midamerican energy combustion fueled power plant virtual tour video

·          Lecture 1 (8/21)

·          Take the VIRTUAL COAL-FUELED POWER PLANT TOUR (courtesy of MidAmerican Energy Company)

·          Take the VIRTUAL COMBUSTION-FUELED PLANT TOUR (courtesy of MidAmerican Energy Company)

·          Take the VIRTUAL WIND FARM TOUR (courtesy of MidAmerican Energy Company)

·          Take the GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT TOUR (courtesy of CalEnergy Generation)

·          Take the HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT TOUR (courtesy of MidAmerican Energy Company)

       ALL MATERIAL WILL BE POSTED ON BLACKBOARD LEARN

Understand Energy Course is a cross-campus effort of the  Precourt Institute for Energy .

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Course topics.

Class Management and Syllabus

How the Course Works Syllabus Spring 2024

Course Readings and Videos (updated Fall 2021)

Understand Energy YouTube Channel   For energy videos about all different energy topics. See below for a listing of some of the carefully curated videos and readings we assign in the course:

The Unfolding Energy Revolution

• How America can leave fossil fuels behind, in one chart (Vox 2020) [11 minutes]
• Electric cars could wreak havoc on oil markets within a decade (Bloomberg 2016) [4 minutes]
• Our Amazing Clean Energy Future has Arrived (Foreign Policy 2021)

Recommended:

• Al Gore: The Case for Optimism on Climate Change  (TED 2016) [25 minutes]
• Powering Sustainable Energy for All by Ban Ki-Moon  (NYT 2012) [3 pages]
• Tony Seba: Clean Disruption - Energy & Transportation  (CRES) [1 hour]
• The Innovations We Need to Avoid A Climate Disaster   (TED 2021) [50 minutes]

Energy Basics, the Environment, and Equity

• The Essentials of Energy  (It's Okay To Be Smart 2015) [6 minutes]
• Beyond the Anthropocene | Johan Rockström   (World Economic Forum 2017) [22 minutes]
• How Tesla will Change the World  (Wait But Why 2015) 
• Climate Change and Environmental Racism  (PBS 2016) [26 minutes]

Introduction to Fossil Fuels and Prospecting for Oil and Natural Gas

• Oil and Gas Formation  (EarthScience 2014) [3 minutes]
• Oil and natural gas resource categories reflect varying degrees of certainty  (EIA Today in Energy 2014) [2 pages]
• Overview of the oil and gas exploration and production process  (eTech International 2012) [7 pages]
• Petroleum  (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Overview of the Petroleum Industry Part 1  (Gulf Publishing Co 2009) [8 minutes]
• Fossil Fuels 101  (Student Energy 2015) [3 minutes]
• 1973 Oil Crisis   (Victoria Flores 2014) [4 minutes]

Oil and Natural Gas Drilling and Well Completion

• Overview of the Petroleum Industry Part 3 Drilling a Well  (Gulf Publishing Co 2009) [9 minutes]
• VIP Rig Tour  (2012) [12 minutes]
• Life of an onshore well: finding and producing tight or shale oil and gas  (Shell 2013) [6 minutes]
• The Largest Oil Rig in the World - Perdido  (Shell 2013) [20 minutes]
• Shale Gas and Horizontal Drilling - Videos 3-6  (Chesapeake Energy 2013) [13 minutes]

Oil Production and Transportation

• Overview of the Petroleum Industry Part 4   (Gulf Publishing Co 2009) [10 minutes]
• Oil Sands 101  (Student Energy 2015) [3 minutes]
• More stringent marine sulfur limits mean changes for U.S. refiners and ocean vessels  (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• The future of Big Oil flaring in the Permian Basin and the climate challenge  (CNBC 2021)
• How Offshore Oil Rigs Work  (Wendover Productions 2020) [2 minutes]
• The Impact Of Abandoned Oil Wells On The Environment  (Oil Price 2021)
• Occidental Delivers World First Carbon-Neutral Oil  (Oil Price 2021)
• Maritime chokepoints are critical to global energy security  (EIA Today in Energy 2017)
• Where our oil comes from - brief  (EIA Energy Explained) [1 page]
• Where our oil comes from - in depth  (EIA Energy Explained) [1 page]

Oil Refining and Products

• Neighbors of the Fence  (The Bitter Southerner 2012)
• What is Refining?  (EKT Interactive 2020) [6 minutes]
• The True Cost of Fossil Fuels  (Scientific American 2013) [4 pages]
• Dr. Norm Hyne: Oil Refining  (2014) [23 minutes]
• Coal  (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Methods of Mining  (KGS) [2 pages]
• Where Our Coal Comes From  (EIA Coal Explained) [1 page]
• The Big One  (Edmonton Journal 2010) [1 minute]
• Mine of the Future  (Rio Tinto 2014) [5 minutes]
• This town powered America for decades. What do we owe them?  (CNN Opinion 2021) [9 minutes]
• 4 Major Asian Nations Cancel 80% of Planned Coal Power Projects After Fossil Fuel Market Crashes in 2020  (Good News Network 2021)
• How Steel Might Finally Kick Its Coal Habit  (Wired 2021)
• The history and future of coal, explained  (DW 2021) [8 minutes]
• The Coal Plant Next Door  (ProPublica 2021)
• Scientists Seek Ban on Mountaintop Mining  (Discovery 2010) [4 minutes]
• Report finds widespread contamination at nation’s coal ash sites  (March 4, 2019)
• North Carolina orders Duke Energy to excavate all coal ash  (ABC News 2019)
• Toxic Waste in the US: Coal Ash  (VICE News 2015) [25 min]
• RIP Coal. Long Live Coal Country  (Grist 2019)
• Wyoming lawmakers sprint to save coal  (Casper Star Tribune 2021)
• Coal mines emit more methane than oil-and-gas sector, study finds  (Renew Economy 2020)
• North Dakota Officials Block Wind Power in Effort to Save Coal  (NPR 2021)

Natural Gas

• Natural Gas 101  (Student Energy 2015) [4 minutes]
• Mark Zoback - Natural Gas Issues  (Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy 2013) [24 minutes]
• The Power of Natural Gas: Complementing Renewables for a Sustainable Energy Future  (GE Power 2020) [4 min]
• Methane: The other important greenhouse gas  (EDF 2014) [3 min]
• Liquified Natural Gas 101  (Student Energy 2015) [2 minutes]
• Where Our Natural Gas Comes From  (EIA Natural Gas Explained) [1 page]
• The Business of Natural Gas  (Southern Gas Association 2013) [5 minutes]
• Natural Gas Processing  (American Petroleum Institute 2017) [5 pages]
• Natural Gas Pipelines  (American Petroleum Institute 2017) [6 pages]

The Grid - Electricity Transmission, Industry & Markets

• Electricity  (NEED.org) 
• Why wind and solar power are such a challenge for energy grids  (Vox 2015)
• Why are birds not electrocuted on power lines?  (Naked Scientists 2011) [4 minutes]
• How Electricity Is Delivered To Consumers  (EIA 2020)

