PDplus Teacher Notes: Wind Technology by RiAus

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Wind technology

RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes are a new initiative of RiAus, designed to assist early high school (Years 7–9) teachers engage and involve their students. The notes supplement a PDplus presentation hosted by RiAus on science and wind farming, which will allow teachers to have access and put questions to scientists about their research and careers. See the RiAus website for further details and footage. www.riaus.org.au

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Introduction to the guide

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About the guide

The RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes publication is produced by COSMOS magazine for the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus). This resource is made possible thanks to support from:

Other RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes

Food Security, Synthetic Biology, The Square Kilometre Array, The World Solar Challenge and Regenerative Medicine. These PDplus Teacher Notes are available on the RiAus website: riaus.org.au/programs/our-projects/riaus-pdplus

How to use the guide The notes offer both variety and flexibility of use for the differentiated classroom. Teachers and students can choose to use all or any of the five sections – although it is recommended to use them in sequence, and all or a few of the activities within each section.

The ‘FIVE Es’ Model The guide will employ the ‘Five Es’ instructional model designed by Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, an educational research group in Colorado, USA. It has been found to be extremely effective in engaging students in learning science and technology. It follows a constructivist or inquiry-based approach to learning, in which students build new ideas on top of the information they have acquired through previous experience. Its components are:

© 2012 COSMOS Media Pty Ltd, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner or form for commercial purposes or outside of an educational setting. COSMOS, The Science of Everything™ is protected by trademarks in Australia and the USA. This guide was first published on 10 May 2012.

Engage Students are asked to make connections between past and present learning experiences and become fully engaged in the topic to be learned. Explore Students actively explore the concept or topic being taught. It is an informal process where the students should have fun manipulating ideas or equipment and discovering things about the topic.

Explain This is a more formal phase where the theory behind the concept is taught. Terms are defined and explanations given to models and theories. Elaborate Students develop a deeper understanding of sections of the topic. Evaluate Teacher and students evaluate what they have learned in each section.

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Backgrounder

The wind around us Wind can be one of the most powerful forces in nature. It can be tremendously destructive, as we see too often with typhoons and hurricanes, but it can also be harnessed to improve the quality of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. Whether we like it or not, the wind is a natural force we have to contend with in our daily lives. We appreciate it when it brings cool sea air on a hot summer night, blows pollution out of our cities, carries much-needed rain to a dry landscape or blows energy into our sails so we can ride effortlessly across the water. Alternatively, we curse it when it rips the roofs from our houses, blows dust in our faces or drives bushfires at high speed into our towns and cities. For many people, particularly those who live close to nature, it has become a part of their culture. The ancient Greeks built a temple, The Temple of Winds, in the city of Athens to acknowledge the wind.

What creates the wind? Wind is air that moves. The faster the air moves, the stronger the wind. But what causes this air to move? As the Earth heats up during the day it transfers that heat to the air that surrounds it. This warmer air is less dense and lighter than the air around it and so rises into the sky. Cold air then moves in to replace the recently departed warm air, until it too is heated and begins to rise. Once the warm air rises, it is too far away to be heated by the Earth. This air becomes cool and dense again. As it grows cooler and denser, it moves back down towards the Earth. This cycling of air that transports heat from one place to another is known as a convection current and is what creates the wind. It is generally windier at the beach due to the cool air above the sea rushing inland to replace the warmer air over land that has started to rise. The air rushes in faster than usual because the large temperature difference between the air above the sea and the air above the land.

What affects wind conditions? Wind systems are complex and dynamic, which means they are constantly changing. There are many things that affect how the wind blows and cycles within convection currents. For example, the Sun can heat the Earth unevenly and this can create wind in some places and not others. The general topography can also play a role, whether it is buildings or mountains that the wind has to move around.

Measuring the wind Windsocks fill with air when it is windy and point away from the direction from which the wind is blowing. They can be found near airport runways or at the side of the road in windy spots, to help pilots and drivers assess wind strength. Wind vanes tell the direction of the wind usually by having a spinning arrow pointing in the direction the wind is coming from. If you are conducting an environmental survey of an area and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a wind vane, the easiest way to tell the direction of the wind is to lick your finger and hold it above your head. The wind will evaporate the moisture on your finger and cool it, so the side of your finger will be coolest in the direction the wind is coming from.

