You are the member of a commission appointed by the Cabinet of the country of Liechtenstein. The mandate of the commission is to study the energy needs of the country. The current situation is that Liechtenstein imports 90% of its energy. The country's energy consumption is approximately 320,000 megawatt-hours. For reference, one watt is one joule per second. The Cabinet directive is for the Commission to author a plan to make Liechtenstein more energy self-sufficient. The Cabinet directive is to reduce Liechtenstein dependence on energy imports to much less than 50% of its consumption. The Cabinet directive is to have more renewable resources and to maintain consumption and the total cost at or near contemporary levels. The Cabinet requires the commission to follow these directives and formulate a plan to achieve them. They expect a written plan in the required format due by the end of Week 7.
What are the some of the energy choices? The country is currently using fossil fuels! Fossil fuels include oil, natural gas, and coal. Liechtenstein is located in the mountains. One natural energy source is wind. Besides wind and fossil fuels, some of the other choices are nuclear energy, fuel cells, and solar energy (thermal and PVCs). The Cabinet also wants the Commission to consider instituting programs for energy conservation, greater use of mass-transit, and better insulation for homes and buildings.
To have all viewpoints represented on the commission, the Cabinet has appointed the members from different representative constituencies of the energy industry. The constituencies and the respective members of the commission are described below:A representative of the Energy Department (DOE) which represents the government and the people.
Female Businesswoman 1
A representative of the oil and gas industry.Female Businesswoman 2
A representative of the biofuels industry. This industry produces alcohol from corn and cane and beet sugar.Female Businesswoman 1
A representative of the wind mill industry.Female Businesswoman 2
A representative of the solar energy industries, including thermal solar and photovoltaic solar.Female Businesswoman 1
A representative of the nuclear reactor operators.Female Businesswoman 2
A representative of the power plant (non-nuclear) operators, who maintain the power grids.Female Businesswoman 1
A representative of the mass transit, walking, and bicycling activist groups.Female Businesswoman 2
A representative of the conservation groups, including insulation.Female Businesswoman 1
Assume the character role of one of the representative described above. Name your character and describe the background of your character. Research the positions of your character's particular entity, industry, or activist group. As a member of a particular constituency (put yourself in character), write a plan for the energy production and consumption by Liechtenstein over the next 50 years.
Give a breakdown of the energy resources (e.g., oil, gas, wind, nuclear, solar) used, the energy produced, and the consumption by the country. Include mass transit and conservation as a resource resulting in a savings in energy.
In a spreadsheet, list the resources in the left column, the energy production amounts (kilowatt-hours or joules) in the next column to the right, the energy consumption (kilowatt-hours or joules) amounts in the next column to the right and the cost (Swiss francs, dollars or Euros) in the final column to the right. Total the columns.
In the text part of your plan, describe in an introduction the current state of energy in Liechtenstein. Then go on to describe your energy plan for the future and how it will operate. Give a rationale for why you chose this plan. Give a convincing argument why your plan is sensible for the country of Liechtenstein. Use at least six references, three from the Internet and three from the library. Cite all facts in your plan. The references and citations should follow either APA or MLA format. The plan should include at a minimum: one page for the cover sheet, three pages of text, double-spaced, and one page of spreadsheet. The role-playing assignment is worth 75 points.