Electricity Generation

• Coal-Fueled Power Plant  (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [7 minutes]
• Combustion-Fueled Power Plant  (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [7 minutes]
• How is Electricity Generated in Your State?  (NYT 2019)
• The 'duck curve' is solar energy's greatest challenge  (Vox 2018) [4 minutes]
• Electricity  (Bill Nye the Science Guy 2012) [7 minutes]
• Lazard's Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis Version 14.0  (2020)
• Electricity is a Secondary Energy Source  (EIA Electricity Explained)
• Nuclear and coal will account for majority of U.S. generating capacity retirements in 2021  (EIA Today in Energy 2021) 
• Renewables account for most new U.S. electricity generating capacity in 2021  (EIA Today in Energy 2021)
• Hourly electricity consumption varies throughout the day and across seasons  (EIA Today in Energy 2020)

Energy Storage

• Energy Storage 101  (Energy Storage Association 2019) [watch first 40 minutes]
• Why Tesla is building city-sized batteries  (Verge Science 2018) [7 minutes]

Recommended: 

• Virtual Field Trip to the Tesla Gigafactory  (The Verge 2018) [7 minutes]

Nuclear Energy

• Uranium (NEED.org)
• Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work?  1/3  (Kurzgesagt 2015) [5 minutes]
• 88,000 tons of radioactive waste - and nowhere to put it  (Verge Science 2018) [7 minutes]
• The Eyes of Nye - Nuclear Energy  [26 minutes]
• The Good Stuff: Is Nuclear Power Good or Bad?  [14 minutes]
• 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Terrible!  2/3 (Kurzgesagt 2015) [4 minutes]
• 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Awesome!  (Kurzgesagt 2015) [4 minutes]
• Spent Fuel Storage at Diablo Canyon Power Plant  (PG&E 2011) [11 minutes]
• How nuclear energy works  (ENECeducation 2009) [5 minutes]
• How is Uranium Mining Conducted in the United States?  (NEI 2012) [5 minutes]
• Where Our Uranium Comes From  (EIA 2017)
• Nuclear reactor restarts in Japan displacing LNG imports in 2019  (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• In 2019, 9 of the 10 highest-generating US power plants were nuclear plants  (EIA Today in Energy 2020)
• How two cutting edge US nuclear projects bankrupted Westinghouse  (Reuters 2017)
• Toshiba offloads its memory chip arm with $18bn deal to ease woes  (UK The Telegraph 2017)

A Decarbonized Electric Power Sector

• The missing puzzle piece for getting to 100% clean power  (Vox 2020)
• How Do Electric Utilities Make Money?  (AEE 2015)
• Big but affordable effort needed for America to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, Princeton study shows  (Princeton 2015)
• How The U.S. Can Build A 100% Clean Grid  (CNBC 2021) [20 minutes]

Energy & Climate Change

• How the Earth’s Climate Works and the Greenhouse Gas Effect  (RedSnappa 2016) [6 minutes] 
• The Coming Storm of Climate Change  (Bloomberg 2017) [3 minutes]
• Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss - James Balog  (TedEd 2013) [19 minutes] 
• Stephen Schneider – Climate One Montage  (Stanford Woods Institute 2013) [7 minutes]
• The Business Case for Taking Action on Climate Change  (Inc. 2017) 
• How You Can Stop Global Warming  (NRDC 2017)
• Coronavirus Holds Key Lessons on How to Fight Climate Change  (Yale Environment360 2020)
• The most effective ways to curb climate change might surprise you  (CNN 2019)
• Science Tells Us How To Help US Citizens Accept Climate Change  (CleanTechnica 2017)

Energy at Stanford

• Stanford Energy Systems Innovations - SESI  [4 minutes]
• Sustainability at Stanford 2019-2020 In Review
• Climate Resilience Virtual Summit  [1.5 hours]
• Stanford University Energy and Climate Plan  (2015 ed.)
• Explore Energy Website  (ways to engage at Stanford)
• Sustainable Stanford Fact Sheets

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage

• How does Carbon Capture and Storage Work?  (Australian Coal Association 2010) [5 min]
• Money is Pouring Into Carbon Capture Tech, But Challenges Remain  (CNBC 2021) [17 min]
• How does a Fuel Cell Work?  (Naked Science Scrapbook) [4 minutes]
• What is Green Hydrogen and Will It Power the Future?  (CNBC 2021) [15 minutes]
• MIT Climate Action 4: Economy-wide deep decarbonization beyond electricity; Carbon mgmt. panel  (Stanford 2020) 
• Green Hydrogen Plant in Saudi Desert Aims to Amp Up Clean Power  (WSJ 2021)
• The global race to produce hydrogen offshore  (BBC 2021)
• Dutch Students Just Unveiled the World's First Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft  (RobbReport 2021)
• Mainspring Energy launches its flexible fuel generator with a $150 million NextEra Energy contract  (Tech Crunch 2021)

Intro to Renewable Energy

• Sustainable Energy in America: Factbook  (Bloomberg New Energy Finance 2021)
• Renewables 2020 Global Status Report  (REN21 2020) – recommend the Executive Summary and Ch. 1 [36 pages]
• U.S. Renewable Energy Factsheet Pub. No. CSS03-12  (Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan 2020)

Hydroelectricity Card

• MidAmerican Energy Hydroelectric Power Plant Virtual Tour  (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [10 minutes]
• Three Gorges Dam Project  (Ali Kazi 2012) [7 minutes]
• Where Hydropower is Generated  (EIA Energy Explained) [1 page]
• Bill Gates backs 'game changer' hydropower technology in global energy transition   (Recharge News 2020)
• REN21 Global Status Report 2020 , Hydropower Chapter - pg. 98 (REN21 2020) [5 pages]

Energy Efficiency as a Resource

• Want People to Embrace Energy Efficiency Technology? Make it Sexy.  (Huffington Post 2017)
• Guest Post: A Sexy Smart Grid vs. humble energy audits and efficiency retrofits  (Scientific American 2013) 
• Creating the Next Energy Revolution: Integrative Design for Radical Energy Efficiency (Amory Lovins 2019) [2 pages]
• Removing Disincentives to Utility Energy Efficiency Efforts  (NRDC 2012)
• U.S. ethanol exports fell for the first time in four years in 2019  (EIA Today in Energy 2020)
• Biomass (NEED.org)
• Growing California video series: Cow Power  (California Department of Food and Agriculture 2015) [4 minutes]
• Algae-based Products for a Sustainable Future  (Cellana 2012) [2 minutes]
• Increases in electricity production by biomass stop after a decade of growth  (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• REN21 Global Status Report 2020 , Bioenergy Chapter (pg. 81)
• Whatever Happened to Advanced Biofuels?  (Scientific American 2016)
• U.S. biomass-based diesel imports down for second consecutive year in 2018  (EIA Today in Energy 2019) 
• Biomass 101  (Student Energy 2015) [3 minutes]
• SMUD Dairy Digester Virtual Tour  (SMUD) [10 minutes]

