The future of the planet lies in the hands of the youth. It is important that alternative energy sources are made familiar to school children so that they will easily integrate it into their lives when they set up their own homes.

While events can easily be tailored to specific needs, three formats are suggested:

One lesson overview of alternative energy and wind power (grade 7+)
The amount and depth of information would be adjusted acording the time available and abilities of the class
In one lesson of 30 - 40 minutes, this could cover:
- Why energy needs to be treated as precious
- Major household consumers of power
- Basic physics formula for wind energy
- A demo of a working generator unit (cranked by hand)
- Overview of approximate power (watts) used by varions applications and appliances
- Practical ideas for saving energy today


Demonstration of working unit (grade 8+)
1 to 3 sessions - in a classroom or workshop
The above will be covered, but in more detail, and with more question time. Also, a working wind powered generator will be brought to the class, and can be partially disassembled and reassembled. This allows the function of each component to seen and understood. Different loads (light bulbs) will be attached to the generator and students will turn the generator by hand to produce electricity, and to participate in activities which vividly demonstrate the power required for the different loads.


Build your own - hands on workshop (grade 10+)
8 to 15 sessions of 1 hour each - workshop required
The class will build a working generator, which will be left with the school or organisation when complete. This involves a wide variety of theory and practical techniques. The amount of detail will depend on the class and the time available. The construction steps such as welding and steel cutting can either be done during the sessions, or in between, with the results presented to the group at the next session. The following is a list of the steps that can be covered:

Principles of power generation	Voltage and current Alternating and direct current Magnets, flux and induction
Overview of design	Rotors Stators Bearings and mounting
Constructing the bracket	Safety and precautions Sawing steel Drilling steel Arc welding
Constructing the rotors	Description and comparison of saw, flame and water cutting of rotor disks (actually cutting done by engineering firm)
Constructing the stator	Using a coil winding jig Types of wire Comparison of polyester and epoxy resin Mixing and pouring resin
Assembly	Rust proofing Putting it all together Bench testing Analysis of results
Electronics	Basic circuit design Using a breadboard to test circuits Soldering
Installation	Installing on a test pole Installing permanently (optional)

If you are interested in arranging an event at your school, please send email here

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