Part of the solution to a low carbon future will be the use of renewable energy production across Europe. However, unlike the use of fossil fuels, renewable sources such as wind and solar are susceptible to future meteorological conditions. High pressure systems are projected to lower the amount of energy produced, with the potential for energy shortfalls, where demand outstrips supply.
Solutions will need to be sought that manage this risk. In this unit designed for 14 to 16 year-olds, students will learn about the factors affecting the weather in Northwestern Europe and how electricity is produced. The unit ends with students asked to present on how governments can plan for a low carbon future given the risks posed by future weather to the current energy matrix.
One of the research papers published by the HIWAVES team modelled future climate over Europe and the potential impact that this would have on renewable energy production. The research concluded that there could be a energy shortfall event, where demand outstrips supply, on average every 2.2 years.
The HIWAVES education programme was made possible with funding from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO) via the Belmont Forum. The resources were created in collaboration with researchers at KNMI and the University of Exeter.
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