Wind Energy

• Wind Energy (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Why Oil Country is Turning to Wind Power | Overview  (PBS Terra 2021) [9 minutes]
• How do wind turbines work? - Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor  (TED-ED 2021) [5 minutes]
• MidAmerican Energy Wind Farm Virtual Tour  (MidAmerican Energy Co 2013) [7 minutes]
• TPI Composites Blade Manufacturing Process  (TPI Composites 2019) [2 minutes]
• Is offshore wind the energy of the future?  (DW Planet A) [14 minutes]
• The Rise Of Wind Power In The U.S.  (CNBC 2021) [17 minutes]
• Wind Turbine Farm Installation From Scratch | Engineering On Another Level  (Quantum Tech HD 2020) [8 minutes]
• Power Plant Tours: Wind Farm  (MidAmerican Energy Company 2013) [7 minutes] 
• From the Ground Up: Building our energy future, one turbine at a time  (MidAmerican Energy Company 2015) [6 minutes]
• Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Wind Power  (CleanTechnica 2020)
• Wind Turbine Technology and Operations Factbook  - pg. 3-24 (E.ON 2013) 
• Wind Turbines  (How It's Made 2016) [6 minutes]
• MidAmerican Energy Company - From the Ground Up: Building our energy future, one turbine at a time  (MidAmerican Energy Co 2015) [5 minutes]

Great Wind Flow Websites:

• https://earth.nullschool.net/
• https://nrel.github.io/hsds-viz/

Solar Energy

• How do solar panels work?   (Ted Ed 2016) [5 minutes]
• California will require solar panels on all new homes. That’s not necessarily a good thing.   (Vox 2018)
• Solar (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Solar Farm Virtual Tour  (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [6 minutes]

Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal (NEED.org) [4 pages]

Geothermal Energy:

• Geothermal energy is poised for a big breakout  (Vox 2020)
• This Overlooked Energy Source Could Supply 50% of Electricity  (CNC 2021) [15 minutes]
• Puna Geothermal Venture  (KHON2 News) [5 minutes]
• Geothermal Energy Could Heat Homes And Reduce Our Dependence On Fossil Fuels  (NBC News 2019) [5 minutes]
• The Earth itself could provide carbon-free heat for buildings  (Vox 2020) [10 minute read]

Ground Source Heat Pump:

• Geothermal Energy Could Heat Homes and Reduce Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels  (NBC 2019) [5 minutes]
• The Earth itself could provide carbon-free heat for buildings  (Vox 2020)
• REN21 Global Status Report 2020 , Geothermal Chapter (pg. 92)
• Nearly half of US geothermal power capacity came online in the 1980s  (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• History of The Geysers (50 years)  (Calpine 2013) [8 minutes]
• Geothermal energy is renewable and powerful. Why is most of it untapped?  (DW Planet A 2020) [10 minutes]
• Drilling surprise opens door to magma-powered electricity  (Iceland Deep Drilling Project) (arsTechnica 2014)
• Geothermal Energy in the 21st Century: Unconventional EGS Resources  (Forge Utah 2021) [33 minutes]
• How Does a Heat Pump Work?  [4 minutes]
• GeoExchange Heating and Cooling  [4 minutes]

The Peas: Ocean & Future Nuclear (SMRs & Fusion)

• Energy 101: Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy  (Energy.gov 2013) [3 minutes]
• Wave Energy Industry Growing  (CBC/Radio-Canada 2015) [12 minutes] 
• Can Underwater Turbines Solve Our Energy Problems?  (Real Engineering 2019) [14 minutes]
• How To Turn The Ocean Into A Battery  (Answers With Joe 2020) [15 minutes] 
• Ocean Mechanical Thermal Energy Conversion  (2019) [10 minutes]
• Just Have a Think: Small Modular Reactors - Are they now unavoidable?  (2020) [16 minutes]
• Fusion Energy Explained  (PHD Comics) [8 minutes] 
• Wave Engineering Converters: Challenges and Opportunities  (Engineering with Rosie 2020) [10 minutes]
• Making the Most of Ocean Resources  (Tidal Power - Alstom 2016) [3 minutes]
• Tidal Power 101  (Student Energy 2015) [2 minutes]
• The Holy Grail of Clean Energy  (Bloomberg Quicktake 2019) [9 minutes]
• Is Nuclear Fusion the Answer to Clean Energy  (CNBC 2019) [23 minutes]
• 5 Big Ideas for Making Fusion Power a Reality  (IEEE Spectrum 2020)
• REN21 Global Renewable Status Report , Ocean Energy Chapter

Energy for Transportation

• Mobility for all  (TU Wien 2021) [5 minutes]
• Why American public transit is so bad: 2020 Election  (Vox 2020) [10 minutes]
• Why China Is Beating the US in Electric Vehicles  (CNBC 2021) [17 minutes]
• How Tesla, GM and Others Will Fix Electric Vehicle Range Anxiety  (CNBC 2020) [14 minutes]
• Why The US EV Industry Is Facing a Battery Shortage  (CNBC 2021) [14 minutes]
• Electric cars better for climate in 95% of the world  (University of Cambridge 2020)
• This is what Peak Car looks like  (Bloomberg Businessweek 2019) 
• Are Uber and Lyft Bad for Energy and Climate?  (GreenTech Media 2019)
• States Sue to Block Trump From Weakening Fuel Economy Rules  (NYT 2020)
• Are Electric Vehicles Really Better For The Environment?  (Forbes 2019)
• Electric Cars Could Wreak Havoc on Oil Markets Within a Decade  (Bloomberg 2016) [3 minutes]
• Why Big Oil Should Be Terrified of Tesla – Dead or Alive  (Bloomberg 2016) [2 minutes]
• U.S. household spending for gasoline is expected to remain below $2,000 in 2017  (EIA Today in Energy 2017)
• Fuel economy improvements are projected to reduce future gasoline use  (EIA Today in Energy 2017)
• Wait But Why: How Tesla Will Change the World  (Part 2; Part 1 is also interesting!) - warning, long article.

Energy Policy

• Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad  (The White House 2021) 
• Clean Energy Plan - Policy & Action Recommendations  (The State of North Carolina 2019) - The Executive Summary Only
• Policies that Work: How to Build a Low-Emissions Economy  (ClimateWorks Foundation 2011)

For Reference:

• White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Recommendations  (2021)
• Fact Sheet: The American Jobs Plan  (The White House 2021)

Energy in the Developing World

• Energy for Human Development  (Breakthrough Institute 2016)
• Center for Global Development: More than a light bulb  (Center for Global Development 2016) [2 minutes]
• Climate change has worsened global economic inequality  (Stanford Earth Matters 2019)

Energy for Buildings

• Catherine Mohr builds green  (TED 2010) [9 minutes]
• 30-Story Building Built In 15 Days  [3 minutes]
• In an Age of Cheap Solar Does Efficiency Still Matter?  (RMI 2015)
• Energiesprong: Net Zero All Electric Retrofits in the Netherlands  (VolkerWessels 2015) [3 minutes]

Course Wrap-Up

• Climate Change and Environmental Racism  (PBS 2017) [26 minutes]
• Giovanna Di Chiro: Nature as Community - the Convergence of Environment and Social Justice  (1996) [23 pages]
• Bullard, D. D., Gardezi, M., Chennault, C., & Dankbar, H. - Climate Change and Environmental Justice: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Bullard  (2016)
• The Magic Washing Machine  | Hans Rosling (TED 2011) [9 minutes]
• Impacts of Uranium Mining on Navajo Nation  (Grand Canyon Trust 2017) [9 minutes]

There is no formal textbook for Understand Energy this year. However, we strongly recommend: Webber, M. (2014) Energy 101: Energy, Technology and Policy. The University of Texas at Austin. This e-book is an excellent primer on technology, economics and policy that is intended to complement the lectures and other readings, especially for those new to the world of energy. The book is available through the publisher's website and is periodically updated (at no additional cost).

