At appropriate points ask students what words mean; explore the
various meanings of words to find out if they may have come across this
language in another context; by looking at the structure and meaning of words
there is an opportunity for dialogue about learning and to build vocabulary.
7. Giving instructions in the learning environment. This is one of the most

difficult tasks a tutor has to do whatever the curriculum area. With young
learners this may have to be repeated several times.
Tips – Ask a student to repeat back what you have asked them to do before
beginning a task; ask them to explain the task to one of their peers; use the
KISS principle – Keep It Short and Simple so that they can absorb and process
the information.
8. Effective feedback. Feedback is very important for the learner to assess their
progress and to see how and what they can improve. Provide opportunities to
engage in dialogue about the learning function of assessment – provide details
of the learner’s strengths and development needs either in written or spoken
form. With younger learners identifying one or two areas for development is
sufficient along with acknowledgement of what has been done well.
Essentially, learners are helped by being given a specific explanation of how

work can be improved. You can also use summative assessment formatively,
ie. as an opportunity to identify strengths, development needs and how to
improve.
Tips – Ask students themselves to identify their own strengths and

development needs – self evaluation; peer evaluation of work can be
successful once they have been taught how to do it; the tutor can produce a
piece of work and ask students to assess it anonymously; have a discussion
about the success criteria for the task and ensure the students are clear about

them; allow learners to set criteria for success and then measure their
achievements against these.
9. Managing the learning behaviour. Under 16s are coming into Scotland’s
Colleges and training establishments from largely structured and routine-driven
environments in schools and early feedback from those undertaking Skills for
Work courses indicates that they very much enjoy the different learning
environment that colleges and other training providers offer. Remember
though that these are still young learners. They will still expect tutors to
provide structure and routine, and will perform best in a calm, orderly learning
environment. Young students will respond to firm, fair, and consistent
management. Such routines have to be established quickly and constantly
reinforced.
Tips - Health and safety is non-negotiable and consequences of non-

compliance with the regulations should be made clear and adhered to at all
times; set out your expectations from day one and provide a consistent
message; have clear beginnings, middles and endings for each session; be a
positive role model for your students, ie. be there before they are and manage
the learners with respect; always deliver what you promise; build up good
relationships and get to know the learners, make the curriculum interesting and
stress the relevance of the learning; set up a positive behaviour management
system. By following these guidelines you will build up two-way respect,
which, while sometimes challenging to achieve, can be very powerful and work
to everyone’s benefit.
10. Care and welfare issues. School/college partnerships mean increasing

numbers of young learners in college. Tutors have to be aware of their
professional responsibilities and mindful of young people’s rights. However
tutors have rights too, in terms of feeling safe and secure in working with
young people and there are basic steps staff can take to minimise risks. It is
essential that colleges ensure that tutors have a working knowledge of the
Child Protection policies (local authority and college documentation) and follow
procedures and policies diligently. School/College Liaison Officers will be
familiar with these documents and can provide support and advice. There are
also training sessions on Child Protection available from SFEU (see the
following page).
Tips - Avoid one-to-one situations with young students in a closed area; do not
do or say anything that could be misinterpreted; if the opportunity arises, do
some observation in schools to see and discuss how teachers use the
guidelines for their own protection as well as the young person’s.
Most young people are a delight to work with and they will positively enjoy the
experience of learning in college. However, there will inevitably be some who are
disengaged, disaffected and who have not yet had an opportunity to experience
success. ‘Skills for Work’ is a unique educational initiative that young people can
be motivated to buy into – you as the tutor are key to the success of these
programmes.

Skills for Work Workshops

To take this 10 point plan forward and to add to it, you can attend one of SFEU’s
‘Get Skilled Up’ half day workshops for tutors delivering Skills for Work Courses,
when we explore further the learning process and look at a range of specific
teaching and learning techniques to use with the under 16 age group. To find out
when the next event is visit our website www.sfeu.ac.uk or contact the Learning
Process team at SFEU on 01786 892000.
Child Protection Workshops

These are run on a regular basis by staff at SFEU in Stirling and also in colleges.
For more information on these workshops please contact members of the Access
and Inclusion team at www.sfeu.ac.uk or contact the team at SFEU on 01786
892000.

General Guidance on Unit Delivery

This unit is designed to introduce students to the size and relevance of the
conventional energy power generation sector in the UK and how the national grid
is used to transmit this electrical power to the domestic market. Issues that
emerge from these generation and transmission technologies are also considered.
It is an investigation based unit, where the student is given a set of specific power
generation industry topics to investigate, and then present their findings.
Note: you should take a precautionary approach when dealing with the terms grid
and national grid as they can mean the same. In some documentation and data
sources the distinction between where the grid starts and ends may be confusing
to some students.
Unit Induction
An induction session in week 1 will prepare students well for the unit and help to
clarify aims and expectations, what the unit is all about and any uncertainties they
may have about the unit and how it will be delivered. It’s particularly important that
they understand that the main learning approach will be student-centred, and what
this means in terms of the investigation, organisation and presentation skills they
will need to use. Induction may include the following:
• an outline of the Unit content – what they’re going to be doing
• how it fits in to the Energy (Intermediate 2 level) course
• your plans for teaching the Unit – how they’ll be learning the skills: in this case,
student centred investigation with tutor guidance and support.
• assessment methods and schedule
• where employability fits in – start by asking them what they think!
• the importance of regular attendance and good timekeeping to encourage the
students to get into good habits – as if they were at work and in employment!
• you might also think about a site visit or invite a representative from a service
provider to set the scene, and talk about the types of employment available in
their organisation, and to reinforce the value that employers put on
employability skills.
Learning and Teaching Approach

The focus of this unit is on investigation skills that the candidate will use to access
and organise relevant information and finally present their findings in a clear
format. These notes are therefore not a comprehensive study of power stations
and the grid because it is expected that the students will research and investigate
the topics themselves. Some questions are posed at the end of each section to
stimulate their investigations. The NAB for this Unit includes a set of worksheets
to help the students focus on the Outcome requirements, organise their

investigation and structure their presentation. The NAB also contains a set of
checklists for the tutor to keep track of student progress.
Because of the investigative nature of the unit, the learning and teaching
approach will be student centred. After some initial input from the tutor to set the
scene, the students should work independently to source, organise and present
the information required in the investigation brief. There should also be
opportunities to carry out some activities as a group, to encourage collaborative
learning. Presenting their findings to the class can help to develop confidence and
improve knowledge and skills by sharing good practice.
Tutor support and guidance will be ongoing as required. The Outcomes have
been made as practical as possible to involve the students in developing their
investigative skills. However they will need to be given guidelines on how to
approach the work in terms of organizing their time to ensure that all stages of the
investigation are covered. It would be helpful to work with the group to negotiate
target dates for each stage of the investigation and to monitor progress
throughout. Guidance on carrying out investigations and presenting findings are
included in the Energy (Intermediate 2) Course Guidance Pack.
This student centred approach will add value to the students’ learning experience
by helping develop the following key employability skills as well as enhancing their
knowledge of the oil/gas industry
• maintaining good timekeeping and attendance

• seeking feedback and advice
• checking quality of work
• working to agreed deadlines
• organising work effectively
• working confidently
• working independently
• developing investigation skills
• developing presentation skills
• developing creativity skills
Although this unit could be entirely presented in a classroom environment it will be

helpful if visits are arranged to power stations, if time permits. Alternatively you
could use suitable video material or YouTube. Alternatively, you could invite
professionals that have progressed through an apprenticeship scheme and then
moved to the energy sector to come into the school/college.
The information in the Student Support Section is not presented sequentially

outcome by outcome. The students need to know about the concept of energy
measurement and losses and the difference between renewable and non-
renewable energy, before continuing their investigative study of power stations
and the grid. The investigation approach is intended to stimulate the students’
thinking so that any future research that they undertake will benefit the
environment.

On the following pages a range of online resources are identified that will help
students particularly in the investigation element in Outcomes 1 and 2 and 3 and it
would be appropriate to allocate class time in a flexible learning environment eg. a
dedicated IT room. The online research activities will provide students with a more
blended approach to teaching and learning. School students will be familiar with
this approach. For students returning to study, you may need to spend time
supporting them in the use of electronic resources.
There is a wealth of information giving the percentage of electricity used by

different generation sources, but there are conflicting figures around. One case to
note is that hydro power is not always included in the renewable figure.
Consequently, large errors could appear in students work when they are asked to
locate percentage figures. To avoid confusion, restrict them to certain known sites.
Be aware that a conflict of data sources may lead to confusion over which energy
supply is the largest or smallest
There are a number of ‘energy’ calculators available on the internet and you
should choose the one you think your students will find most user friendly.