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Wind energy timeline Humans have used the power of the wind for thousands of years. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a brief overview of our history with wind energy.

Up to 900 BC wind

harvested by sails attached to boats

Between 300 and 900 BC the first grain

grinding windmills designed in Persia. They were on a vertical axis using a design known as the panemone

1219 AD first documentation

of a Chinese windmill. It was used to grind grain and pump water

1300

first windmills appear in Europe. They had a horizontal axis and four blades

Up to 1850s design of

windmills slowly improved, for example a rotating cap was added that moves the blades into the oncoming wind

1850

about 10,000 windmills in use in the Netherlands alone. After this, numbers declined due to introduction of technology, such as the steam engine, that arrived with the Industrial Revolution

1870s steel blades introduced

on small fan-type windmills used to pump water for stock animals on farms

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Backgrounder An anemometer can be used to calculate wind speed. It has small cups that spin around and get faster as the wind speed increases. Weather balloons are launched simultaneously by the Bureau of Meteorology from about 60 different locations around Australia. They collect data on weather conditions such as temperature, air pressure, wind direction and speed. The balloon has a silver foil target that is tracked across the sky. Its position at various time intervals enables scientists to calculate its speed and direction. Satellites move around the Earth collecting and tracking information about the weather. They can send images of air movement to Earth that help predict the direction and strength of winds moving into an area of interest, such as a city or farming area.

1880s

invention of the Brush Machine, which was the first windmill used for the generation of electricity in the U.S.

1891 first aerodynamically

designed windmill – La Cour. Used to generate electricity

1931 the Balaclava in Russia

was one of the first large scale electricity generating wind ‘farm’ windmills

1950s

Gedster Mill in Denmark used adjustable-pitch blades and was in service for nearly a decade

1970s simple turbines used to

generate electricity for radios and battery recharging in isolated areas

1980s and 1990s

wind turbine installation increased steadily in Europe and the US Anemometer

1987

Australia’s first commercial wind farm began operation near Esperance in Western Australia

Weather balloon at the South Pole

Harnessing the wind Sustainable energy through wind turbines Developed countries depend on electricity, which is mainly generated by the burning of fossil fuels. A cleaner and more sustainable way of generating electricity is needed. People in developing countries also need access to electricity in order to improve their quality of life. This would allow them access to technology such as computers, and make their lives easier through the use of machinery in manufacturing and farming. Wind-generated energy is clean and sustainable. The energy of the wind can be harvested when it blows through turbines such as those you see in wind farms. Clean energy does not generate greenhouse gas emissions when it’s produced. Sustainable energy is not used up when it is harvested. For example, the wind will still blow whether or not we put a turbine in its path. Despite its advantages, wind turbines aren’t worth erecting unless there are strong, steady winds with an average speed of about 25 km/h. The beach, mountaintops and deep valleys can be optimal areas for wind farms.

There are now more than 50 wind farms across Australia

Minister Kevin Rudd makes Australia’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol official and sets a target of 20% of all Australia’s power coming from renewable sources by 2020

2010

about 100 windmills in use in the Netherlands. South Australia produces about half of Australia’s wind power and supplies 20% of the electricity to the state. Australia has just over 50 wind farms

2013

the Macarthur Wind Farm at Macarthur in the Australian state of Victoria is scheduled to open. With a capacity of 420mW, it is predicted to become the biggest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere

Some people are opposed to the use of wind farms because they think they’re an eyesore and pose a threat to flying birds. There have also been concerns about the noise of the wind turbines.

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Backgrounder Small (mini) wind vs large wind ‘Small wind’ or ‘mini wind’ refers to wind technology designed to be used on a small scale, such as to provide electricity for people’s homes or small businesses. Small turbines can be fitted to rooftops of apartment or office buildings, on farmland or remote property. There isn’t a lot of data on how well mini wind technology performs, although some people already use mini wind turbines successfully on their property. Large wind uses much bigger wind turbines, with bigger blades, that generate much more electrical power. These turbines are used to supply electricity to entire communities via the electricity grid.

