1. Topic 5: Blowing in the wind
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2. Blowing in the wind Overall learning objectives:
Gathering, displaying and using data to support conclusions relating to energy efficiency and arguments about noise pollution.
Applying ideas about energy transfer and pollution to explore arguments about the use of wind farms and evaluate environmental impact.
Using ideas to inform discussions about overall power supply systems and judging impact of design on environment and communities.
Identifying and testing possible solutions to problems by altering key parameters to arrive at optimum design.
Introduction: Blowing in the wind

3. Blowing in the wind Overall learning outcomes:
Designed and tested a small scale turbine to identify optimum features.
Considered how various people may respond to wind farm developments, and why.
Explored how to respond to objections and present a positive case.
Introduction: Blowing in the wind

4. Blowing in the wind My Energy: Siemens in South Africa
Show a video clip from, ‘My Energy: Siemens in South Africa’.
Ask students to share their personal views as to the value they see wind farms having.
Episode 1: Blowing in the wind

5. Blowing in the wind Blowing in the wind
Display a variety of large scale wind turbines, consider:
Location
Height
Number of blades
Length of blades
Material
Required output
Blowing in the wind
Episode 5: Blowing in the wind

6. Blowing in the wind Test using voltmeter
Explain to students they will be investigating various factors to come up with an optimum design for a wind turbine.
Ask students to work in groups to investigate variables. Explain that they will be testing the output from their turbines using a voltmeter connected to the generator in the turbine and that the purpose is to find out the ideal combination of factors.
Test using voltmeter
Episode 3: Blowing in the wind

7. Blowing in the wind The best combination?
Ask groups to share outcomes from their previous investigations and draw together points to come up with the a combined design.
Ask students to consider how similar this is to large scale designs and ask for ideas to explain any differences.
The best combination?
Episode 3: Blowing in the wind ’

8. Blowing in the wind Wind farm
Ask students for their reactions to the size, scale and environmental impact and consider why some people will be in support of this power provision and others against it.
Wind farm
Episode 6: Blowing in the wind

9. Blowing in the wind Wind farm protest
Explain that this activity is designed to enable students to explore attitudes towards wind farms and how attitudes can be gathered and measured.
Using student support sheet 5 explain to students that they are going to role play a situation in which a planning proposal is being considered. In groups they will take on the role of someone who has an interest in this development.
Take feedback from the groups as to how the discussions went and what the key points were and what decisions were made.
Draw together key points and explore how sometimes people may be in favour of such developments but do not always want them where they live; ask for ideas about what should happen then.
Wind farm protest
Image courtesy of
Episode 6: ‘Blowing in the wind

10. Blowing in the wind Feedback
Explain that students will be gathering the responses and processing them to draw conclusions about attitudes overall. Students will work in groups to develop different sections.
Explain that thought needs to be given to how to design the questionnaire so that responses can be recorded easily.
Ask students to work in groups to develop two to three questions based on:
Attitudes towards wind farms in general.
Attitudes towards a wind farm in the respondents locality.
Attitudes towards energy provision generally.
Feedback
Episode 6: Blowing in the wind

11. Blowing in the wind Group discussion
Ask students to identify features of wind farms that should be used when designing energy provision overall. Ask students to recall the key points about people’s views towards wind farms.
Explain that they are to work in groups to design three minute presentations to present the case for developing wind farms in the area. Say that each presentation should have no more than six slides, no more than 20 words on a slide and should be persuasive, countering objections and winning people over.
Ask each group to make their presentation. The rest of the class are to complete feedback slips as to how persuasive a case was presented, identifying two features that were effective and one that could be developed further.
Group discussion
Episode 7: Blowing in the wind

12. Engineering the future. Inspire and be inspired.
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