The Understand Energy Learning Hub is a cross-campus effort of the Precourt Institute for Energy .

Electricity Generation

Exploring our content.

Fast Facts View our summary of key facts and information. ( Printable PDF, 152KB )

Before You Watch Our Lecture Maximize your learning experience by reviewing these carefully curated videos and readings we assign to our students.

Our Lecture Watch the Stanford course lecture.

Additional Resources Find out where to explore beyond our site.

Fast Facts About Electricity Generation

Principal Uses for Electricity: Manufacturing, Heating, Cooling, Lighting

Electricity is a high-quality, extremely flexible, efficient energy currency that can be used for delivering all types of energy services, including powering mobile phones and computers, lights, motors, and refrigeration. It is associated with modern economic activity and improved quality of life.

Two-thirds of electricity globally is generated from fossil fuels in thermal power plants , where an average of  55% to 70% of resource energy is lost as waste heat . Electricity generation from cleaner renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar PV, is rapidly increasing.

Steam-cycle thermal plants like coal and nuclear are baseload (must run continuously because they take a long time to turn on and off), while oil and natural gas turbine plants are peaking (they can come online quickly and fill peaks in demand, but are more expensive to run). Hydro and natural gas combined cycle plants are considered intermediate plants.

For more information about electricity, visit our  The Grid: Electricity Transmission, Industry, and Markets  and  Decarbonization of the Electric Power Sector  pages.

Energy Resources Used for Electricity Generation

39% of primary energy resources are used to generate electricity

38% of primary energy resources are used to generate electricity

Average US Thermal Power Plant Efficiency

Natural gas* 44%

Nuclear 33%

*For combined cycle plants

• High-quality energy currency: flexible and relatively efficient for end uses
• Many resources are electric-only: Hydro, Wind, Solar PV, Nuclear
• Important for modern quality of life, reduced indoor air pollution, and human health
• Increase in access worldwide allows for improved education and economic activity
• Growing demand from economic and population growth
• Increase in electrification due to demand for decarbonization
• Distributed generation (e.g., residential rooftop solar panels) can give users more control over reliability, help manage growing demand, increase low-carbon generation, and reduce the need for grid updates
• Difficult and expensive to store, must match supply and demand in real time
• Opposition due to land use impacts from transmission and distribution (NIMBY/BANANA*)

* NIMBY - not in my backyard; BANANA - build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything

Climate Impact: High*

• 32% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from electric power
• 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from electric power

Environmental Impact: High*

• Air pollution (SO x , NO x , air toxics, mercury)
• Water use (cooling)
• Water contamination (nuclear, ash ponds)
• Thermal pollution (rivers, lakes, oceans)
• Solid waste (ash, nuclear)
• Radioactivity
• Catastrophic failure
• Power plant decommissioning (especially nuclear)
• Habitat encroachment and contamination

*These impacts are dependent on the source of electricity. They are high because electricity is currently generated mainly from fossil fuels. As cleaner resources replace fossil fuels, the impacts are being reduced.

Updated June 2023

Before You Watch Our Lecture on Electricity Generation

We assign videos and readings to our Stanford students as pre-work for each lecture to help contextualize the lecture content. We strongly encourage you to review the Essential videos and readings below before watching our lecture on Electricity Generation . Include selections from the Optional and Useful list based on your interests and available time.

• MidAmerican Energy Coal-Fueled Power Plant Virtual Tour . MidAmerican Energy. August 7, 2013. (7 min) Learn how a steam-cycle thermal power plant works.
• How a Gas Turbine Works . GE Power. January 6, 2016. (3 min) Gas turbines are used for peaking plants and as part of combined cycle power plants, generally powered by natural gas.
• Drought Threatens Coal Plant Operations — And Electricity — Across the West . NPR. August 26, 2022. (5 pages) Drought is impacting water use for cooling in thermal power plants.

Optional and Useful

• California Consumers Respond to Appeals for Electricity Conservation During Heat Wave . EIA Today in Energy. September 28, 2022. (1 page) Californians avoid blackouts with demand response.
• The U.S. Utilities Decarbonization Index . Visual Capitalist. November 29, 2022. (4 pages) Find your own investor-owned utility and it’s decarbonization status.
• 2023 Levelized Cost of Energy+ . Lazard. April 12, 2023. (21 pages) Analysis of the levelized costs of energy from various generation technologies, energy storage technologies, and hydrogen production methods.
• Tracking Emissions in the US Electricity System . Stanford Mapping Project. Updates continuously. The hourly carbon footprint of the US electricity system.
• Electricity . Bill Nye The Science Guy. April 5, 2012. (7 min) A kid-friendly introduction to electricity.
• Electricity Explained: How Electricity is Generated . EIA. November 9, 2022. (2 pages) A good overview of the different types of electric generators.
• How Electricity Is Changing Around the World . The New York Times. November 20, 2023. (2 pages) Explore the changes in electricity generation country by country to see why the power sector is producing more carbon emissions.

Our Lecture on Electricity Generation

This is our Stanford University Understand Energy course lecture on electricity generation. We strongly encourage you to watch the full lecture to understand how electricity is generated and the significant role it plays in the global energy system. For a complete learning experience, we also encourage you to watch / read the Essential videos and readings we assign to our students before watching the lecture.

Presented by: Diana Gragg, PhD ; Core Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University; Explore Energy Managing Director, Precourt Institute for Energy Recorded on: April 24, 2023    Duration: 58 minutes

Table of Contents

(Clicking on a timestamp will take you to YouTube.) 00:00 Introduction 3:39 History and Significance 11:34 Supply Side – Electricity Generation 46:40 Simplified Economics 55:32 Environmental Issues 57:02 What Lies Ahead

Lecture slides available upon request .

Additional Resources About Electricity Generation

Stanford university.

