Discover the energy sources used to power the grid, the components of the electric grid, and how electrical energy is transmitted to our homes. Then, explore ERCOT’s Live Data Dashboard to analyze current grid conditions to identify patterns among energy sources, weather, and supply and demand. Next, learn why hydrocarbons and organic compounds as essential sources of chemical potential energy, and consider workplace safety needs for handling and interacting with some common hydrocarbons. Finally, design a solution for modernizing the grid to ensure all Texans have access to a resilient and sustainable source of electricity.

Target Audience:

Grades 6-8

Key Concepts and Vocabulary:

Charge, chemical property, compound, conservation of energy, crude oil, current, demand, discharge, dissipate, efficiency, electric grid, electrical energy, element, energy conservation, energy efficiency, energy infrastructure, energy security, energy sources, energy storage resources, forecast, fossil fuel, hazard, hazardous material, hydrocarbon, inexhaustible, the law of conservation of energy, MegaWatt (MW), metal, metalloid, mixture, natural resources, nonmetal, nonrenewable, OSHA, organic compound, physical property, power plant, PPE, Quad, rejected energy, renewable, Safety Data Sheets, supply, thermal energy, toxicity, transformation, transformer, transmission line, voltage, weather

Each module in Energy Capital of the World is facilitated by specially designed educator support materials:

Students gain access to a module featuring six integrated STEM lessons, each designed to be completed in 25 minutes while aligning with grade-level TEKS. Learn more in our Educator Overview.

The six activities in this module are intentionally sequenced and should be completed in order. Students will deepen their understanding of critical energy-related concepts as they progress through each activity. Most importantly, they will create and enhance connections between:

• Science strands, including: Matter & Energy, Force, Motion & Energy, Earth & Space Science, and Organisms and the Environment.
• Related TEKS across 6th, 7th, and 8th grades
• Science concepts and real-world applications in society

Activity 1: Energizing Our Grid—Transfer & Transformations
Discover the key components of the Texas Electric Grid while reinforcing energy concepts. Then, step into the role of an energy detective! Using interactive graphs and maps, students will analyze real-time grid conditions and explore Texas’s energy infrastructure.

Activity 2: Energizing Our World—Chemical Potential Energy
Students will explore the role of hydrocarbons in powering our daily lives—from fuels to plastics! Along the way, they’ll uncover the importance of carbon, the essential element behind these powerful compounds. Finally, they’ll step into the world of workplace safety by analyzing Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for common hydrocarbons.

Activity 3: Energizing Innovation—Conservation of Energy
Students will learn about the principles of energy efficiency, conservation of energy, and the flow of energy through different components of the U.S. economy. Using their knowledge of energy, efficiency, the electric grid, climate, and natural disasters, they will develop two short-term and two long-term goals for modernizing and innovating Texas’s electric grid.