The South Australian Mini Wind Trial The South Australian Government is holding a Mini Wind Trial to increase awareness and understanding of mini wind turbine technologies and their performance in local conditions. The trial is being held at the West Beach boating precinct, around 9km west of the Adelaide CBD, and will run from February 2012 for one year. Four mini wind turbines are being tested. The trial will also allow South Australians to see a wind farm up close and provide feedback to the Government.

How does a wind turbine work? A wind turbine works the opposite way to a fan – instead of using electricity to move the blades and so the air, the air moves the blades to make electricity. All wind turbines differ a little from one another, but the main features include a gear connected to the turning blade. As the blade turns, it turns the gear. This gear is attached to a generator that converts the mechanical energy of the rotation into electrical energy. The electricity can then be sent via cables in the grid to people’s homes, schools and businesses.

Energy conversions You can write an equation that shows the conversion of wind energy into electricity that can be used in a device such as a hairdryer. In the equation, -> means ‘becomes’. Kinetic energy (wind) -> mechanical energy (blades, shaft, gears) -> electrical energy (in cables to our homes) -> heat +light + sound + kinetic energy (hairdryer) generator

blades gearbox

Useful websites The South Australian Mini Wind Trial website www.saminiwindtrial.com.au General information on wind energy http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/technologies/wind. html Global Wind Energy Council (includes interactive world map) http://www.gwec.net/

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air movement (contains an animation showing air movement in low- and high-pressure systems) http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/pressure. shtml An Australian wind energy site http://www.windenergydesign.com.au/ wind turbine syndrome (An opinion piece looking at the evidence for and against wind turbine syndrome) http://theconversation.edu.au/wind-turbine-syndromegenuine-affliction-or-just-a-load-of-noise-1202

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Careers, industry and courses

PICTURE CREDIT IN HERE

Profile: Alicia Webb Job: Senior Policy Advisor Location: Melbourne, Victoria. Institution: Clean Energy Council

Australia’s renewable energy future is being powered by wind energy, believes Alicia Webb. As an engineering student from the University of Western Australia, Webb’s brief exposure to wind power fuelled her passion for a career in the wind technology industry. Webb is the senior policy advisor at the Clean Energy Council and lobbies on behalf of Australia’s wind energy industry to accelerate the development and deployment of wind farms. With her desire for a renewable energy future, Webb is helping to turn Australia’s wind industry from a slight breeze into a powerful gust of wind that can power our energy needs for many years to come. Webb was encouraged to study engineering at university due to her high performance in physics and maths in high school, but found during her degree course that engineering wasn’t for her. “In one lecture I watched a video on wind power. Right after I decided that I was going to work in wind power,” said Webb. It was an easy decision considering wind power is the most established and cheapest technology capable of generating clean power. At 22, Webb started working as a project assistant for Vestas, at the 30-megawatt, 20-turbine Yambuk wind farm in south eastern Victoria. Since then she has worked for PB Power as a technical wind energy consultant, written countless articles on wind power for Alternative Technology

Association’s ReNew magazine, penned a research report on the viability of domestic wind turbines in urban Melbourne, and was a technical community liaison at Embark. A love of wind energy has connected her wide variety of jobs. Now as a senior policy advisor, Webb has left behind engineering and has traded maths for words in her advocacy on behalf of the wind industry. “We want to see a vibrant, fair wind industry. We want to see Australia’s energy come from clean sources. We want to see the communities having trust that wind turbines are better for your health than traditional fossil fuel sources. We want to see people embrace the change towards clean energy,” she said. Webb believes that a renewable energy future is possible for Australia through harnessing the power of wind. A strong advocate for trying to do things better, she maintains that although technology is always changing, “renewable energy is the only way forward”. Webb says that the best thing to do if you want a career in renewable energy is to choose projects at school or university that are in the renewable energy field and to get to know the companies and people within that field. “Most people are flattered when you tell them you’d like their career. Offer to buy people a coffee in return for advice and they will usually make time to help you,” she said. – Renae Soppe