Resources
Websites
It is essential that computers are available for

delivery of this unit as students will require
Internet access to carry out their investigations.
You should make sure that students know how to use
different search engines and the ways to search
using key words
There is a wealth of information available via the web and the websites given in
here are only a flavour of the material available. It is at the discretion of the tutor
which web resources they choose to use.
There are ‘YouTube’ links that are very helpful for showing the practical aspects of
power lines, for example:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3q9WdjD5wc&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uEKbMMHAwm0
However, each centre will have its own guidelines for restrictive material. If
students are allowed to access this site its use must be monitored carefully as
there are video clips that may be unsuitable. For example some clips in the area
of high voltage may be inappropriate, as they may demonstrate electrocution.
Alternatively, tutors may choose show the clip of their choice to the students and
deny access to students.
Hydro Electric Power
Hydro Electric Power and Dams: How hydropower plants work

http://people.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant1.htm
Hydro Electric Power and Dams: How hydropower plants work

http://people.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant2.htm
Glendoe Hydro Scheme (Scottish and Southern Energy)

http://www.glendoe.co.uk/
Glendoe Hydro Power Station

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/07/28102617
Hydro Might Be the Renewable Answer: Times online Lewis wind farm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article3821800.ece
Micro-Hydro Power: RD Energy Solutions

http://www.rdenergysolutions.com/technologies/hydro.html

Power Lines
Maintenance of Overhead Power Lines: YouTube: Like a Bird on a Wire

Maintenance of Overhead Power Lines: YouTube: Agrotors Helicopter Power Line

Maintenance
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uEKbMMHAwm0
Construction of Overhead Power Cables

http://aluminium.matter.org.uk/content/html/eng/default.asp?catid=164&pageid=21
44416510
Construction of HV underground power cables

http://cse-distributors.co.uk/cable/tsle-single-core.htm
Power Stations
Careers, Power Stations and the Grid

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/interconnectors/
List of Power Stations (International)

http://www.power-technology.com/projects/#Nuclear
Overview of Inverkip Oil Fired Power Station

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst3913.html
Kaplan Turbines: Voith-Siemens Kaplan / Pelton / Francis Turbines

http://www.vs-hydro.com/vs_e_prfmc_pwrful_prdcts_turbines_kaplan.htm
Nuclear Power Stations
Nuclear Power Stations: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

http://www.ukaea.org.uk/
Nuclear Power Stations: British Energy: Understanding Nuclear

http://www.british-energy.co.uk/pagetemplate.php?pid=312
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd: Links

http://www.dounreay.com/links
Dounreay Decommissioning: Photo Library

http://www.dounreay.com/news-room/photo-library
Sellafield
http://www.nda.gov.uk/sites/sellafield/

Sellafield Image Library

http://www.ialibrarydb.co.uk/index.php
National Grid Supply
Map of Suppliers - UK Electricity Companies

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Electricity/AboutElectricity/DistributionCompanies/
National Grid: About the Electricity Industry: Maintenance Trolley

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Electricity/AboutElectricity/
Energy: Domestic Issues
Energy Consumption: Household Electricity Bills

http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/01-02/RE_info/hec.htm
Energy Calculations and Data: Renewable Electricity in the Urban Environment

http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/01-02/RE_info/urban_design.htm
Calculate Your Energy Bills: Energy Watch

http://www.energywatch.org.uk/help_and_advice/saving_money/index.asp
Electricity Power Distribution Handbook

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=CTmcEVsLy_cC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&
dq=Electricity+Supply+Handbook+1995&ots=qs86Wzgr94&sig=iRFFiTIJrHKqHd6
7WbQwTOgzCi0#PPP27,M1
Smart Metering: Smarter Metering Solutions from National Grid Metering

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Metering/smart_metering/
Energy: Environmental Issues
UK Energy Calculator: BBC News Electricity Calculator

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/electricity_calc/html/1.stm
UK Energy Calculator, Emissions and Generation Options

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4721284.stm
Energy Resources: Fossil Fuels

http://home.clara.net/darvill/altenerg/fossil.htm
Impact on Economy, Social and Environmental: SEPA Application of the guidance

to proposals for hydropower schemes
http://www.sepa.org.uk/pdf/wfd/stake/reg/11may07/hydropower.pdf

Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Renewable Energy

Electricity Generation in Scotland by Power Station Type
http://www.hi-energy.org.uk/howelectricityisgenerated.html
Publications
Wood, E, (2005), ‘Hydro Boys - Pioneers of renewable energy’, Luath Press

Limited.
Ross D, (1995), Power from the Waves, Oxford University Press
National Geographic (October 2007), Growing Fuel – The Wrong Way, The
Right Way
An investigation into the effects on people and equipment from sources of

electromagnetic radiation, which are emitted from powered electronic and
electrical equipment - a dissertation for the MSc in Safety Management with
Environmental Management, University of Paisley, by James King May 2006
Shell UK (1985) Onshore Electrical Systems, Shell UK Ltd.
The Open University (1982) Living with Technology - Energy, Open University
Press
Video/DVD
Video – Lines of Power Module I – ELL 514 Navigator Productions
Video – Lines of Power Module II – ELL 515 Navigator Productions

Signposting of Employability Skills

In addition to the specific vocational skills developed in this Unit, students will
have opportunities to develop and apply their knowledge and understanding of the
employability skills.
Maintaining good
Following basic Reflecting on own
1 timekeeping and 8 15
drawings correctly performance
attendance*
Maintaining a tidy Checking quality of Learning from past
2 9 16
workplace work* experiences
Seeking feedback Working to agreed Awareness of a

3 10 17
and advice* deadlines* range of careers
and job roles
Following Organising work Developing
4 11 18
instructions effectively* investigation skills*
Work cooperatively Working Developing
5 12 19
with others confidently* presentation skills*
Selecting and using
Willingness to learn
tools correctly and Developing
6 13 new skills or 20
for the purpose they creativity skills*
techniques
were designed
Using Personal
Protective Working
14
7 Equipment correctly independently*
and working safely
The employability skills marked with an asterisk* are directly assessed in this Unit.
However opportunities to learn and develop all of these skills are distributed
throughout the course. Some of the skills can be delivered and assessed
discretely but there are also many opportunities for this to take place during group
activities.
It is strongly advised that course teams meet together to discuss and agree a co-
ordinated approach to the teaching and developing of the conventional energy
technology throughout the Course and to ensure that the team has a common
interpretation of the skills and attitudes.
You should be on the lookout for evidence of competence in any of the

conventional technology energy skills which may occur. There are many
opportunities for this and plenty of overlap for any student who may have missed
a specific lesson. Evidence observed out-with a formal lesson is perfectly valid.
Further advice and approaches to integrating employability skills can be found in

the Energy Course Guidance support materials.

Generating Evidence and Assessment Opportunities for Employability Skills

Employability Delivery Advice Possible Activities/Contexts
Skills
• Discuss the importance of good timekeeping within the energy sector and
1 • Turning up for classes on
get students to assess their past timekeeping record. They should identify
what improvements, if any, are needed. This should take place at the start time
of the Course and will set the expected standards. • Returning from breaks on
• Staff should make their expectations clear right from the start of the course time
or Unit. • Arriving on time to visits
Maintaining
good • A good initial activity is to have the students write the class guidelines
themselves by identifying pros and cons of good and poor attendance and • Sticking to planned work
timekeeping schedules regarding timing of
and timekeeping – the benefits in the workplace of one and the consequences of
the other. activities
attendance
• These guidelines or ground rules can be posted in the workshops and • Staying in class for the
classes and referred to on a regular basis. duration of the planned
activity (no extended toilet
• Relate the ground rules to the world of work, eg. arrive on time, back from
breaks)
breaks on time etc. The measure of a student’s success in this aspect is for
them to be honest in their appraisal of their performance and in making
progress. ‘Distance travelled’ should be adopted, rather than a particular
minimum percentage of classes attended.
• Attendance and timekeeping should be monitored throughout the Course.
Students should be given feedback on their performance – both good and
bad – in this regard. If you take note of patterns of performance it should be
easy to give the students accurate feedback.

• Seeking feedback and advice should be encouraged in this unit. However,

this doesn’t mean that you are on call to answer all the students’ • Ask questions
3 questions! The tutor’s role is more likely to be one of reassurance that
• Check work progress with
they are on the right lines, guidance on different approaches they might
staff
take to find answers themselves and discussion to stimulate their own
thinking. • Seek tutor feedback
Seeking
• Confirm instructions when
feedback and • Young students can be wary of seeking advice for fear of highlighting their
unsure
advice own lack of understanding or of being singled out for ridicule perhaps
based on past experience. Discuss the benefits of getting feedback from
staff and asking for advice. This can increase the students’ level of
confidence in what they are doing and can reinforce their views of the
direction they are taking. Success can be greatly increased by using
knowledge and experience gained from others.
• Discuss how the checking of their tasks can lead to a higher quality of • Quality checking as work
9
work and hence meet the standards required. progresses
• Students should be made aware of acceptable standards in terms of the • Quality checking and review
quality of their investigations and presentation of their work. of final investigation findings
Checking and presentation
quality of work
• In the context of this unit, students could, as a group, negotiate and agree • Plan work schedule to meet
deadlines for each stage of the investigation. deadlines
10
• Discuss the need to keep to deadlines and the effects that can result if • Check progress against
they are not maintained. Demonstrate the importance in the real world of schedule and deadlines
keeping to deadlines eg. industry employs project managers whose main
role is to keep work on schedule.
Working to
agreed deadlines • Discuss progress with students in the context of the deadlines.

