2005 Re-Energy Challenge Submission Showcase

In our grade 9 science class we learned about renewable and nonrenewable energy. We discussed the different ways of generating electricity. Then our class built wind turbines. We made a total of six turbines and they all generated electricity! We all followed the directions in detail, you can't miss a thing or something will go wrong. We had to do a lot of adjusting to get it just right. Every time a model was completed and the LED light lit up the group cheered.

We were able to view the electricity being generated by attaching some probes to the turbines, which sent information to some computer software. Then we used a LCD projector to view it at the front of the class. We could actually see the alternating current being generated, how much, and the shape of the waves. We discussed the differences between the turbines, and could offer suggestions to increase the amount of electricity generated.

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My group and I built the wind model for a class project in physics. Our model is similar to the one shown online, we followed the exact procedure given to us. We decorated our model to with flowers, pebbles etc. to go along with an environmental theme. We named it The Green Machine because we painted the baseboard and frames green, so that it would look like grass.

We discovered that everyday materials can be used to make a generator. We learned that magnets can be used to create a current. We were excited when we tested our generator, and an actual current was produced.

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This was a group project to build three different models that we found on the internet. The Closed Oven Model: this one was a black box within a tinfoil covered box. The lid was closed on the black box that was inside a larger box, but the reflective box was left open. It was larger and covered in tinfoil on the inside after we had painted it black. The Pizza box Model: this was literally a pizza box with a window that had an open tinfoil covered lid within the lid. It was tinfoiled inside and had a black bottom. The Open Window Model: the students named this model because it was a box within a box, but the difference was that the outer box remained open for the sun to shine in. It was shorter than the inner box and painted black then covered with tinfoil. The inner box was taller than the outer box. It was black inside and had plastic sealing the opening on the top. We wanted to see which model would be the most effective.

We learned that you need a lot more heat than we had in the courtyard on a cool windy yet sunny day. The temperature that day was 17 degrees. We didn't have a temperature gauge for the oven models themselves. We wanted to make Shortbread Cookies (there were four cookies within each model) and cook one BBQ hotdog in each box. The pizza box did not work at all. The Closed Oven Box did not work at all. In fact the hot dog was still cold in both of these after one hour. The Window Box worked a little. If it had been out for more than an hour, we are sure that the hotdog would have cooked. The plastic on top had steam on it while cooking. However, none of the solar ovens warmed up the shortbread cookie batter.

It was fun to try to create the models from the internet. The steps to make them were quite confusing to my students so I think they improvised a bit. They all liked making the projects, but none of them were keen to try the food when it came out of the solar ovens. They all said they would like to try again later in the summer when it is hotter.

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