“We want to see a vibrant, fair wind industry. We want to see Australia’s energy come from clean sources”

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Engage [Task] Harnessing the wind Work in small teams to design and build a device that has a moving part when left free standing in the wind. Use recycled material to build your device. Here are a few questions to think about when creating your wind-energy-capturing device: n Are you going to use natural wind outside or a domestic fan to produce the wind to test your device? n How will you secure your device to the floor or laboratory bench so that it does not topple over in the wind? n Does your device have to face head on into the wind for the desired part to move? The following videos might give you some inspiration:

1. Three very different wind energy capturing devices: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=Zrp0R C3XTpw&NR=1 2. Theo Jansen’s kinetic sculpture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKyHmjyrkA 3. Someone’s holiday video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIv7Va5MUeI

4. A home made vertical windmill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MQaT9EbMDQ&fe ature=related

5. A windmill to attach to a balcony rail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYCkmWshEX0&fea ture=fvwrel

6. A home made wind machine that looks like a hamster wheel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFPFVMBkqw8&NR =1&feature=fvwp 7. The first 30 seconds of this video on homemade

vertical axis wind turbines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=F2w9 k3miNrs&NR=1

Once you have created and tested your device, have a class discussion based around the following questions: n What features of the successful devices made them successful? n What features of your device could you adjust to make it work better? n Did your device have to be facing the wind to work? n Did your device work in a breeze as well as a stronger wind? How might you improve it so that it can capture the energy of even the smallest breeze? n What role does friction play in your device? n How many of the devices built had a simple machine wheel structure rotating on an axis? n Of these, which used a horizontal axis and which used a vertical axis? n Imagine if you could make a 5-metre version of your device! n What could you use the harnessed wind energy for? Explain. n Would you need to build in any safety features? n Would the device be very noisy? n Could the average household use a device like this to generate their own energy? What might the neighbours say? n Could the device store energy for days, even when the wind wasn’t blowing? n What might obstruct the device so that it did not work optimally, even when the wind was blowing?

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Teacher’s information

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Explore (teacher’s page)

The aim of the Explore section is for the students to investigate some of the ideas around the characteristics of wind and ponder their possible impacts on humans and uses in society. It is intended that the students make their own discoveries as they work around the stations in the room. The equipment table below lists the equipment and preparation required. Station #

Materials List

1. What is in wind?

Mirror or piece of glass, thermometer

2. Erosion

Rocks, sand, dirt, a drinking straw, box

3. Convection currents

Paper, scissors, candle and matches

4. Clean energy for all

A computer to access: http://www.sustainableenergyforall.org/

5. Wind direction

The weather map attached

6. Wind turbine

A computer to access: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwjmxnsGUH4&feature=related

7. Wind turbulence

Helium balloon attached to a 5.5m main string with five 1.5m streamers coming off the main string at 1m intervals. It is a good idea to have a few of these in class in case the balloon bursts.

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Explore (student activities) Station One [Task] What is in the wind? 1. Blow air onto a mirror or piece of glass by exhaling your breath. What is found on the mirror? 2. Are there any examples of the wind in nature transporting water vapour from one place to the next? If yes, give possible suggestions. 3. Record the air temperature without any wind blowing on the thermometer. If outside, you will need to create a wind block. If inside, turn off the fan. 4. Now measure the air temperature in the same place with the wind blowing. 5. What happens to the air temperature when the wind is blowing?

Station Two [Task] Erosion 1. Place the sand into the bottom of the shoebox. 2. Place the rocks randomly around the box on top of the sand. 3. Use the straw to blow gently from one end of the box. 4. Note your observations. 5. What happens to the sand around the large rocks? What happens to the free sand? 6. Give examples from nature of the wind affecting sand.