• The student centred approach taken in this Unit is intended to help the • Planning their investigations
students develop their organisational and planning skills, although
11 • Creating work schedules
guidance and discussion will be needed to achieve this
• Discuss how organising and planning work leads to a greater chance of • Planning out how to give a
meeting deadlines and meeting quality standards. Staff should emphasis presentation as a group
Organising work a logical approach to organising work where any process is a combination
of smaller steps taken one at a time. • Planning out how to give an
effectively individual presentation
• Discuss the benefits that working confidently can give eg. being able to • Individual presentations
ask questions or give their point of view without the fear of feeling stupid,
12 being able to stand up in front of others and give a presentation, to work • Drawing up work schedules
without constantly needing reassurance. • Investigations
• Students will have the opportunity to working confidently as they
investigate tasks • Discussions with staff and
Working • Students will have the opportunity to working confidently as they plan and peers
confidently present their work
• Staff should praise students for effort and good work at every opportunity
to help keep their confidence high.

• Working independently is a key feature of this unit. Some students will • Using information sources
embrace it while for others it will be more of a challenge. For the latter
14 group, reassure that working independently does not mean that they will • Planning and carrying out
not be able to discuss their work with others or ask for guidance if they investigation
need it. • Checking own progress
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working individually, eg.
Working advantages could include taking full responsibility, having complete • Checking quality of work
independently ownership and not depending on others; to disadvantages such as, in • Discussions with tutor
extreme cases, not being able to share problems with others and having
little social interaction. • Self evaluation
• Students can be supported in this objective when you discuss their • Individual presentations
performance with them. Discussions can help to clarify sticking points
and give them the confidence to work out the next steps for themselves.
• Retain brief notes on these conversations about progress as evidence for
employability.
• Discuss the role of investigating to find out information. Students are very • Investigations
used to using the internet to find things out, but they don’t always see this
as carrying out investigations. • Interviews with family,
friends etc
• Discuss the various methods of finding out information -a wide range
Developing should be encouraged eg. Internet, interviews, papers, TV, books, • Books, journals, Internet,
investigation experiments etc. papers, leaflets
skills • In the initial stages, students should be given ‘directions’ to help find • Extracting useful information
relevant information.
• Use a full range of resources for investigations.
• Encourage students to interview people as well as consult books,
websites etc.
• Emphasise the need to validate Internet sites – i.e. is it a reliable website?

• Cross match information from two or more sources.

• Log details of student investigations.
• Students often find giving oral presentations a daunting task. Staff should • Short talks
demonstrate how presentations should be planned and practised.
Students may feel comfortable using mobile phone technology to video a • Tutor support and
presentation, load it onto a computer and run it on the screen. discussion on presentation
• Give encouragement to help them overcome fears. methods
• Use a range of media to help overcome fears eg. PowerPoint or video • Individual presentations
Developing • Where investigations are presented in written, diagrammatical and
presentation • Folio preparation
graphical formats, time should be taken to discuss effective methods,
skills layout, use of visuals etc, perhaps showing examples and having students • Planning
evaluate them.
• Creativity may have been introduced earlier in the Energy course as a • Individual presentation of
skill which comes up with novel solutions to a problem. Creativity in work
design is the most usual way to demonstrate this but other ways can be
used to show creativity eg. giving an oral / video presentation or • Planning work
presenting a report using diagrammatical, graphical and pictorial images. • Use of technology
Developing • The student centred approach in this unit provides lots of scope for
creativity skills students to develop creative skills, particularly in the compilation and
presentation of their investigation findings and they should be encouraged
to be imaginative in how they present their findings.
• Encourage the integration of presentation methods.

Suggested Answers to Student Activities
Activity 1: Energy Consumption
• Are both measuring the same? - ‘the average home’ and ‘a typical 3 bedroom
house’
• What is a typical 3 bed-room house? It depends on the number of people who
live in the house.
• It depends what examples they used to come up with the average figures –
some houses have more electrical and electronic appliances than others.
• The members of one household may be out all day at work and another
household may have retired people – so the amount of time spent in the house
is also a factor.
Activity 2: Energy Consumption
• The United States of America became the largest industrial nation in the world
in the 1920s – so they use a lot of energy
• Americans had fridges/washing machines and televisions well before us in the

UK.
• America’s grid and generating capacity was more developed than ours so they
could supply more consumers.
• America may have had much colder winters than us – so they had to heat their
homes more – many parts of the USA have severe winters.
Activity 3
• In the 1920’s coal fires were the main form of heating but now we use
electricity.
• We have many more electrical gadgets nowadays eg. Televisions and

microwaves, therefore we use far more electricity.
• Not many homes had electricity in the 1920s as the national grid was not
established then. The supplies that were available were not standardised and
the voltage and frequency was not supplied at fixed values across the country.
• We now have many more offices and industries that require electricity than in
the 1920s.

• The population or Scotland has remained steady for many years, but
nowadays many more people are supplied with electricity.
• The metering of electricity is much more accurate today than was the case in
the past, so there may well be inaccuracies when comparing the figures.
Answers Activity 4
Fossil fuels = 70.7%

Nuclear = 22.3%
Renewable sources 4.2%
Imports = 2.8%
Answers Activity 5
There is no absolute solution - each student may well come up with a different
solution. This is an exercise in manipulating figures to suit.
Answers Activity 8 - For the UK
Answers will depend on the year chosen by the students. It would be interesting
for them to select different years and then to compare.
The Electricity Supply Handbook 1995 states that the energy sources used to
generate electricity in Great Britain were in descending order of electrical energy
share in 1993:
Coal 53% - Fossil Fuel
Nuclear 26% - Uranium
Gas 10% - Fossil Fuel
Oil 8% - Fossil Fuel
Hydro 2% - Water
Renewable 1% - Wind, Wave, bio-fuel, etc
Note that renewable and hydro have been separated. Watch out for this when
looking at any data. Hydro should always be included in the renewable figures.
Answers Activity 9 - For Scotland
The figures given below are for the percentage of electricity generated from power
stations in Scotland for 1993.
Nuclear power stations: 36%

Coal fired Power stations: 33%
Gas fired Power Stations 20%
Renewable 11%

Note that oil-fired stations are not stated – this is because they are no longer
used.
Activity 10
• One way to address an energy shortage is to build more generating stations of

various types. There is not a simple unique solution. The energy supplies for
the country require to be provided by energy from different types of power
generation. The more environmentally friendly option is to generate electricity
by renewable energy sources eg. hydro, wind and wave.
• The government does provide grants to certain sections of the community but
they have left out a large part of the population. They could provide more
grants for all people to install insulation, double glazing, energy saving light
bulbs and micro-generation.
• Once the plant is constructed, renewable energy is very cheap as it does not
require fuel to be purchased, although it does have continuous maintenance
costs and damage to the equipment can take place due to adverse weather.
• The government could provide grants to renewable energy suppliers to make it

easier for them to connect to the grid.
Activity 11
Glendoe near Loch Ness - Glendoe will be Scotland’s second largest conventional
hydro-electric station and is the first large-scale station to be built since 1957.
Tummel-Garry Scheme – this includes Pitlochry and Errochty
Affric-Beauly Scheme
Loch Shin Scheme
Activity 12
Glendoe has an installed capacity of around 100MW (megawatts).
The Errochty station in Perthshire had a capacity of 75MW when it was opened in
1957.
You can see the massive difference in generating power, mostly due to
technological advances in turbine and generator design and efficiency.

Activity 13
Initially the pioneers of hydro electricity were involved in a massive building project
and many hydro stations were built up until the 1970s. Government policies then
brought the hydro plant building programme to a halt. The figure for the UK for the
last few years has been around 25%.
Activity 14
Boxes 1, 2, and 3 represent the national grid.
Activity 16
The substation is not secure – there is a large gap in the railings.
Activity 17
As per the advantages and disadvantages listed at the end of each power station
type.

Student Support Section

Tutor Note on Student Activities
It is essential that computers with Internet access are available for teaching this
unit as well as a data projector and electronic white board.
This section includes both student notes and activities. These materials not
mandatory but are offered to centres as a flexible set of materials and activities
which can be selected, altered and used in whatever way suits individual centres
and their particular situation. For example, in the case of the student activities you
might want to talk through the instructions with the learners and then give the
instructions out on paper as reminders. You are encouraged to adapt and use the
materials creatively in ways which will best engage your students.
It is not intended that the Student Support Section is issued to students as

complete pack.
The online research and activities will provide students with a more blended
approach to teaching and learning. School students will be familiar with this
approach. For students returning to study, you may need to spend time
supporting them in the use of electronic resources.

Welcome to Energy: Conventional Technology and the

Grid
Introduction
Throughout this unit you will investigate the location and types of power stations,
including how they operate and how they are connected together to give us
electricity in our homes.
Image Courtesy of RS Components
Conventional technologies are the methods that we have used to generate

electricity since the Industrial Revolution. The types of power station discussed in
this unit are split into three different categories:
• thermal
• hydro
• nuclear.
Nuclear power stations can also be classified as ‘thermal’, but they will be
discussed in another section of these notes, as with hydro power.
The thermal power stations that generate electricity require a source of fuel and
the traditional fuels that we have used are coal, oil, and gas. Oil-fired stations
are no longer viable to run any more due to fuel costs.
Oil, coal, and gas are known as ‘fossil fuels’ as they have been formed from the
decomposition of organic animal and plant remains and they take many
thousands of years to form.
These fuel sources help identify the type of power station: coal-fired, oil-burning,
gas-fired. We have a variety of these power stations throughout Scotland.