• Bits & Watts Initiative
• Ram Rajagopal - Power networks, electric grid
• John Weyant - Energy markets, integrated modeling, tax and regulation
• James Sweeney - Energy markets, integrated modeling, tax and regulation
• Frank Wolak - Electric grid, energy markets
• Mark Thurber - Energy markets
• Inez Azevedo - Electric grid, grid scale storage, energy markets
• Srabanti Chowdhury - Electric grid
• Yi Cui - Electric grid, grid scale storage
• Arun Majumdar - Electric grid, grid scale storage
• Abbas el Gamal - Electric grid

Government and International Organizations

• International Energy Agency (IEA) Electricity
• US Energy Information Administration (EIA) Electricity
• US Energy Information Administration (EIA) Electricity Explained
• US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Today in Energy  Electric Generation
• US Office of Electricity (OE) Electricity 101
• US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Combined Heat and Power Partnership
• Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Grid Modernization
• California Energy Almanac California Electricity Data
• California Public Utilities Commission Electrical Energy

Industry Organizations

• Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
• Electrical Safety Foundation
• California Independent System Operator

Other Resources

• National Energy Education Development (NEED) Electricity
• Utility Dive
• Power Magazine
• Power Engineering

The Grid: Electricity Transmission, Industry, and Markets Other Energy Topics to Explore

Fast Facts Sources Energy Resources Used for Electricity Generation: World 2020 ( World Energy Balances, IEA, World Sankey Diagram ), U.S. 2021 ( U.S. Energy Consumption by Source and Sector, EIA ). Electricity Generation by Source: World 2020 ( Electricity Information, IEA, Electricity Generation by Source 1990-2020 ), U.S. 2022 ( Electricity in the United States, EIA, U.S. Electricity Generation by Major Energy Source 1950-2022 ). Electricity Generation by Region: World 2022 ( EIA Statistical Review of World Energy 2023, Energy Institute ), U.S. 2022 ( Net Generation by State by Type of Producer by Energy Source, EIA, EIA-923 Report ). Average Thermal Power Plant Efficiency: U.S. 2021 ( What is the efficiency of different types of power plants?, EIA, Table 8.1. Average Operating Heat Rate for Selected Energy Sources, Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report" ). More details available on request . Back to Fast Facts

MidAmerican Energy Coal-Fueled Power Plant Virtual Tour

Updated: May 29, 2024

MidAmericanEnergyCo

This video provides a comprehensive overview of coal formation, mining techniques (surface and underground), transportation methods, and the process of cleaning and preparing coal for market. It also delves into how coal is pulverized, burned in boilers to produce steam for electricity generation, and the role of turbines and electromagnets in this process. Additionally, it discusses emissions control measures at coal-fueled power plants, focusing on removing regulated emissions such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and ash particles.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Coal Formation and Mining

Coal transportation, coal processing at the plant, coal combustion in the boiler, steam generation and electricity production, emissions control processes.

Introduction to coal formation process over millions of years and two common methods of mining coal: surface mining and underground mining.

Description of how coal is transported from the mine to the power plant using conveyor belts and different modes of transportation like train, barge, ship, or truck.

Process of cleaning and preparing coal at the preparation plant before shipping it to the market. Includes removal of unwanted materials like dirt and rock.

Explanation of how coal is pulverized into fine powder, burned in the boiler to create heat, and generate steam for electricity production.

Details on the steam generation process in the boiler through turbines and the production of electricity using electromagnets within wire coils.

Overview of the emissions control processes in coal-fueled power plants, including removal of regulated emissions like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and ash particles.

Q: What are the two common methods of mining coal mentioned in the file?

A: The two common methods of mining coal mentioned are surface mining and underground mining.

Q: How is coal transported from the mine to the power plant?

A: Coal is transported from the mine to the power plant using conveyor belts and different modes of transportation like train, barge, ship, or truck.

Q: What is the process of cleaning and preparing coal at the preparation plant before shipping it to the market?

A: The process involves removing unwanted materials like dirt and rock from the coal.

Q: What happens to coal after it is pulverized into fine powder?

A: After pulverization, coal is burned in the boiler to create heat and generate steam for electricity production.

Q: How is electricity produced in coal-fueled power plants?

A: Electricity is produced by using electromagnets within wire coils during the steam generation process in the boiler through turbines.

Q: What are some of the emissions control processes in coal-fueled power plants?

A: Emissions control processes include the removal of regulated emissions like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and ash particles.

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MidAmerican's Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center Unit 4 earns POWER's highest honor

Renewed interest in higher plant efficiency, stable fuel costs, and energy security makes pulverized coal plants very attractive these days. Burning that coal to produce steam at supercritical pressure and temperature, which bumps up efficiency by 3% to 6% and reduces CO 2 emissions, made the technology even more compelling for MidAmerican Energy Co. and its partners, who built Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center Unit 4. If this plant name is unfamiliar, you might recognize it as the former Council Bluffs Energy Center. The facility was dedicated July 10 to Walter Scott Jr., long-time member of the Berkshire-Hathaway and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. Boards of Directors.

MidAmerican is the majority owner (61%), developer, and operator of the $1.2 billion project. But it needed the help of dozens of partners: Central Iowa Power Cooperative, Corn Belt Power Cooperative, Lincoln Electric System, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, and the municipal utilities of the Iowa cities of Alta, Cedar Falls, Eldridge, Montezuma, New Hampton, Pella, Spencer, Sumner, Waverly, and West Bend. Combined, these utilities provide electricity to more than 1 million customers. The Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center (WSEC) is located on the Missouri River, within the city limits of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and across the river from Omaha, Nebraska.

The southwest Iowa site came to life with a single, 45-MW coal-fueled unit in 1954 and since then had been expanded to three units that generate more than 800 MW. Unit 4 doubled the capacity of the site to 1,600 MW when it entered service this June, making it the largest producer in Iowa. The WSEC uses Powder River Basin (PRB) coal, delivered by unit trains as the site’s fuel supply. Unit 4 uses the plant’s existing coal unloading and storage facilities, but the site’s coal crushers and conveyors had to be upgraded to handle the increased throughput that Unit 4 requires. New transfer conveyors also were installed from Unit 3 to the new Unit 4 tripper room.

Wave of the future?

There are about 155 supercritical power stations with a combined capacity of 107 GW currently operating in the U.S. Construction of supercritical-pressure boilers in the U.S. began in the 1950s, peaked in the 1970s, but fell precipitously in the 1980s. "Teething" problems caused by austenitic steel metal fatigue, superheater corrosion, and creep cracking in heavy components operating at high temperatures and pressures were responsible for the technology’s fall from grace. The last supercritical project in the U.S. was the 1,300-MW W.H. Zimmer Station, located in Moscow, Ohio, that went commercial in March 1991 under the majority ownership of Duke Energy. Without question, the U.S. has been decidedly slow at adopting the latest supercritical technology; in contrast, over 85% of new European and Asian capacity installed over the past two decades has used it.

Perhaps this project will signal the beginning of a revival of North American interest in supercritical technology as more utilities try to diversify from gas and use more coal. After all, regulated utilities still are required to keep prices low and reliability high. Over the past decade, new coal-fired capacity has represented less than 5% of new generation, but the U.S. Department of Energy predicts a steady rise in its share, possibly to as high as 40%, in the next few decades.

By any account, 16 years has been a long time to wait for the next round of supercritical coal-fired plants to make an appearance, but WSEC Unit 4 (Figure 1) is leading what appears to be a new wave of construction. Following closely on its heels will be several other supercritical plants: Wisconsin Public Service Corp.’s 530-MW Weston Unit 4 (to be built in partnership with Dairyland Power by 2008), Wisconsin Energy’s 677-MW Elm Road Generating Station Units 1 and 2 (due on-line in 2009 and 2010, respectively), Kansas City Power & Light’s 850-MW Iatan Unit 2 (slated for commercial operation in 2010), and Duke Energy’s 900-MW Cliffside Unit 6 (scheduled for 2011 commercial operation). Elm Road and Cliffside are outfitted with Hitachi supercritical boilers closely related to the one powering MidAmerican’s Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center Unit 4.

