Power Board Game Instructions

 GRADES 4-8

FOR MORE ADVANCED PLAYERS (GRADES 7-ADULT)

Use the following directions in place of those provided on the Game Board. No dice, game pieces or pass cards are used, as the board becomes a map (to site resources purchased) rather than a path to follow.

Meeting set energy goals:

By some estimates, the Northwest is likely to need some 3,000 megawatts of new resources over the next 10 years. It takes about 1,000 megawatts to power a city the size of Seattle. While hydroelectricity meets about 90% of the region's power needs today, there will probably be no more large dams built, so new hydro is not an option in this game. Some strategies for adding new power resources will be more successful than others in keeping economic costs down and maintaining a healthy environment.

To start:

1. Form utility companies, consisting of 2-4 team members.
2. Create a name for your company and write it on the chalkboard in a horizontal row with other company names. Your score will be written under your name at the end of each round.
3. Each company starts with $1.2 billion in Utility Money (20 x $10 million and 10 x $100 million), a stack of nine Power Resource Cards, a game board map, and one Recording Sheet (additional Recording Sheets are available if you run out of room).
4. Teacher/leader has one stack of Current Events Cards (photocopied from a page of this packet), extra Recording Sheets, all extra money, and serves as banker.
5. Look at the resource cards.
   • Hydroelectricity is printed on one card for information purposes, but no new hydro can be built in this game.
   • For new resources, the increment of power produced varies from 100 to 800 megawatts. For fair comparisons, you'll have to calculate a dollars per megawatt cost. (See ADDITIONAL INFORMATION page, item A)
   • Annual cost is a weighted combination of the cost to build a plant and the yearly cost to operate.
   • NOTE: In reality, costs for some resources would change as more are purchased. Prototypes of new technologies (solar, geothermal, wind) start out expensive, while later generations are cheaper. In contrast, conservation costs go up as the least expensive measures are taken first. Such cost changes are not represented in the game as printed, but can be added.
   • Environmental considerations are summarized on each card.

Come up with an energy plan - each Round represents one year

1. Round 1: Take 10-15 minutes to decide which resources to purchase and how much of each, to reach the goal of 3,000 MW and stay within budget of $1.2 million. On the Recording Sheet, write the name of each resource purchased, the annual cost ($Money), and the Megawatts produced. Keep running cumulative totals in the $Money and Megawatts columns.
2. When your plan is complete, pay for the resources you have chosen by putting the spent money in the center of the map, face down, and check off the Round identifier box on your Recording Sheet.
3. On the chalkboard, each company records totals ($ and MW) at the end of the Round.
   • BONUS: If the megawatts exceed goal for the round, the company receives $10 million for every 100 MW over goal. This represents a sale of surplus power to other utilities.
   • PENALTY: If the megawatts are too low to meet demand, the company has to pay an additional $100 million for every 100 MW they fall short. This represents emergency purchases of power from other utilities. If they do not have enough cash to pay for the emergency, a negative balance may be recorded on the board.
4. Student discussion: The team with the least expensive plan reports its strategies to the rest of the class (Criteria for choosing resources? How were environmental and economic concerns resolved? Did they vote? Were there experts? Did anyone dominate the group? Did anyone disagree? If so, how was it handled?). Each company in turn explains how their strategies differed.
5. Remaining Rounds: To begin each remaining round, two or more Current Events Cards are randomly selected and read aloud by the teacher, then placed face down in a discard pile. Companies make any necessary adjustments on their Recording Sheets. Then play continues as in Round 1. Student discussion centers around any changes that occurred.
6. Winner is the company with the most money left over at the end of Round 6, or any other designated round.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Relative annual costs of resources per 100 megawatts (in millions)

   Conservation	$10
   Hydro	$10
   Cogeneration	$30
   Combustion Turbine	$30
   Coal	$40
   Wind	$50
   Nuclear	$56
   Geothermal	$60
   Solar	$100

    

   Regional Plan Example

   Conservation	1,500 MW
   Cogeneration	300 MW
   Combustion Turbine	700 MW
   Wind, Solar, Geothermal	400 MW

   One recent regional plan suggested the preceding combination of resources. What does this plan reveal about the strategy of the Northwest Power Planners? The plan outlined above represents an annual cost of about $800 million. How do the student's plans compare to this cost? For every $100 million over $800 million, the students and their families will pay an extra $25 per year for their electricity. Ask the students what their family might have to do without to be able to pay the extra money their plans require. Would they change their resources in light of that?

    

2. Cooperating utilities

   Utilities often find it to their advantage to share the cost of buying some resources. This is especially helpful in buying large resources such as coal and nuclear. It is also a useful strategy in buying new or experimental technology resources such as solar and geothermal. Utilities may also want to buy or sell power to one another to avoid the penalty charges at the end of each round described above.

   Current Events Cards

   Coal Strike! Generation from one coal plant at each utility cannot be used on this round.	Price of aluminum rises. Increased production of aluminum pushes loads up 200 megawatts this round.	Congress passes legislation giving tax credits for renewable resources. Solar, Geothermal, Wind and Conservation are discounted 15% if purchased this round.
   Big geothermal find! Purchase price for geothermal drops 50% on this round.	Nuclear Regulatory Commission finds that plans for your nuclear reactors do not meet earthquake standards. Pay $100 million to upgrade facilities for each plant.	Price of aluminum drops. Decreased production of aluminum pushes loads down 200 megawatts this round.
   Uncertainty over health hazards of transmission facilities. No new resources may be purchased on this round.	Breakthrough in solar cell technology. Cost for solar resources drops 50% for the rest of the game.	Lenders agree to site a new plutonium plant in your service area. It will provide many jobs and produce materials for nuclear weapons. Loads increase 300 MW.
   Clean Air Legislation passes the US Congress, requiring better air pollution controls. Pay $100 million for each of your coal plants.	Voters elect to close all nuclear plants. Forfeit all your nuclear resources.	Reservoirs look low in the middle of the year. The governor asks for voluntary cutbacks in using electricity. Loads drop 200 megawatts.
   War in the Middle East! Operating costs for combustion turbines and coal plants double on this round.	Breakthrough in Electric Vehicle technology. Loads increase 100 megawatts. Lots less pollution in the cities from cars and trucks.	Some dams are ordered removed in order to help fish. Hydro generation is 1,000 MW less for the remainder of the game and must be replaced with new resources.
   Economy takes a down turn, industrial plants shut down. Total system load drops 500 megawatts.	Congress passes a law to ban using natural gas as a fuel for new generating electricity. Combustion turbines may not be purchased for the next two rounds.	Record rainfall! Flow at dams must be restricted to prevent flooding. Emergency power must be purchased at a cost of $100 million per 100 MW ($300 million total).

CONTENTS OF GAME

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