The grid is a network of overhead and underground cabling systems that are
used to distribute the electricity to industry and households. The grid’s network of
cables can be seen all over Scotland as they are mounted on large steel metal
structures called pylons. Substations and transformers are also components of
the grid system and will be discussed later.
Image courtesy of Scottish Southern Electricity

Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy: Carbon

Footprint
Non-renewable energy – One of the major causes of climate change.
Power stations can use a fossil fuel source (ie non renewable source) of energy to
generate electricity. The traditional fuels that we have used, and are still using
today, are coal, oil, gas.
These sources of fuel are classed as non-renewable. They are naturally

occurring, and once they run out it will take many thousands of years for them to
be replenished. These power stations have a ‘high carbon footprint’. Nuclear
power stations which use uranium as a fuel however have a ‘low carbon footprint’.
Renewable energy – Will help to slow down climate change.
The power that is generated from wind, wave, tidal and hydro power stations are
classed as renewable energy, but there are others. No fuel source is required but
they need something to turn the turbine eg. wind or water. These are naturally
recurring resources and Scotland has the potential to become a world leader in
this area of power generation. These power stations have a ‘low carbon
footprint’.
Carbon Footprint
The phrase ‘carbon footprint’ comes from one of

our greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide. You’ll also
hear these referred to as carbon emissions.
Greenhouse gases are bad for the environment as

they contribute to an increase in the earth’s
temperature which causes the gradual melting of ice
caps, due to rises in global temperatures. This is
called ‘global warming’.
These gases are created from the process of using fuel to generate electricity,
although a large proportion also comes from transport.
Although carbon dioxide is one of our largest sources of unwanted greenhouse

gases, it also keeps our eco-system healthy. but it can have negative effects on
our eco-system if the emissions continue to increase .There are proposals to
introduce a method of re-cycling called ‘carbon capture’.

The United Kingdom carbon emissions are measured by the following units:
MtC – Million tonnes of carbon.
To convert this to millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide simply divide by 12 and

multiply by 44.
Coal
Gas
Oil
Nuclear
© James King
The non-renewable hierarchy for ‘Carbon Footprint’
The above diagram shows that coal has the highest carbon footprint and nuclear
has the lowest.
Hydro power is not shown in the above diagram as it is a ‘renewable’ source of

energy.

Energy: Loss, Efficiency and Consumption
The efficiency of a power station is directly related to the amount of energy (the
fuel) you put in, compared to the amount of energy you get out, eg. some of the
energy in the fuel is wasted.
Energy is lost in the form of ‘heat’ from power stations and from homes in the form
of hot air and gases, which will go up chimneys eg. if you burn coal in a fire, about
60% of the energy will go up the chimney – which is low energy efficiency. This
means you are only getting about 40% of the heat.
Power stations that burn fossil fuel have large cooling towers. This is because
warm water is produced during the burning of fuel and carried away. This is waste
– and makes the power station less efficient. The efficiency of this type of power
station can range between 30-40%.
It has been argued that to use electricity as a

form of heating is very wasteful because the
power stations are so inefficient in terms of
energy generation.
One solution to this is to modify the power station and use the waste hot water
for the purpose of heating and the name given to this modified power station is
a Combined Heat and Power System (CHP). This will take the efficiency back
up to around 70%.
In terms of domestic energy efficiency some solutions to improving the efficiency

in your home are to insulate the loft, use low energy light bulbs, and install double-
glazing.

Fossil Fuel, Grid and Home Energy Losses – energy lost means lower
efficiency
Fuel reserve or resource in the ground
The mining process uses energy to extract – this is lost energy.
Conversion process
Energy lost in conversion eg. heat lost up chimney
Transferring energy over the grid
Energy lost during delivery eg. lost volts over long distances
Consumers losing energy in homes eg. no insulation or double glazing
Useful energy eg. actual energy used

The actual energy used is what the consumers use in their homes or businesses.
The consumers of electricity must pay their supply company for what they use.
We pay our electricity bills to the electricity suppliers based on a measurement of
energy called ‘Kilowatt-hour’ (KWh).
1 watt is a rate of energy use of 1 joule per second
Can also be written as W (watts) = J (Joule) / S (second).
Therefore, 1 Kilowatt (1000 watts) = 1000 Joules/second.
So:
1 Kilowatt hour = 60 seconds x 60 minutes x 1000 Joules
Note: Mega = 1,000,000
1 KWh = 3.6 Mega-Joules (or 3, 600,000 Joules)
We are charged an amount of money for every KWh of electricity we use in our
homes. This amount of money charged per KWh is called a tariff.
Our tariffs can be increased or decreased by the electricity suppliers eg. when
there is an oil or coal crisis or shortage, then prices will increase eg. during the
miners strike in 1974 or during the Gulf war.
The tariffs will vary depending on the type of consumer. Industrial and domestic
consumers are charged at different rates.
Consumers can ask the electricity suppliers for specific tariffs. For example, a
customer can ask for their electricity to be supplied on a ‘green tariff’. This green
tariff means that the electricity supplied to you is from a renewable electricity
source such as a wind farm.

Each consumer is provided with an electricity meter that measures the amount of
electricity you use. We all have one in our homes.
© James King
A domestic electricity meter
Example:
If the hourly energy consumption for a person living in a small flat was 7.2 mega-
joules, how many units of electricity would they consume in terms of standard
electricity units (KWh)?
Tip: Divide the consumed energy by 3.6 mega-joules as this is equivalent to

1 KWh.
7.2 mega-joules / 3.6 mega-joules = 2 KWh.
Hence you would be charged for 2 units of electricity, so if the tariff was 10 pence
per KWh then the person would be charged a total of 20 pence for one hour’s
electricity use.
Energy Consumption
Activity 1
The two statements below are from different sources and are believed to be true,
so why do you think the energy consumption figures are so different?
• Today in the UK it is estimated that the approximate annual energy

consumption for a typical three-bedroom house is around 4300 KWh.

• Today in the UK it is estimated that the average home in the UK currently uses
3300 KWh of electricity each year.
Energy Consumption
In the UK in the 1920s, the estimated average consumption of electricity for each
person for one year was around 105KWh - 115KWh.
For the same period in the USA the average consumption was around 850KWh -
950KWh.
Activity 2
The USA consumption was higher than the UK, what does this suggest to you?
Activity 3
In the UK we use a lot more electricity today than was used in the UK in the
1920s. Why has this increased significantly?
Discuss this in groups and come up with three significant reasons why this is the
case.
Compare and discuss your group results with the other groups in the class.

The USA became the largest industrial nation in the world in the 1920s – so they
used a lot of energy back then. America’s grid and generating capacity was more
developed than ours so they could supply more consumers.
Americans had fridges/washing machines and televisions well before us in the

UK. Many parts of the USA have severe winters - much colder winters than us –
so they had to heat their homes more.
In the UK in the 1920s many people did not have electricity and used coal fires as
their main form of heating and in many cases for cooking. It is very unhealthy to
be in a smoky atmosphere for most of your life eg. it can cause severe breathing
difficulties and cause permanent damage to your lungs.
© Ryan James King
A coal fire used for domestic heating
Much of the electricity supply before 1926 came from private generating stations.
Many of those supplied DC (direct current), which we do not require in our homes
today.
We now use AC, alternating current. Although the term alternating ‘current’ is
used, in fact it is the generation of an alternating voltage that produces the
required current.
In today’s homes the main form of heating is by electricity, gas and oil.
There are a huge number of electrical gadgets and domestic appliances on the
market that we take for granted today but which weren’t available in the 1920s eg.
televisions, washing machines, music systems, and many more.

Energy Consumption
400
350
300
250 Fossil Fuels

Nuclear
200
Renewables
150 Imports
Total Demand
100
50
0
2006 2020
Y axis Units: Bn KWh X axis Units: Year
The histogram shows Energy use in billion Kilowatt hours for the UK for 2006.
(Note: Hydro Power is not included in the above figures)
Activity 4
For the 2006 figures calculate the percentage that each category of energy
contributed to the overall UK electricity demand.
Activity 5
Use an energy calculator on the Internet to calculate the electricity requirements

for 2020.
The government target for the decade from 2020 - 2030 is to get supplies from
renewable sources – this is anywhere between 40% - 60%. An energy calculator
can be found at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/electricity_calc/html/1.stm

Distribution of Electricity
© Ryan James King

Pylons on Lewis
The photograph above shows the electricity supply running along the side of a
road on the remote Isle of Lewis, Scotland. These pylons are smaller than the
large metal pylon structures we see around mainland Scotland and the poles are
made from timber.
Telephone lines also use these timber pylons for telecommunications; known as
telegraph poles, so don’t get confused with their use. The electricity poles are
more obvious as they have large insulators.
At one time electricity was not available on many of our remote islands and as we
built more power stations and developed our grid we were able to supply more
areas of our country.