At the same time, AEP has two ultrasupercritical projects in development: Public Service of Oklahoma’s $1.8 billion Red Rock Project (slated for 2012 operation) and SWEPCO’s Turk Project (planned for 2011). Both expect their permit approvals this month. There are almost two dozen more supercritical and ultrasupercritical projects in the development queue in the U.S.

Looking back, we see that the last supercritical plant built in North America was the 495-MW Genesee Unit 3, a 2005 POWER Top Plant jointly owned by EPCOR Power Development Corp. and TransAlta. The plant, called G3, is located about 45 miles southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. The owners awarded the design and construction contract for Genesee Unit 3’s power island to Hitachi Canada Ltd. (HCL) in December 2001. HCL then called on its parent and Babcock-Hitachi K.K. (BHK) to oversee the engineering and construction phases of the project and provide the plant’s major equipment. G3 went commercial on March 1, 2005. This short history lesson is important because the design of WSEC Unit 4 picks up where Genesee Unit 3 leaves off. (More on the technical heredity of this boiler later.)

Assembling a super team

In 2002, MidAmerican Energy chose a competitively bid, turnkey approach to building Unit 4. It awarded the project’s engineering/procurement/construction (EPC) contract to a team led by Mitsui and Co. Energy Development Inc. on February 2, 2003. The MidAmerican contract is reported to be the largest U.S. power plant deal ever struck by Japanese companies. Mitsui then assembled its team (Figure 2), led by Hitachi America Ltd. (HAL), which subsequently hired Sargent & Lundy as its subcontractor with responsibility for overall plant design, detailed engineering, and balance-of-plant (BOP) equipment procurement support. Hitachi Ltd. supplied the steam turbine, generator, boiler, and air quality control systems. Hitachi Ltd.’s Thermal Engineering Department provided high-level thermal design along with the power block’s general arrangement.

Hitachi’s supercritical boiler design experience seems to have begun when supercritical installations in the U.S. waned in the 1970s. Over the past 30-plus years, the company has refined its designs and pushed steam generator pressures and temperatures steadily upward. Hitachi manufactures the boiler at its BHK subsidiary in Kure, Japan, and the steam turbine-generator at Hitachi Works in Hitachi City, Japan.

Boiler wars

Hitachi’s experience with supercritical boilers dates back to the 1970s and has been refined over the years to result in a very reliable design, as witnessed by a large network of similar operating units in Japan (Figure 3). The first 700-MW coal-fired supercritical boiler plant with turbine inlet conditions comparable to current levels began commercial operation in 1983. Steady increases in unit temperature, pressure, and efficiency over the ensuing two decades culminated in the 1995 commissioning of a supercritical (3,625 psia/1,058F/1,105F) boiler to power the 500-MW Unit 1 of Hokuriku Electric’s Nanao-Ohta power plant. By 2002 this plant was operating at 100% boiler reliability on a 24-month turnaround schedule, despite firing (primarily) high-slagging imported coals.

Like EPCOR’s G3, the WSEC Unit 4 derives its design from a 1,050-MW unit that Hitachi supplied for Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Hitachi Naka plant near Hitachi City. WSEC Unit 4 has steam conditions of 3,675 psia and 1,057F/1,103F and delivers 5.5 million pounds per hour (Table 1).

The Benson sliding-pressure boiler includes a spiral-wound waterwall furnace and a double backpass convection section (Figure 4), the first of its kind in the U.S. The tubes are rifled to increase heat transfer by suppressing DNB (departure from nucleate boiling) in the subcritical-pressure region and pseudo-film boiling in the supercritical-pressure region. The lower part of the furnace has an opposed firing system. The boiler design minimizes imbalances of fluid temperatures at the furnace waterwall tube outlet, improving reliability.

Steam-side systems

Hitachi’s nomenclature for the 890-MW steam turbine is TCDF-40—a tandem-compound, four-flow, single-shaft, 3,600-rpm machine with 40-inch last-stage titanium blades. Those blades have the same length as Genesee Unit 3, and the turbine is much like the one that powers the 700-MW Unit 2 of Chubu Electric Power Co.’s Hekinan plant. The WSEC unit is also the largest Hitachi steam turbine installed outside of Japan.

The steam turbine-generator, rated at 1,025 MVA, is also among the largest two-pole generators manufactured by Hitachi. Its 0.52-MPa·g hydrogen cooling system for the rotor windings is the same used in large four-pole generators of 1,500-MVA class. The design makes the stator frame structure more compact. The stator windings are water-cooled.

Critical components in the turbine system—the bodies of the main stop, main steam control, and combined reheat valves, and main and reheat steam lead piping—are made of 9-Cr forged steel; 12-Cr steel was used in the high-pressure/low-pressure (HP/IP) rotors, HP/IP internal casings, and diaphragm for the HP/IP sections. To improve efficiency and reliability, a continuous cover blade was applied to the moving blades of the HP and LP sections. To further raise efficiency, an advanced vortex nozzle was mated to the nozzle blades in all sections.

Sliding-pressure operation of the boiler is controlled as a function of steam turbine power, with the turbine governing valves wide open. This minimizes throttling losses and allows the steam pressure at the turbine inlet to change to maintain flow at a constant volume. Sliding-pressure operation also improves the thermal efficiency of the steam turbine at partial loads, by decreasing thermodynamic losses.

The feedwater system has an HP heater above the reheat port, two 50% turbine-driven boiler feedpumps, and a motor-driven start-up feedpump supplied by Ebara Corp. ( www.ebara.co.jp ). Feedwater heating is done in eight stages, via seven closed-cycle feedwater heaters from Thermal Engineering International ( www.babcockpower.com ) and one deaerating heater from Kansas City Deaerator Co. ( www.kansascitydeaerator.com ). A little domestic content never hurts.

The condenser was designed by Hitachi Ltd. and fabricated in Canada. ITT Goulds Pumps ( www.goulds.com ) provided the three 50% vertical condensate pumps, while U.S. Filter Corp. (now Siemens Water Technologies, www.water.siemens.com ) supplied the full-flow condensate polisher that keeps the working fluids in spec for the once-through supercritical steam generator. A 22-cell mechanical-draft, fiberglass cooling tower supplied by GEA Power Cooling Inc. ( www.geaict.com ) tempers the cooling water moved by three 50% vertical, wet pit circulating water pumps, also supplied by Ebara.

Makeup water is produced by six wells located at the plant. Well water is cleaned up by clarifiers and a reverse osmosis (RO) demineralization system from U.S. Filter and then stored in a 500,000-gallon tank. The demin water is used for main cycle makeup and for regenerating the condensate polishers and the RO system’s mixed-bed resins.

Keeping the air clean

When it selected an air quality control system, WSEC Unit 4 checked every box on the dealer’s list of options (Table 2). The unit incorporates state-of-the-art pollution controls (Figure 5) to keep NO x , SO 2 , and particulates in check.