Station Three [Task] Convection currents 1. Use the scissors to cut a spiral similar to the one below out of a piece of paper. 2. Attach a piece of cotton thread to the middle of your spiral to hold it up so that the spiral falls freely down from the middle. 3. Light the candle. 4. Hold the paper spiral by the cotton thread well above the candle so that it does not get too hot and burn, but there is still warmth. 5. What happens to the paper? 6. What is causing this to happen?

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Explore (student activities) Station Four [Task] Clean energy for all 1. Explore the following website www.sustainableenergyforall.org/ 2. Watch the Helen Clark video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=AojiVZJ3Kpw - and explain why having the energy to power technology can transform the lives of women in developing countries. 3. Watch the Michael Liebreich video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDJM4-gD5OE&feature=channel&list=UL - and suggest a way that commercial enterprise can take advantage of the need to find clean alternative energy sources. 4. Finally, watch the OFID video on energy poverty here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWsvkJFh60&feature=youtu.be.

n What is energy poverty?

n Which countries have energy poverty?

n How might providing cheap energy for people in poverty help solve social issues?

n How might providing cheap energy for people in poverty help solve educational issues?

n How might providing cheap energy for people in poverty help solve health issues?

n Do you think wind energy could help communities with energy poverty? Suggest some ways windmills or wind turbines could help.

Station Five [Task] Weather map Weather map wind guide If the isobars are close together the wind speed is high If the isobars are far apart the wind is slow Arrows show the direction the wind is coming from (the wind direction)

1. Look at the weather map and the weather map wind guide in the box above and use the information to read the weather map. 2. What is the direction of the wind coming in to Adelaide? 3. What direction is the wind coming in to Hobart? 4. Are the wind speeds the fastest coming in to Melbourne or in to Sydney? 5. How might wind engineers thinking of building a new wind farm find a weather map like this useful?

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Explore (student activities) Station Six [Task] Wind turbine 1. Watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwjmxnsGUH4&feature=related 2. What can this wind turbine be used for? 3. What does it cost? 4. What do wind â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rated wind speedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mean? 5. If a turbine has a grid-tied system, how does it interact with the electricity grid? 6. Would you contemplate buying a turbine like this for your house? If so, what would you use it for, if not, why not?

Station Seven [Task] Wind turbulence 1. Tie the end of the main string of the helium balloon around your wrist 2. Walk around the school pausing at several windy spots. Be careful not to walk where the helium balloon will be prevented from reaching its full 5m in height 3. Observe the five streamers attached to the main string of the helium balloon 4. Choose different spots: for example, in the open as well as behind trees or buildings 5. Each time you stop, note which of the streamers attached to the main string:

a. Flows in the same direction most of the time (due to the smoothest winds)

b. Flows erratically in several directions

c. Shows the strongest wind

d. Shows the weakest wind

6. Do the five streamers move the same way, or differently? Why do you think they behave this way?

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Teacher’s information

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Explain (introduction)

In this section, we explain the science of wind energy by getting students to read articles about issues and applications of wind science. This section suggests discussion topics and activities linked to those articles. At the beginning students can brainstorm all they know about wind energy before reading the articles and completing the glossary and comprehension activities Glossary Comprehension and summary At the end a Questioning toolkit is used to encourage discussion and debate related to using wind as a form of clean energy to generate electricity. The articles include: Article One – South Australian Mini Wind Trial This article introduces the mini wind farm and describes the mini wind trial currently being undertaken at West Beach in South Australia. Article Two – Interview with Wind Technologist Alicia Webb Alicia describes her journey from the day she saw her first video about wind energy to her role today as senior policy advisor at Clean Energy Australia. Article Three – Windmills of our Time A brief history of the basic developments in windmill technology is provided in this article.

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Explain (article one) Wind Farm Brainstorm [Task] Before you read the articles, find out what you know about wind farms, windmills or wind turbines.