Power Stations
Oil Fired Power Stations
Let’s examine three types of power station:
• oil fired
• gas fired
• coal fired.
These power stations are not always located close to the fuel source and many of
them are often close to the sea or a water source, as the following example
shows.
The first oil-fired power station in Scotland was Inverkip power station, near
Greenock which is located on the shores of the River Clyde.
Scotland’s first oil-fired power Station at

Inverkip south of Greenock, built in the 1970s.
Image courtesy of Scots Gazetter
The tall chimney, sometimes known as a stack or flue, is 700 feet tall (213m).
The power station’s main source of fuel was oil but oil became very expensive, so
this power station has not been used for some time now. The last time it was in
operation was during the miner’s strike in the 1980s. The miner’s strike caused a
shortage of coal so this reduced the production of electricity at ‘coal’ fired power
stations.

The process for producing electricity from fuel oil is as follows:
Create heat by:
Burning oil
Make steam by heating water
A turbine is driven by steam
The turbine drives a generator or alternator
An alternator is connected to the turbine and this alternator rotates and generates
what is known as AC - alternating current.
Power is ‘stepped’ down through ‘transformers’ in ‘substations’ before distribution

to consumers.
Transformers can increase and decrease the voltage supply.
Power distributed to consumers

Advantages of using oil for electricity generation:
• More reliable than wind, solar or wave power

• Oil is easier to get out of the ground than coal
• Oil can be pumped through pipelines, so easier to transport
• Oil fired power stations can take time to get to full power
• Electricity can be generated constantly
• It provides mass employment during it’s construction
• It provides some employment for maintenance and running
Disadvantages of using oil for electricity generation:
• It is not renewable
• Contributes to the depletion of oil reserves
• The high cost of purchasing oil and price fluctuations
• Oil has become more expensive, so oil-fired stations are not a feasible option
in today’s market
• Oil has a high carbon footprint
• Waste gases are given off
• It takes up a very large area of land which is a scarce resource - causing
problems for wildlife eg. animals that used to live there.
• Large pipelines are required and these have an impact on the land. If the oil is
not piped to the station, then easy access for large lorries will be required.
• Large chimneys or flues are unsightly and give off noxious fumes and gases
• During times of oil shortages, the generating capacity may be affected
• Large pylons are needed to carry overhead power lines for distribution of the
electricity away from the power station and these are unsightly.
• If people have houses near the power lines or pylons then they may be subject
to electromagnetic radiation emissions. Large voltages and currents give off
large electromagnetic fields. At the moment there is no conclusive proof that
this can cause cancer, but studies are ongoing.

Coal Fired Power Stations
Image courtesy of Scottish and Southern Energy
The smoke you see leaving the cooling towers, as in the above photograph of
Ferrybridge Power Station in South Yorkshire, is waste. It is a mixture of hot air
and gases.
In Scotland we have a number of coal fired power stations. For example,

Longannet coal fired power station is located on the shores of the upper Firth of
Forth near Kincardine Bridge in Fife.
Fife at one time was a huge supplier of coal as it had many coal mines, however
many of them are now closed. The coal has to be purchased from alternative
sources such as Eastern Europe and it can be very expensive to import coal
supplies.
Around 6.2 billion tonnes of coal is consumed each year globally and the price of
coal in today’s market (2008) is around £65 per tonne. Australia is one of the
world’s largest producers of coal producing around 231million tonnes per year.

The process for producing electricity from coal is as follows:
Coal is burned
Steam is created to drive a turbine
The power generated is ‘stepped’ down through ‘transformers’ in ‘substations’
Electric power is distributed to consumers

Advantages of using coal to generate electricity:
• If flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) is used then it can reduce emissions

• Coal fired power stations can use low carbon coal
• They do not make efficient use of energy and can take time to get to full power
• It provides mass employment during its construction
Disadvantages of using coal to generate electricity:
• Coal reserves are not renewable

• Coal-fired power stations can take time to increase to full power.
• Contributes to the depletion of the global coal supply - 40% of the world’s
electricity is generated from coal.
• Coal is a fossil fuel and has a high carbon footprint. Burning coal produces
more carbon dioxide than burning oil or gas. Low carbon coal is still expensive
to buy on world markets.
• The waste gases (COx, SOx & NOx) given off and released to the atmosphere
through large chimneys or flues – are very unsightly and can be poisonous or
hazardous.
• It takes up a very large area of land which is expensive and scarce as is the
case for any large scale project. Flora and fauna will also be disturbed or lose
their habitats, causing problems for animals that used to live there
• The site needs to be easily accessible for large lorries, which has an impact on
local residents and roads. Coal can also be transported by rail.
• Large cooling towers and a lot of cooling water is required in the cooling
process. The towers are very unsightly.
• During times of coal shortages, the generating capacity may be affected eg.
miner’s strikes.
• Large pylons are required to carry overhead power lines (underground cables
are even more expensive)
• The high cost of importing coal eg. The UK imports 51 million tonnes each
year and in 2007 the UK used 62.8 million tonnes of coal.
• If people have houses near the power lines then they may be subject to
electromagnetic radiation emissions. Large voltages and currents give off large
electromagnetic fields. At the moment there is no conclusive proof that these
can cause cancer, but studies are ongoing.

Gas Fired Power Stations
Image courtesy of Scottish Southern Energy
Examples of gas-fired power stations in Scotland include the St Fergus natural

gas plant in Aberdeenshire near Peterhead.

The process for producing electricity from gas is as follows:
Gas is burned
Steam is created to drive a turbine
Power is ‘stepped’ down through ‘transformers’ in ‘substations’
Power is then distributed to consumers for domestic use

Advantages of gas-fired power stations:

• Gas fired power stations are efficient
• Gas fired power stations can increase to full power very quickly unlike some
other power stations
• Transporting gas to the power stations is easier than transporting coal
• It provides employment opportunities during its construction
• It provides some ongoing employment for maintenance and running
Disadvantages of gas-fired power stations:
• Gas is not renewable

• Gas has a high carbon footprint
• Usage contributes to the depletion of natural gas supplies
• Waste gases COx and NOx are given off and released to the atmosphere
• It takes up a very large area of land which might have been used for housing,
industry, agriculture etc causing problems for the natural environment eg plant
and animal habitats.
• Large pipelines to supply the gas has an impact on the land they are built
across
• Large chimneys or flues are unsightly
• During times of gas shortages, the generating capacity may be affected
• Large pylons are required for overhead power lines
• The high cost of obtaining (ie. drilling, extracting) gas
electromagnetic radiation emissions. Large voltages and currents give off
the fields can cause cancer, but studies are ongoing.

Activity 6
Using the Internet, find locations in the United Kingdom where you may find the
following types of power station:
• Coal-fired
• Oil burning
• Gas-fired
These three can come under a single heading of ‘thermal energy’.
When you find a power station location mark it on a map of the United Kingdom
using a colour coded system to identify the types eg. black for coal; yellow for gas
and brown for oil.

Nuclear Power Stations

Nuclear power stations rely on a fuel called uranium which is mined in other parts
of the world. The process of generating nuclear power requires very little
uranium, hence its appeal eg. a very large output of power for very little fuel used.
Nuclear power currently produces around 11% of the world's energy needs,
however this figure will vary over decades as government policies change and in
the UK our nuclear generating capacity may well reduce as we move towards
renewable energy sources.
Nuclear energy is a special case in that it uses very little uranium compared to the
massive amounts of coal required for coal fired stations. Therefore nuclear power
has a relatively low impact on the environment and has been classed as having a
‘low carbon footprint’.
Although nuclear power stations have a ‘low carbon footprint’ they fall into the
category of ‘non-renewable’ because they use the natural resource uranium,
which is mined from deep underground and will eventually run out.
Nuclear power stations have a number of technical challenges associated with

their design. They have to be specially designed as the nuclear reaction takes
place in a nuclear reactor, which has to be reinforced and very thick to prevent the
radioactivity escaping. Dounreay Nuclear Power Station near Thurso in Caithness
in the North of Scotland was ‘dome’ shaped but the plant has been closed.
Activity 7
By using the Internet, or alternative resources, find the locations of the nuclear
power stations in the United Kingdom. When you find each location add these to
your map, remembering to colour code them eg. marking them in ‘red’

The process for producing electricity from nuclear fuel is as follows:
Create heat by a process of nuclear fission
Make steam by heating water
The turbine is driven by steam
Power is distributed to consumers

Dounreay
Until the 1950s, Dounreay was an area of grazing land on the remote Northern
coast of Scotland, known only for the presence of a 16th century ruined castle,
a farm and a World War 2 aerodrome that had never become operational.
In 1954, the UK government selected it as the location for the national centre
for research and development of fast breeder reactors, a new type of atomic
energy. Fast reactors were thought to have good potential for electricity
generation as they made more efficient use of uranium fuel – effectively
breeding more fuel than they consumed. This was important with the scarcity
of uranium at the time.
Dounreay proved that fast reactors could work. It also demonstrated that
plutonium could be recycled by reprocessing it efficiently and economically. But by
the late 1980s uranium was no longer in short supply, and the UK government
decided that fast reactors would not be needed for commercial electricity
generation. Funding for the Dounreay research programme ceased and the last
reactor shut down in 1994. The term used to describe the dismantling of the
buildings is called ‘decommissioning’.
Decommissioning Dounreay Nuclear Power Station

Image courtesy of United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)

Restoring the 140-acre Dounreay site on the North coast of Scotland is one of the
most complex nuclear decommissioning tasks in the world. The site’s history in
fast reactor and fuel cycle development presents significant decommissioning
challenges.
The clean-up will be completed by 2033 at a cost of £2.9 billion. Our

understanding of the tasks involved has enabled us to cut the estimate by £1.3
billion and halve the programme timescale since the original Dounreay Site
Restoration Plan was published in 2000.
The tag of ‘low carbon footprint’ does not include decommissioning costs, which
involves dismantling the buildings and reactors.
UKAEA has successfully managed the transition from operations to

decommissioning. Decommissioning progress has included dismantling of
redundant facilities, construction of state-of-the-art waste treatment plants and
infrastructure improvements to prepare for the decommissioning work ahead.