Hitachi supplied the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that reduces NO x emissions immediately downstream of the boiler (Figure 6). The PRB coal contains high calcium and high catalyst poisons, and the dust easily sticks to the catalyst. This SCR system uses a Hitachi plate-type catalyst that has a higher resistance to dust plugging and has been modified to achieve higher durability in PRB-fired flue gas. The catalyst reactor is compact, with special flue-gas mixers upstream of the reactors. This mixer accelerates NH 3 mixing with flue gas during a short residence time using the U2A system from Wahlco Inc. ( www.wahlco.com ). In this process, the urea is diluted to a 40% urea/water solution, which then is hydrolyzed into NH 3 .

Next in line downstream of the SCR system (Figure 7) are three Babcock & Wilcox ( www.babcock.com ) dry lime-injected spray dryer-absorbers (SDAs) for SO x reduction and a pulse-jet bag filter train to control particulates. In each SDA, SO 2 -laden hot flue gases mix with a finely atomized spray of fresh lime and recycled ash slurry to produce a dry waste that is easier to dispose of than the waste produced by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems.

A rotary atomizer with a 1,000-hp motor is an integral part of the SDA vessel. As the slurry droplets evaporate, they absorb SO 2 , which reacts with dissolved and suspended alkaline material. The atomizer also sprays water to provide temperature control. The amount of water used is carefully controlled to avoid completely saturating the flue gas, which would impair performance by enabling wet solids to adhere to the surfaces of the absorber vessel water and the baghouse. However, the nearer the system comes to saturating the flue gas, the higher the level of SO 2 removal. The SDA outlet gas temperature is kept at about 17 degrees C above the adiabatic saturation (dew point) temperature. Typical of most FGD systems, the sorbent is delivered in aqueous form to a dedicated absorber vessel.

Gas leaving the SDAs immediately enters the filter trains, which are equipped with fabric bags to separate the solids (flyash and calcium/sulfur compounds) entrained in the flue gas. Each bag has 16 compartments. Cleaning is initiated either by a pressure drop or at a preset time interval. Each compartment is isolated by closing its outlet damper when broken bags are detected.

The reagent preparation system consists of two independent systems for the lime and recycled slurry. Pebble lime from the storage silo is fed to lime slakers, which hydrate it. The solids are collected on the filter bags, which contain unreacted calcium hydroxide; the solids can be used as recycled slurry to react and absorb SO 2 from the flue gas.

Powdered activated carbon injection equipment is available for mercury control, although the final type and quantities of reagent will be determined during future optimization tests. A specific Hg emission rate is not included by the plant’s air quality control permit.

Design by computer

Sargent & Lundy (S&L, www.sargentlundy.com ) used its 3-D modeling system, PLADES, for the detailed design of the unit. S&L integrated equipment models from all of the major equipment vendors to develop the overall plant model. The model (Figure 8) served as the primary tool for walkthroughs, constructability reviews, interference checking, and intercompany communications. Burns & McDonnell ( www.burnsmcd.com ) served as the owner’s engineer.

Scheduling work

The entire project, from notice to proceed (NTP) to substantial completion, took just 45 months to finish. Critical path procurement began immediately after the NTP was given to the team in September 2003. Long-lead components included boiler alloy parts from Sumitomo Metals, rotor forgings from Japan Steel Works, and boiler structural steel from Central Texas Iron Works ( www.ctiw.com ), all ordered by the end of 2003. Erection of the boiler’s structural steel began in June 2004; the top girders were set in February 2005.

Initial site preparation began in September 2003 with the setting of pilings. Foundation work began in February 2004, and the turbine pedestal was completed about a year after receipt of the NTP.

Structural steel and ductwork delivery began in May 2004, using a temporary barge unloading facility (Figure 9) built on the Missouri River. It enabled modular shipments, including box sections of boiler ductwork. Boiler components began arriving in October 2004. The steam turbine and generator also were delivered via the Missouri River in May 2005; they were placed on their foundations by August.

Setting of the boiler’s top girders, a major milestone for a sliding-pressure Benson boiler, occurred in February 2005. Once the girders were in place, proper boiler erection work began. Other mechanical equipment (condensers, coal mills, etc.) were installed soon afterward. The crossover coal conveyor between Units 3 and 4 was assembled on the ground and lifted into place in May 2005.

The boiler hydro test was completed in June 2006. First oil fire followed in November 2006, first steam flow in January 2007, and first coal fire in February 2007. The plant operated at 100% load as a prerequisite for Substantial Completion, which was achieved June 1, 2007. Plant shake-down operations and contract acceptance testing were continuing at press time.

Overcoming challenges

The tight project schedule necessitated the use of several modern construction processes. For example, HP and IP turbine installation time was reduced by putting the two turbines onto a single shaft before they left the factory.

Other advanced construction practices that Hitachi has pioneered—originally for boiling-water reaactors—are prefabricating large components and simulating erection of structures and components (see " Transfer ABWR construction techniques to U.S. shores ," POWER , May 2007). Both techniques were applied on this project (Figure 10). Hitachi calls its process "simultaneous erection" of all boiler-related components such as ductwork, piping, and other items along with the structural steel. The process reduced installation time by eliminating the time-intensive placement of components after the steel was erected.

Construction learning curves also played a part in developing the project schedule. Over the past decade contractors have become expert in constructing "horizontal" power plants using the ubiquitous combined cycle. Supercritical steam plants, especially those using "simultaneous erection" techniques require a contractor to think "vertically" and in three dimensions. These are skills that require an investment of time and effort and can only be learned on the job.

Brownfield projects often pose design and construction problems when there are "surprises" during excavation, and the WSEC project was no different. In some instances, existing underground piping had to be partially excavated to establish exact coordinates for other design work in the area. Also, limited adjacent laydown space meant that component installation had to be staged further away. For this reason, the work of team members had to be closely coordinated to optimize the sequencing of design work and equipment deliveries.

For example, note in Figure 11 that Unit 4’s air quality control equipment had to be oriented perpendicular to the boiler because of the locations of existing coal-handling facilities and because the water treatment plant is located within the track loop for coal unit trains. Construction access to these areas had to be coordinated with deliveries of coal to WSEC Units 1, 2, and 3.

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Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom

Student Resources

Third grade—minerals & energy.

U.S. Energy Information Administration: https://www.eia.gov/state

National Geographic website: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/renewable-energy/

Third Grade—Outdoor Recreation & Tourism

Lesson 2: bitterroot ranch a winter guide to yellowstone where to spot winter wildlife in wyoming lander: wyoming’s outdoor adventure haven, lesson 5: ecologist game warden park ranger, fourth grade—minerals & energy.

