Future Energy System Builder Cards
We have designed a set of cards which describe different options for building a low-carbon energy system on a northern European island, based on our calculations for the Isle of Man. The cards explain the cost, size & impact of various technologies to supply 1000 gigawatt hours or 1 terawatt hour (1 TWh) per year, roughly 75% of the Island’s annual demand. The challenge is to select those options which provide a secure, well-balanced energy system at reasonable price and with a relatively low environmental footprint. There are 54 cards in each pack comprising the 4 components of an energy system (source of power, energy storage, power plant facility & network component), each with 13 cards and 2 bonus cards that help with the energy transition, in some ways similar to a standard card pack with 4 suits and 2 jokers.There are repeats of some cards reflecting the fact that certain technologies have commercial strengths which could make it attractive to develop more than 1 TWh capacity to earn revenue from exporting power through a subsea cable (interconnector).The cards are designed to allow for a variety of different games. Quick rules are provided for four games below, with different numbers of players and various levels of difficulty. Children may wish to start with Game 1 and adults with Game 2. Please use Contact Us if you have designed other games and would like to make the rules available to others. In addition, as the cards are still being developed, feel free to make suggestions for improvements. You can also use the link to order a pack of cards.Main features of the cards
The information provided on the cards can be used in the games that follow. Each card represents a low-carbon technology which falls into one of four categories: Source of Power (SP), Energy Storage (ES), Power Plant Facility (PP) and Network Component (NC). A viable energy system needs one element from each category. The central colour of the cards reflects the category – purple, green, grey and beige, respectively. A turquoise or blue band above the centre indicates whether the technology is offshore or onshore. Some technologies are represented more than once, reflecting that they are expected to form a key role in the energy transition. Two bonus cards - Natural Carbon Sequestration (BE1) and Seawater-Sourced Heat Pump (BE2) - are only used in Games 1 and 2. The initials of each category – SP, ES, PP, NC – plus a number define a unique code for each technology, such as SP1 for Offshore Wind, ES6 for Lithium-Ion Batteries, PP7 for Steam Turbines and NC5 for District Heating. These codes are used to help link the technologies needed for a viable energy system. In Games 2, 3 and 4 you can choose your own favourite technology and build a viable energy system around it. The information at the bottom of each code shows which categories link with which so that, for example, SP1/ES6/PP4/NC2 is viable.There are six properties to each technology either with favourable values (green boxes) or unfavourable values (orange-red boxes) or neutral (yellow boxes), for use in Games 1, 2 and 4. Additional information is also provided near the bottom of the card, largely for interest.
Quick Rules
Game 1 - Trump Cards (2 or more players, easy)
The objective is to win all the cards in play.The pack is divided equally among the players, each hand placed faced down, and any surplus cards set aside. Each player looks at their top card, initially without revealing it to the others.The first player chooses the property on their top card which they believe has a favourable value, typically those with a green box such as low total cost, low surface area or low annual emissions or high operating life, high economic benefit or high controllable supply (or their equivalents) and announces the property and its value. The player with the best score wins all the cards in the round and puts them at the base of their pile. It is then their turn to choose the property on the top card to be compared in the next round. The winner is the player who has all the cards whilst everyone else is out.Game 2 - Build Your Own System (one player or one team, moderate difficulty)
The objective is to build a viable energy system which fits your own preferences. You may only want 1 TWh per year (75% of the Island’s annual needs) or you can decide to generate more to export through a Subsea Interconnector for profit. It is easiest to start with a Source of Power that you like and then use the information at the bottom of the card to find an appropriate Energy Storage technology, then a Power Plant Facility and then a Network Component. You can choose two Sources of Power for 2 TWh per year, three for 3 TWh, etc. The idea is to test different ideas and configurations by assessing the pros and cons of the different properties.You can calculate the expenditure required for your energy system by adding up the Total 20 year costs. For example, a 1 TWh/year energy system based on Onshore Wind (SP2), Hilltop Pumped Hydro (ES2), Conventional Hydro Turbines (PP1) and an Upgraded & Strengthened Grid (NC2), costs £1330 million (600 + 260 + 170 + 300). The breakeven electricity price in pence per kWh is the summed Total 20 year costs in £ million divided by 200 for each 1 TWh per year. In the example, the breakeven price is 1330/200 = 6.6p per kWh. You can also add up the Annual CO2 emissions and Area/Length to judge the environmental impact and footprint of your system.
Game 3 - Working Twins (2-4 players, moderate)
The objective is to build two viable energy systems, each comprising four compatible cards, one from each of the four categories: SP, ES, PP and NC. The two bonus cards are removed and the rest of the pack is divided into the four categories. These four piles are shuffled and two cards from each pile are dealt to each player. The rest are put in four separate draw piles, face down. The top card from each pile is turned over and placed in front, to form four discard piles. Each player looks at the eight cards in their hand without revealing them to the others. In turn, each player chooses one card from any category, either from the draw pile or the discard pile and then discards a card of the same category from their hand, face up on the discard pile. When all the cards in a draw pile have been used, the discard pile is shuffled and placed face down to form a new draw pile. The first player to build two viable energy systems wins.Game 4 - World Beater (2-7 players, challenging)
The objective is to make a four card energy system with either the lowest cost or lowest emissions from a viable combination of Source of Power, Energy Storage, Power Plant and Network Component. The two bonus cards are removed from the pack, which is then shuffled and four cards dealt to each player to form their hand. Another two cards are placed face up in front of each player. The remaining cards are placed face down to form the draw pile, the top card of which is turned over to form a discard pile. Each player looks at the four cards in their hand without revealing them to the others. In turn, each player either a) takes the top card from either the draw pile or from the discard pile and discards a card from their hand onto the discard pile; or b) exchanges a card from their hand with one of the face-up cards in front of them; or c) moves one of their face-up cards to the bottom of the draw pile, replacing it with the top card from the draw pile; or d) exchanges one of their face-up cards with a face-up card belonging to another player. In case d), the newly acquired card is turned face down for one round meaning that it is out of play until the player's next turn when it is turned face up again.At the end of their turn, any player may call that they have a "World Beater" in their hand, based either on the Total 20 year cost or on the Annual CO2 emissions - provided i) they possess the four parts of a viable energy system and ii) that there are at least two green boxes and no red boxes in the chosen properties of the four parts. The other players then have one more round to try to complete their own energy systems, after which everyone reveals their hands. Those players who possess viable combinations then add up the four relevant values from each part of their energy system. The winner is the player who has an energy system with the lowest total cost or lowest total emissions, depending on the call.