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Electricity in NYC!
energy u renewable
Directions: Read the article below and answer the questions at the end.
Consumption
The city consumes a lot of electricity each day! At its peak, during summer months, NYC on average uses 11, 000 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt represents the amount need to power 1,000 homes. That puts on the level of consumption of entire countries, slightly more than Chile and Portugal! But while New York City as a whole consumes a lot of electricity, New Yorkers are pretty good at keeping their energy consumption down. The average New Yorker consumes about 2,000 killowatt hours per year (Americans on average consume 4,000 kw-h/ year). The average New York City apartment or home uses on average 300 kw-h/month. The demand for electricity in New York City is growing! Over the last 5 years peak demand within the city has grown 1-2 percent a year, thats 800 extra megawatts! The city uses so much energy because we have a lot of tall buildings, which require energy intensive elevators and we rely on subways, which are powered by electricity. But more importantly our appetite for things like air conditioners, appliances and other electronics has increased almost 56 percent in only 8 years!
25 20 15 10 5 0 2,661,874 11,637,167
Turbine
Steam rotates a shaft connected to a generator Coils of copper wire and magnets spin in opposition
Generation
At its simplest electricity production relies on the rotation of a turbine a large shaft with blades at a power plant. What forces the turbine to turn is steam that is heated up in large furnaces. The furnaces in the citys powerplant are powered by fossil fuels: natural gas and fuel oil. The turbine is connected to a long shaft of magnets surrounded by copper wire. When the rotation of magnets against the copper generates electricity.
Number of Consumers
Electricity in NYC!
energy u renewable
Generation
Eighty percent of the electricity produced for New York City must be produced within the five boroughs. There are now 23 powerplants within the city limits. The four in Queens account for roughly half of the energy output in the city and the remainder are spread across Staten Island, the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn. But not all of the citys power is produced within the 5 boroughs. Indian Point, a nucleur power plant in Westchester County produces up to 20 percent of our demand.
Electricity Vocab
Current: the flow of electrons through the wire. Voltage: the force behind the current or how hard
the electrons are being pushed. Watt: A basic measure of how much work the electricity can do. Alternating Current: the current and voltage of electricity move in back and forth pulses. Direct Current: A direct flow of electricity
Discussion
1. How is electricity made in NYC? 2. How much electricity does a New Yorker use on average per month? 3. How do we measure energy use? 4. Where is the biggest power plant in NYC?