Wyoming Student Atlas: https://atlas.wygisc.org/

National Energy Education Development Project Elementary Infobook: https://www.need.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Elementary-Energy-Infobook.pdf

Energy Information Administration: https://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=2

• MidAmerican Energy Coal-Fueled Power Plant Virtual Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKECt4Y3RI 
• Uranium Mining with Baking Soda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258xiAv_8FQ
• What is Nuclear Energy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta3z3pGK0vU
• Powering America: Uranium Mining and Milling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT2LHGG-9Ko

Natural Gas:

• MidAmerican Energy Combustion Fueled Power Plant Virtual Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNbZQI5isXk

Hydroelectric:

• MidAmerican Energy Hydroelectric Power Plant Virtual Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLUUZ7xIoN4
• MidAmerican Energy Wind Farm Virtual Tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE5FqNGn53

Kahoot Game: https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/d637b2d2-644d-4778-8fde-3df88fcc10a3

Padlet app: https://padlet.com/andreahayden97/eak0hrl7ltk0 password: energy

Fifth Grade—Agriculture

Prairie Monarch Bison  https://www.farmmeetsfunction.com/prairie-monarch-bison.html

Invasive Species Game https://pbskids.org/plumlanding/games/invaders/index.html )

Choose Your Ag Adventure Game (click link to download the PowerPoint, then open the file and “start from the beginning” to play)

Fifth Grade—Minerals & Energy

Lesson 2 & 4:.

Wyoming Mining Association  https://www.wyomingmining.org/

Bentonite:  https://vimeo.com/120809644

Trona:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovtNHFFzG78

Trona machine:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg13rhh-qbg

Rare earths:  https://www.pbs.org/video/2364989362/

Coal:  https://www.pbs.org/video/2225785189/

Uranium:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258xiAv_8FQ

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West Virginians are proud to be West Virginians. West Virginians, whether by birth or choice, whether current resident or “not-for-now,” all have a unique love for their state.

It may be impossible to find a song about West Virginia that does not include the word “Home.” When traveling, or moving to another place, we West Virginians will look for other people or things that remind us of Home. When crossing the state line – whether over a river or a mountain, between the mountains, or even through a mountain – and the sign says “Welcome to Wild and Wonderful West Virginia,” it really means “Welcome Home!”

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VIDEO: MidAmerican Energy assembles 379-foot wind power turbine

MidAmerican Energy Co. released a video depicting the construction of what the company says is the largest land-based wind turbine ever built in the United States

MidAmerican Energy Co. released a video depicting the construction of what the company says is the largest land-based wind turbine ever built in the United States.

The video, titled “Reaching New Heights” uses a combination of time-lapse footage, aerial photography and behind-the-scenes action shots to document the steps involved in building MidAmerican Energy’s first concrete wind turbine tower, located at the company’s Adams wind farm in Adams County, Iowa.

Watch the video on YouTube by clicking here .

At 379 feet from ground to hub, the concrete turbine is more than 100 feet taller than its neighboring turbines constructed with steel towers.

The average height of a wind turbine in the U.S. is about 260 feet, according to the Department of Energy.

The 2.415 MW concrete turbine featured in the video is a prototype that will allow MidAmerican Energy to evaluate the amount of additional wind energy that can be generated at higher altitudes.

MidAmerican Energy contracted with Siemens Americas Onshore Wind for the supply and construction of the concrete tower. The wind power tower technology was conceived, designed, engineered and constructed entirely in the United States. The blades for the turbine were manufactured at Siemens’ blade factory in Fort Madison, Iowa, and the concrete formwork was sourced from EFCO Corp. in Des Moines.

Construction of the tower began in August 2015.

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Midamerican's energy demand will double by mid-2030s, fueled by data center, ai demand.

OMAHA — Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett slipped Saturday at the company's annual meeting, throwing his first question to Des Moines resident Greg Abel, the 93-year-old's choice to replace him as CEO when he decides to step down.

"Charlie?" said the oracle of Omaha.

A friend and business partner, Charlie Munger sat beside Buffett for decades, answering questions from shareholders at Berkshire's annual meeting, called a "Woodstock for capitalists," attracting thousands to Omaha each year.

But Munger died in November at the age of 99.

"I’ve actually checked myself a couple of times, but I’ll slip again," Buffett said.

Buffett chose 61-year-old Abel, who oversees Berkshire Hathaway's non-insurance businesses, to be his successor in 2021, saying in his annual letter that Abel, "in all respects, is ready to be CEO of Berkshire tomorrow."

Buffett and Abel, joined on the stage by Ajit Jain, Berkshire's vice chairman of insurance businesses, discussed needing billions of dollars of investment to meet the nation's energy needs and the company's transition to renewable energy.

Buffett honored Munger in his annual letter and in the meeting's opening film, calling the late Berkshire vice chairman the architect of the $862 billion conglomerate that owns companies like Dairy Queen, Geico and the Benjamin Moore paint company and heavily invested in Coca Cola, American Express and Apple.

"I acted as the 'general contractor' to carry out the day-by-day construction of his vision," Buffett said in his letter and in opening film.

Here's what to know about Buffett and Abel at the annual meeting:

Who is Greg Abel?

A Canadian, Abel has run Berkshire's non-insurance operations since 2018, a vast operation that includes Berkshire Hathaway Energy, the parent of MidAmerican Energy, both of which are based in Des Moines, and Homemakers Furniture in Urbandale.

Buffett marveled Saturday at the work that Abel accomplishes. "One way or another, there’s more than 24 hours in his day," Buffett said. "I don’t know how he covers the ground he does. … Anything happens to me, it will work very well the next day."

What did Greg Abel or Warren Buffett say about Iowa?

Questioned about challenges to the energy industry, Abel and Buffett said tremendous amounts of money will be needed to meet growing energy demand and climate change goals.

With data centers and artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT under development in Iowa, MidAmerican expects energy demand will double by the mid-2030s, Abel said.

"That will require substantial investment from MidAmerican and from shareholders" as well as supportive regulatory policies, he said, adding that MidAmerican had already made "substantial investments.

MidAmerican received state approval last year to invest $3.9 billion to build nearly 2,100 megawatts of wind and solar energy generation. The utility says it will be at "no net cost to consumers," in part because of last year's Inflation Reduction Act, which earmarked $369 billion in tax credits and other support for renewable energy generation that cuts greenhouse gas emissions.

Should Berkshire Hathaway Energy companies shift to renewable energy faster?

Members of the Iowa Environmental Council and other groups protested outside the annual meeting Saturday, criticizing MidAmerican for not retiring coal plants more quickly.

“From leading the charge to gut energy efficiency programs, killing efforts to require utilities to consider the cost of new generation, and proposing to dump coal ash leachate into the Missouri River, MidAmerican constantly demonstrates that their profits are more important than their customers,” Kerri Johannsen, the environmental council's energy program director, said in a statement.

Buffett and Abel said the move to renewable energy will take years.

"We're transitioning from carbon to renewables, but it will not happen overnight," Abel said, adding that so far, batteries are unable to store energy long enough to cover times when solar and wind aren't generating.

Abel said in Nevada, a gas-powered plant is being built to replace two retiring coal, so that power is available "every day, every minute."

"We have great examples in Iowa at times when 100% of our energy comes from wind," he said. "I believe that we did that for example, on Earth Day … but the next day, if the wind is not blowing, we need our gas plants to fill that gap."

What would Warren Buffett do if granted another day with Charlie Munger?

Buffett said he and Munger have enjoyed their lives.

"We were happy doing what we did every day," he said.

"What you should really ask yourself is, who do you feel you would want to spend the last day of your life with, and figure out how to meet them tomorrow and meet them as often as you can."

Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8457. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Warren Buffett, Greg Abel chew over future of Berkshire Hathaway