There are safety issues to consider with nuclear power generation. There is
always the possibility of a major accident eg. Chernobyl in Russia.
Secondly, the ‘waste’ that is produced from the nuclear power station is
contaminated with ‘radioactivity’. This contaminated waste cannot be destroyed or
treated.
The nuclear re-processing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, England deals with a

major part of this waste. This radioactive waste is categorised into three levels:
• low level radioactive waste.

• intermediate level radioactive waste
• high level radioactive waste.
Reference: http://www.nda.gov.uk/sites/sellafield/

Nuclear industry experts have considered many options for the disposal and the
storage of this radioactive waste. Two such ideas included burying the waste in
the Polar icecaps and the other was to send it into space. Both of these options
have not been taken up (not surprisingly!).
The favoured method is to seal the waste within a concrete container and then
bury the container in deep shafts underground. This will allow the radioactivity to
fade away, but this can take many hundreds or thousands of years. The factor
that determines how fast the radioactivity levels fade away is called the half-life.
Like many industrial sites, power stations come to the end of their useful life and
nuclear power plants also face a technical challenge in this respect. The
decommissioning of Dounreay Nuclear Power Station in Caithness will take many
years to complete and cost billions of pounds.
This is because you cannot simply use a bulldozer to knock it down; it has to be
taken apart bit by bit. As radioactivity was present in the reactor building it means
that the structure has also been contaminated. So any dismantled part of the
building will then have to be treated as radioactive waste.
It has been suggested that workers in nuclear power stations are the healthiest
workers in any industry. The reason for this claim is that nuclear workers have
personal radioactive monitors which are worn at all times. Regular stringent
medical tests are also a requirement so any change in workers’ health will be
immediately detected and treated.
Many years ago it was thought that nuclear energy was the answer to our energy
needs. Sir Anthony Wedgewood Benn, Energy minister at the time (1975) implied
that we may eventually get free energy. This has not turned out to be the case.
Some nuclear power stations are being de-commissioned but plans are being put
in place in England to build more modern nuclear power energy.
In Scotland the government is currently not planning any more nuclear power
stations.

Advantages of nuclear power stations:
• Low carbon footprint – but this does not include the de-commissioning costs
• Cheaper than some other forms of electricity generation
• Much more reliable than wind, solar or wave power
• Can increase to full power very quickly unlike some other power stations
• Considerable employment is provided during its construction phase
• Some employment is provided for ongoing maintenance and running
Disadvantages of nuclear power stations:
• Nuclear power and uranium is not renewable.

• The power station can take years to build.
• Finding a suitable site can be difficult as the impact on residents and the
environment may be unacceptable.
• There is a risk of contaminated radioactive waste escaping from the site to the
sea and land.
• Waste that is collected is radioactive, much of which cannot be treated. This
radiation is called ‘ionising radiation’ and will cause cancer if the dose is high
enough.
• It takes billions of pounds to decommission a nuclear plant.
• It can take anywhere up to 25 years to decommission a nuclear plant.
• A reprocessing plant needs to be available to take the radioactive waste.
• If a major plant fault occurs it may cause a large scale nuclear disaster with
serious health affects and thousands of deaths eg. Chernobyl in Russia.
• Could be the target of terrorists.
electromagnetic fields. At the moment there is no conclusive proof that the
electromagnetic field can cause cancer but studies are ongoing.

Activity 8
Find out the approximate percentage of the UK energy market that was supplied
by each of the fuels (nuclear, gas, oil, coal). Record this on a ‘pie’ chart or
‘histogram’ or a ‘table’. Choose any year from 1950 – 2007
Suggested reference source:

http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/statistics/source/index.html
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46983.pdf
page 24 ‘Energy supplied by fuel type1980 to 2007’
Activity 9
Determine the approximate percentage for Scotland that was supplied by each of
these fuels. Record this on a ‘pie’ chart or ‘histogram’ or a ‘table’. Choose any
year from 2000 – 2007.
Suggested reference source:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Environment/seso/sesoSubS
earch/Q/SID/98
Activity 10
Today, we are faced with massive price increases in domestic electricity and gas
from energy providers. Investigate steps you could take to reduce energy
consumption in your home and how the government can help improve electricity
supplies.

Hydro Power Stations

Hydro-electric power stations work on a mechanical principle using water flow to
drive turbines which then turn a generator. There are just under 60 of these power
stations located throughout Scotland. The first hydro power scheme in Britain was
built in the 1880s at Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland and used to provide
power to the house of Lord Armstrong, a Tyneside shipping magnate. The first
hydro power generation station in Scotland was built in 1890 by the Benedictine
Monks at Fort Augustus and produced 18 KW at 130 volts.
Hydro Power
Station at
Pitlochry,
Perthshire
The hydro station at Pitlochry has turned into a major visitor attraction where
visitors can see salmon leaping up and down a ‘fish ladder’ or ‘fish pass’ which
serves the purpose of allowing the fish to pass up and down the river for
spawning. This has been an environmental success for salmon.
Activity 11
Group exercise
Find the locations of 4 hydro power stations in Scotland and add these to your
map in blue. Write a brief summary of the background of each hydro power
scheme and present this to the class.
Activity 12
Find the maximum operating capacity of one of the hydro power stations, that is,
the maximum output power it can generate.

Hydro Power Engineers

There were many famous Scottish engineers and businessmen who were very
important in the development of hydro power. They are known as the pioneers of
hydro power:
Tom Johnstone, born in Kirkintilloch in 1881 – mainly worked in politics and

became an MP and was responsible for founding the North of Scotland Hydro-
Electric Board (NoSHEB).
James Williamson, CBE, (1881- 1953) born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, graduated

from Glasgow University and worked as a civil engineer on many large projects,
including hydro-power schemes. He identified 102 possible hydro schemes in
Scotland. These were not all-large scale and just over 50% of them were built.
Sir Edward MacColl (1881- 1951) completed an engineering apprenticeship in

the shipyards on the banks of the river Clyde. He then joined the Glasgow
Corporation Tramways Department and eventually became Chief Technical
Engineer with the Clyde Valley Electric Power Company. He played a large part in
Scotland’s first major hydro-electric scheme near the Falls of the Clyde creating a
public power supply.
Choosing a site
Before a suitable site can be chosen there are many factors that have to be
considered eg technical factors, environmental preservation issues and
community amenities.
Civil engineers need to make careful calculations to work out how much electrical
energy can be generated. This depends on the flow/quantity of water, and the
height from which it has fallen (the head). The higher the head, and the larger the
flow, the more electricity can be generated. A simplified equation is:
Power (potential) = Head x Flow x Gravity
• The power is measured in Watts

• The head is measured in metres
• The flow is measured in litres of water per second
• The Acceleration due to gravity is measured in metres per second

Civil engineers and designers can build four types of hydro scheme. First they
need to consider the topography and geology of an area. This means
• the suitability of the landscape

• the water flow
• the water storage
• the annual rainfall.
Depending on these factors the type of hydro scheme is chosen:
1. Run of river scheme (eg. used at the falls of the river Clyde)
The run of river scheme only requires minimal water storage, therefore no dam is
required. The power output is determined by the amount of river flow. A barrage or
weir is built across the river to increase the volume of water which can be passed
through the turbines.
2. Dam scheme (eg. Strathfarrar scheme)
Large volumes of water are stored behind a dam and this also provides a high
head of water to drive the turbines. Damming a broad river may not be
economically justifiable, but deep glaciated Highland valleys can be suitable.
3. High head scheme (another type of dam scheme)
This utilises high catchment areas, usually flat plains that are high up in a valley.
Using a network of tunnels and pipelines specially designed to withstand high
water pressure, it delivers the water to the turbines by the shortest and steepest
routes.
4. Pumped storage scheme (used at the Cruachan power scheme in Argyll)
Pumped storage schemes do away with the need for a large dam, although a
smaller dam is used. These schemes have two reservoirs and reversible turbines
that are used to pump the water back up to the upper reservoir during times of low
demand eg. at night. One problem with pumped storage power stations is that
they are not self sufficient as they require an external source of power for the
pumps.

Turbines
Turbines are used in all power stations. A turbine is the part of the machinery that
rotates as a result of water power, in the case of hydro, and there are a number of
designs available.
A turbine at Pitlochry Hydro Power Station
A Kaplan Turbine
Image courtesy of Voith-Siemens
An alternator is connected to the turbine and this alternator rotates and generates
what is known as AC - alternating current.

A sinusoidal AC waveform
Image courtesy of RS Components
Although the term alternating ‘current’ is used, in fact it is an alternating voltage

from the generator which produces the required current.

