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FROM A LOAD LIST TO AN ENERGY PLAN

Energy & useful power

Estimate demand, compare efficiency and renewable supply, and explain storage and reliability using a small learning-space model.

Look closer. Ask a better question.What can you observe, and what are you only assuming?Illustrated learning characters · fictional scene
STARTER MATERIAL / FICTIONAL SCENARIO

Make a first version.

The Strategist wants to power a fictional study corner.
Device | number | power per device | daily time
LED lamp | 2 | 10 W | 5 h
Fan | 1 | 40 W | 3 h
Daily energy = 2 x 10 x 5 + 1 x 40 x 3 = 220 Wh
Simultaneous steady power = 60 W, excluding startup effects
30 identical days = 6.6 kWh
Illustrative solar model: 100 W x 4 equivalent full-sun hours x 0.75 = 300 Wh/day
All numbers are fictional design assumptions, not a site assessment.

Copy this into your chosen tool or trace it on paper. Do not enter passwords, private learner data or API keys.

STAGE 1 / 6

Describe the service and the loads

Start with the service: enough light and comfort for a stated number of hours. A load list records quantity, power and operating time. Nameplate power may differ from average use.

Build & try

The Strategist lists the study corner loads from the starter. Define the required hours and which service matters most during an interruption. Label every value as an assumption or observation.

Show that it works

Your table has units, quantities and duration. It does not call a watt rating daily consumption.

STAGE 2 / 6

Calculate energy and peak demand separately

For constant power, energy in Wh equals W multiplied by hours. Add energy across loads; for simultaneous power, add the loads operating at the same time. A daily total alone does not size real equipment.

Build & try

Calculate 100 Wh for the lamps and 120 Wh for the fan, totalling 220 Wh. Show 60 W if all run together. Change the fan duration to five hours and obtain 300 Wh/day. Note that startup loads and changing power are omitted.

Show that it works

You can explain why equal daily energy can hide different peak loads, and convert 220 Wh to 0.22 kWh.

STAGE 3 / 6

Reduce demand before adding supply

Efficiency uses less input for the same useful service; simply reducing the service is a different decision. Compare lighting quality or comfort, not only a smaller watt figure.

Build & try

Compare the fictional lamps with two 6 W alternatives for five hours: lighting falls from 100 to 60 Wh if useful light is equivalent. Daily energy then becomes 180 Wh. List evidence needed about brightness and lifespan before recommending a purchase.

Show that it works

Your stated saving is 40 Wh/day under the same-service assumption. You include upfront cost and replacement consequences without inventing a local tariff.

STAGE 4 / 6

Model renewable supply and variability

Rated solar power is not a promise of continuous output. Equivalent full-sun hours and a stated loss factor produce a rough scenario, while weather and timing affect service availability.

Build & try

Use the starter model to obtain 300 Wh/day. Change full-sun hours to two: 150 Wh/day, leaving a 70 Wh deficit against the original demand. Draw the timing of demand and generation rather than relying only on daily totals.

Show that it works

You report both scenarios and acknowledge that surplus energy at midday does not automatically supply evening loads.

STAGE 5 / 6

Reason about storage and reliability

Stored energy is not all usable at the load. A planning model can include a usable fraction and delivery efficiency, but real storage also has power, ageing, temperature and protection requirements.

Build & try

For one 220 Wh day, assume 80% usable capacity and 90% delivery efficiency: 220/(0.8 x 0.9) is about 306 Wh nominal. Recalculate for two days, about 611 Wh. Mark these as worksheet estimates only; do not assemble batteries or connect mains or solar wiring.

Show that it works

Both fractions are applied once, the reserve is visible, and you list at least two real design requirements the calculation omits.

STAGE 6 / 6

Present a decision with uncertainty

A responsible energy recommendation combines service, costs, variability and limits. A simple payback estimate is only as good as its price, savings and operating assumptions.

Build & try

Prepare a paper or spreadsheet plan for a different fictional room. Include loads, a same-service efficiency option, two supply scenarios, storage assumptions and a sensitivity case. Separate an education model from a professional installation design.

Show that it works

A reviewer can reproduce the arithmetic and identify what needs a site survey or qualified electrical professional before any purchase or installation.

A DIFFERENT WAY TO TRY IT

Make the idea your own.

Choose a twist. Use paper, a sketch or a conversation.

Optional practice. Copy useful observations into your workbook; choosing a twist does not record completion.

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