The process of generating electricity from hydro power:
Water from a loch or reservoir is directed through pipe work
A turbine is driven by water flow
Power is ‘stepped’ down through ‘transformers’ in ‘substations’
Power is distributed to consumers
Hydro power stations can cope better with ‘peak load’ demands than thermal
power stations. Extra power can be turned on and off very easily.
Peak load demand is when the consumers increase their demand at the same
time eg. at meal times or when everybody switches their kettles on during a
commercial break on the TV coverage of major events.

Activity 13
Why has the importance of hydro power risen so dramatically in the last 50 years
or so?
Hydro power: Scotland compared to the world
Hydro power provides around 25% of the world’s electricity and China is now
leading the way in building new hydro plants.
As a comparison, coal-fired power stations provide 40% of the world’s electricity.
Graph courtesy of Voith-Siemens
The above diagram shows some of the largest hydro plants throughout the world.
The ‘blue’ symbols represent water turbines, which are one of the main parts of
the hydro generating process.
Although the building of power stations came to a halt around the 1970s, more
recent governments have again given the go ahead. In 2003 the most recent
hydro plant was built at Glendoe in Scotland. This was the first large scale hydro
scheme to be built for around 40 years.
Further details about the scheme are available on the project website:
http://www.glendoe.co.uk/

As with all large building projects, construction of the scheme did affect the
landscape. This happened mostly at the time of construction.
Large temporary buildings form a camp where the workers lived during
construction of the power station.
The camp itself is large, as shown in the above picture. You can see it does affect
the landscape. These camps are normally temporary and can be removed easily
and the land returned to near its original condition.
With all the main components of the hydro scheme being underground, the dam
and reservoir are the main structures that will be visible. However, they cannot be
seen from any home or public road and around the reservoir is used only for
sporting purposes and is not particularly popular with hillwalkers.
Dam area in July 2006 Loch Ness

Advantages of hydro power:
• It uses a renewable source which occurs naturally ie. water from rainfall
• No carbon emissions
• Once the dam is built, the energy is far cheaper than any other renewable
source
• Minimal waste or pollution produced
• Much more reliable than wind, solar or wave power
• Water can be stored above the dam to cope with peaks in demand
• Hydro-electric power stations can increase to full power very quickly unlike
other power stations
• It provides large scale employment during its construction
• The local community can benefit from increased business
• They are generally well hidden from the public.
• A new habitat can be created by the building of new reservoirs
• Dams can also be used for flood control or to irrigate land, so building costs
can be shared
• Scotland has an ideal landscape to build more hydro stations
• Can help promote tourism - Pitlochry power station has turned into a visitor
attraction as the designers of the scheme built in a ‘salmon leap’, where you
can watch salmon. This is called a fish pass or fish ladder.
Disadvantages of hydro power:
• Dams are very expensive to build

• Building a large dam will flood a very large area upstream, causing problems
for animals that used to live there
• Finding a suitable site can be difficult, the impact on residents and the
environment may be unacceptable and a large dam unsightly
• Water quality and quantity (volume) can be affected downstream, which can
have an impact on plant life
• Hydro has a small carbon footprint but there is energy used up during
construction eg. transport.
• During times of drought, the generating capacity may be affected
• During construction there is some damage to the landscape.
electromagnetic radiation emissions. Large voltages and currents give off
the electromagnetic field can cause cancer but studies are ongoing.

The National Grid
Pylon supporting transmission power lines

The photo above shows a large metal structure called a ‘pylon’ which is one of
the main parts of the gird network for carrying high voltage cables.
Pylons do vary in size. In general we can say the higher the voltage then the
larger the pylon. Therefore smaller pylons are used for lower grid voltages. Many
people regard pylons as unsightly and don’t want them near their homes. This
attitude is sometimes known as ‘Nimby’ (Not in my back yard).

Before 1926 electricity in the UK was produced by private generating stations and
there was no standardisation as they were located to supply particular districts.
This meant there were variations in the voltage, current and frequency.
In 1926 Electricity (Supply) Act established the National Grid and provided
standardisation across the country. This gave us the domestic standard we
operate today eg. AC 240 volts, 50 Hertz.
The national grid now means that all power stations are linked in a large
network which feeds into the grid.
The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was set up in 1947 and took
over all electricity generation. This meant that it now owned and operated the grid,
and controlled the operation of all power stations. In the UK today the national
grid network consists of many operators and companies. They can be split into the
following categories:
• Generators - responsible for generating the energy we use in our homes and
businesses. Generated electricity flows into the national transmission network
and through to the regional distribution networks.
• Distributors - are the owners and operators of the network of towers and
cables that bring electricity from the National Transmission Network to homes
and businesses. Even so, they are not the organisations that sell electricity to
the end consumer. This is carried out by organisations that make use of the
distribution networks to pass the energy commodity to your property - the
suppliers.
• Suppliers - are the companies who supply and sell electricity to the consumer.
The suppliers are the first point of contact when arranging an electricity supply
to domestic, commercial and smaller industrial premises.
In 1990 Britain introduced a competitive supply market in terms of electricity.

Since 1999, over 19 million customers have changed supplier, with some
domestic consumers realising significant savings on their energy bills. As a result
of competition, UK energy prices have fluctuated since1999, and there have been
both increases and decreases in prices.
One part of the grid is a network of overhead power cables attached to metal
structures called pylons. There is also a network of cables that are buried
underground. These distribute the electricity across the country at very high
voltages because this reduces losses during transmission.
There are also underwater cables buried in deep seabed trenches, which are
connected from Dungeness on the southern tip of Kent in England to Les
Mandarins on the French coast. This is called the cross-channel DC link. This
means we can ‘sell’ electricity to France or we can ‘buy’ electricity from France.

When the national grid was established the transmission voltage was 132,000
volts (132KV). As the grid developed a new ‘super-grid’ was superimposed on to
the existing grid.
This new super-grid introduced much higher voltages of 275,000 V (275KV) and
400,000V (400KV) which now form the main trunk route to transfer ‘bulk’ power.
The high voltage overhead cables are made from aluminium on the inner core
with an outer layer of steel armoured wire covering them which takes the strain.
The aluminium is the conductor, which is instead of copper. No outer insulation is
required.
The distance and height of the pylons that hold the overhead cables is carefully
calculated to take the weight and strain of the heavy cables. During the winter
layers of ice can form on the outer steel wire and this adds more strain. Therefore
a wide variety of cable specifications are available to meet the demands for large
alternating currents, and different climates and types of terrain will affect the
layout and design of the power lines.
Underground high voltage cables require a different specification, as they have

to be resistant to water penetration and be able to insulate the conductor from
physical damage. The conductor can be either aluminium or copper and the
insulation is a plastic material called polyethylene. The layers in between consist
of a wire armoured layer and a screen layer. This is to prevent mechanical
damage and to reduce electrical interference. It is twice as expensive to install
underground cables than overhead cables.
Mechanical diggers have been known to dislodge and damage underground

power cables and thereby cause power cuts.

Activity 14
The diagram below shows the steps involved in reducing the voltage from a very
high voltage down to the voltage we use in our homes.
What do boxes 1, 2, and 3 represent?
1 Generator in power station

25,000 V (25 KV)
Step-up transformer 25 KV / 400 KV or

2 25 / 275KV in power station – Transmission
Step-down transformer 400 KV / 132 KV or

275 KV / 132 KV - Transmission
3
Step-down transformer 132 KV / 33 KV
Step-down transformer 33 KV / 11KV
Step-down transformer 11 KV / 415 V
Local distribution to consumers 415 V / 240 V

Image courtesy of the National Grid
The picture above shows a maintenance trolley that can travel along power lines.
Such trolleys can carry a number of people to perform maintenance work. The
large cooling towers of a thermal power station are shown in the background.
Activity 15
Now watch maintenance being performed on high voltage power lines at:
Image courtesy of Scottish Southern Energy

Simplified flow diagram of the generation, transmission and distribution of

electricity:
Alternators (also known as generators) change other forms of energy into

electricity.
Transformers change system voltages as required, either up or down.
Transmission lines/system carry electricity for the grid.
The grid moves electricity towards the consumers. It ensures that in principle any
consumer can be supplied from any power station.
Distribution systems distribute electricity from the grid to consumers.

Substations
Substations are an integral part of the grid and it could not work without them.
A substation provides the inter-connection point for transformers, busbars,

switchgear, and protection. They are very dangerous and access is restricted to
highly trained personnel only.
Substations vary in size and operate at different voltages and can take up a large
or small area of land depending on the size of the voltage present.
Large substations for very high voltages would be located very near to a power
station. Smaller substations operating at much lower voltages can be seen along
the roadside especially in urban areas. There are thousands of small sub-stations
throughout the United Kingdom.
Transformers
The major component of a substation is a transformer. It can step the voltage up

or down eg. the voltage can be ‘increased’ or ‘decreased’.
High voltage transformers can be very large and if you listen carefully you will
hear a ‘hum’ coming from them.
Hundreds of transformers are connected all along the grid to step the voltage
down in a gradual fashion. They vary in size and shape with some being the
shape of a barrel and others square.
A large transformer
The image above shows a large transformer adjacent to a public pathway.

The circular tubes round the transformer contain the coolant, usually oil.
The part of the transformer where the yellow label is placed is where the
underground cables are connected.
Access is denied to the public as the high currents and voltages of the
transformer are dangerous.

Transformer located in a small/medium voltage substation
Activity 16
Can you spot the problem with this substation?

Busbars
Busbars are made from lengths of copper bar and take the place of cables.
Copper bar is very expensive so busbars are only used where short distances are
needed eg. within the confines of a substation. They are not used to transmit
electricity across the grid.
Busbars are solid and rigid and can be bolted to the transformer and switchgear
so providing better connectivity.
Cables can be blown about by strong winds and cause faults whereas busbars
are not affected by the wind.
If the busbars are very large they can carry far more current than a cable.
They are easily machined and can be drilled and shaped to fit any connection
requirement to switchgear and protection equipment.
Disadvantages of busbars:
• copper is expensive
• copper oxidises when exposed to the air and changes colour
• copper will deteriorate with extremes of weather

The larger the current and voltage is – the more dangerous it is!
The above image shows a current transformer with a busbar passing through it.
This is one method of measuring the current leaving a power station substation.

Switchgear
Switchgear is an electrical switch that opens or closes a circuit and is also known
as a circuit breaker. When high voltage circuit breakers open a circuit with a large
current passing, it causes a large ‘arc’ to occur. These arcs look very similar to
lightning strikes but they are contained in the circuit breaker by a protective shield
called an ‘arc chute’.
Switchgear also offers protection to circuits as they will open the circuit under fault
conditions.
A circuit breaker
A small circuit breaker is shown above. The larger the voltage and current the
larger will be the circuit breaker.

A household consumer unit
The image above shows a consumer unit, which is an item of ‘switchgear and
protection’, used in homes to protect consumers. It shows a row of small circuit
breakers for protection in the event of a fault.
Protection
Circuit breakers are preferable to fuses as they are more efficient and safer,
although it is still very common to find fuses in many installations.
When higher voltages and currents are used then the fuse size needs to be much
larger. When a fuse blows you have to discard it, but when a circuit breaker trips
you can reset the switch.
A range of fuse sizes and types


A household fuse
The image above shows a fuse as is used in household plugs. This fuse gives a
form of protection; it breaks the circuit when the fuse blows. This fuse is suitable
for 240 volt and a fault current of 3 amperes. Fuses are being gradually replaced
by miniature circuit breakers and residual current devices as a means of electrical
fault protection in homes.

Advantages of the National Grid
• Having a grid allows easier connection from all

types of generating station both renewable and
non-renewable.
• Electricity can be supplied constantly and there is
very little interruption.
• Overall control is from a central point using
computerised automation.
• It provides employment opportunities during its
construction.
• It provides ongoing employment for maintenance
and running.
• Remote communities can be connected to the
grid.
• Britain can sell electricity to foreign customers eg.
France.
Disadvantages of the National Grid
• It is expensive to install the cable systems. To install underground cables is

nearly twice as expensive as overhead cables.
• Carbon emissions occur from certain power stations.
• Building large pylons can be very unsightly.
• Finding a suitable route can be difficult as the impact on residents and the
environment may be unacceptable.
• Pylons can cause a hazard to low flying aircraft.
• Pylons can be a danger to the public if they trespass near the overhead lines.
• During construction there is some damage to the landscape.
electromagnetic fields. At the moment there is no conclusive proof that these
electromagnetic fields can cause cancer but studies are ongoing.
• Large transformers are cooled by oil and if there is a leak of oil then it may
contaminate the surrounding land.
• Lightning can create large electrical surges and cause major damage and
disruption to the service.
• The maximum power that the grid can produce for the UK is around 50 Giga-
watts (50GW) or 50,000,000 Mega-watts.

The Future of Electricity Supplies

The way forward is to use renewable electricity supply sources and have non-
renewable sources for back up or in the case of emergency.
More research, development and investment should be made to install and design
renewable forms of electricity to replace fossil burning power stations.
Renewable forms are:
• wind
• wave
• tidal
• hydro
• solar
Professor Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University and a wave energy device

inventor summed up ‘wave energy’ very well:
“Efficiency itself is no concern when the gods pay for the waves” (Ross, 1995).
– In other words, there are virtually no fuel costs.
Scotland is ideally suited because of its natural environmental resources to install

all forms of renewable energy.
Micro-renewable energy sources will become more popular eg. PV solar, hydro,
wind. This means that you could have your very own wind turbine attached to your
house or nearby to generate your own electricity.
It’s also important to reduce demand for electricity in the future. This means
simple things like: using energy saving light bulbs, better insulation in houses and
buildings, double glazing, standby modes on electrical products and switching off
when not in use.
‘Smart’ meters will help raise awareness and in turn reduce energy use.
(eg.
http://www.bettergeneration.co.uk/ideas-for-saving-energy/smart-electricity-
meters.html
http://www.energywatch.org.uk/uploads/Smart_meters.pdf )

Activity 17
Group Exercise:
You are in the government planning department for energy and your group has to
come up with the most suitable new power generating system for Scotland.
Discuss the major advantages and disadvantages of each of the following types of
power generation and then present your case to the class.
• Coal-fired
• Nuclear
• Hydro
• All other renewables

Glossary of Terms
You can add to this list as you come across new terms. It should be filled in as
part of your investigation. Some have been listed as a starting point.
Term Meaning
Alternator An electric generator that produces alternating
voltage and current
Amperes The electric unit of current
Arc A luminous electrical discharge between two
electrodes or other points
Busbar A copper bar that conducts electricity
COx Carbon content in gases
DC Direct current
FGD Flue Gas Desulphurisation
GW 1,000,000 mega watts of power
Hertz Unit of frequency
MW Mega watt is 1 million watts of power
Nimby Not in my back yard
NOx Nitride content in gases
Nuclear Uses an atomic reaction to create power
Protection Electrical apparatus that protects electrical circuits
and people from fault currents and voltages
SOx Sulphur content in gases
SSE Scottish and Southern Electricity
Switchgear Electrical apparatus that can switch voltage and

current
Transformer Electrical apparatus that can increase or decrease
voltage
Volts The electric unit of voltage
Watts (W) Watt is a unit of power


Appendix
Appendix 1: Extension Activity
Interview Practice – Job Vacancy – Energy Advisor
This exercise should give you practice in the technical aspects of a job interview
where you may be interviewed by a small group of people.
The group will consist of 5 people. 4 students will be the interviewers and the 5th
student will be the person being interviewed.
This will involve all 5 students ‘investigating’ aspects of the ‘key’ issues for the
energy sector. Suggested topics are:
• hydro
• renewable energy
o wind
o wave
o tidal
• nuclear power
As a result of this, the students will accumulate a bank of interview questions and
possible answers.
All five students will rotate their roles such that everybody gets an opportunity to
be the interviewee.
The interview should be formal and be realistic like a real life situation eg. the
student would be expected to make a 5-10 minute presentation to the
interviewers.
This is an opportunity to develop some key aspects of the energy units including:
• seeking information
• peer evaluation
• presentation skills
• portfolio collation

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We are also grateful to the following for permission to use images

Ryan James King

© Scottish Further Education Unit 2008

Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU)

SFEU is a Registered Scottish Charity No. SC021876 and a

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Enquiries relating to this support pack or issues relating to copyright should be

Marketing Officer - Communications

Further information regarding this Unit including Unit Specifications, National

The Scottish Qualifications Authority

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Tel: 0191 280 0400

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How to Use this Pack 9

Tutor Support Section 22

Student Support Section 44

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How to Use this Pack

The pack is organised into several sections:

Activities are identified with the symbol:

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Scottish Further Education Unit 10

What are Skills for Work Courses all about?

Skills for Work Courses are designed to help candidates to develop:

A key feature of these Courses is the emphasis on experiential learning. This

Learning through practical experience

Learning through reflecting at all stages of the experience

Teaching/learning programmes should include some or all of the following:

Scottish Further Education Unit 11

Scottish Further Education Unit 12

A Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Executive 2004) identifies aspirations for

The learning environments, the focus on experiential learning and the

Scottish Further Education Unit 13

The Course in Energy (Intermediate 2)

The general aims of the Course are to:

• widen participation in vocationally-related learning for 14–16 year olds

Scottish Further Education Unit 14

• facilitate progression to further education and/or training

In particular, the specific aims of the Course are to:

Rationale for Course content

The development of most renewable energy systems is a recent innovation where

Scottish Further Education Unit 15

Scottish Further Education Unit 16

Unit Outcomes, PCs and Evidence Requirements

Acceptable performance in this Unit will be the satisfactory achievement of the

Investigate conventional energy systems in accordance with a given brief.

a) Gather relevant information from a variety of sources according to the given

Investigate electricity transmission and distribution through the national grid

a) Gather relevant information from a variety of sources according to the given

Scottish Further Education Unit 17

Present findings on own energy consumption according to a given brief.

a) Present clear summary information on the contribution of conventional energy

Evidence Requirements for this Unit

Evidence is required to demonstrate the candidates have achieved all Outcomes

Performance and product evidence

Candidates will carry out an individual investigation according to the instructions in

An assessor checklist identifying the critical aspects of the presentation regardless

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• summary information must be clear