(Commercial wind turbines, such as the ones used to help South Australia generate electricity, are large – about 80m high.) Brainstorm all the words, phrases or snippets of information you can think of that are related to harnessing the power of the wind for energy use. Rank the words starting with ‘1’ as the most relevant to wind farming. Then use these words to create your own word cloud with the most relevant words as the largest ones within the word cloud. Do you think that someone could use your word cloud to know what the topic was about or to communicate some relevant and interesting ideas related to wind farms? Why don’t you test them and find out? For examples of word clouds visit wordle at www.wordle.net

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Explain (article one)

South Australian Mini Wind Trial By the year 2020, Australia is committed to supply 20% of its electricity demands from renewable sources such as wind, solar or geothermal. This is a target that South Australia met in 2011, mainly through the deployment of large wind turbines. With more than 1,000 of these turbines installed across the country, Australia now has considerable expertise and experience with this technology.

t the smaller scale, research is being conducted into turbines that can be used locally to generate small amounts of electricity. Mini wind turbines are only a fraction of the size of large wind turbines. Mounted on 10 to 30m high towers, they are designed to capture ‘small wind’ – local winds that can help to power nearby businesses, homes and other infrastructure. A trial of four different types of mini wind turbine is currently underway at the West Beach boating precinct near Adelaide in South Australia. Besides collecting performance data under local conditions, this 12-month trial also aims to build greater awareness and understanding of mini wind turbines. In particular, it is giving people the opportunity to experience this technology first-hand so they can see what these small turbines look and sound like. Because of their small size, obstructions such as buildings or trees can have a very significant impact on the performance of mini wind turbines. Energy generation from smaller turbines is all about the right location says Richard Day, coordinator of the SA mini wind trial from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. A detailed assessment of the site, the wind conditions at West Beach and the turbine models “demonstrates a best practice approach” to locating a mini wind installation, says Day. Using site-specific measurements and long-term wind data supplied by the Bureau of Meteorology, Cyclopic Wind, a consultancy specialising in wind energy, performed flow analyses to model how the terrain and buildings affect the wind resource. Based on this analysis, they were able to identify locations within the site that would maximise the energy yield of the turbines. Other important considerations for the site selection include the existence of environmentally sensitive areas and the geological properties of the ground. Proximity to the electricity grid is another factor to consider. “The energy yield and the return you get is one part of it, but the other critical

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factor is how much it costs to put it up. You need the overall business case to stack up at that particular spot,” explains Day. Strict criteria were also applied to the turbines selected for the trial. All four models are commercially available and have a good track record of successful deployment elsewhere. A further – and very important – criterion was that all four types had to be certified for grid connection in Australia. Noise emissions from the devices and, of course, costs were also considered. Finally, only turbines that are designed to perform under the moderate wind conditions prevailing at West Beach and in South Australia were considered. “We’ve got quite a good range of turbines [in the test],” says Day. The test includes two models with a capacity of 1 kW, a 2.4 kW and a 6 kW turbine. “We think we’ve got a representative mix of turbines for domestic and light commercial [applications].” The performance of the four different turbines will be monitored closely and discrepancies with the manufacturers’ stated performance will be analysed in the context of local conditions, such as turbulence or wind shear from certain directions. “It is about offering a realistic perspective on the design and construction of a small wind turbine installation,” explains Damien Leclercq, Director of Cyclopic Wind. With a capacity about a thousand times smaller than their large siblings, mini wind turbines are intended for the distributed generation of electricity, supplying local demands and only feeding surplus into the grid. In developed countries they will probably always remain a niche technology, deployed on the roofs of factories and tall buildings, along the coast or at rural farms. “Worldwide, I am only aware of one central mini wind farm, powering a village in Afghanistan”, explains Leclercq. “This is a viable application for the developing world.” – Achim Eberhart

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Explain (article one) Activity 1 – Glossary of terms [Task] Use the table to define any science words used in this article. Word

Definition

Renewable energy

Turbine

Wind turbine

Mini wind turbine

Performance data

Wind shear

Turbulence

Flow analysis

Activity 2 – Comprehension and summarising [Task] 1. How many turbines have been set up at the West Beach mini wind trial? 2. How long will the trial run for? 3. Compare and contrast the features of large and mini wind turbines. 4. List the consideration for site selection for a mini wind farm development. 5. What does Richard Day mean when he says it’s all about location? 6. What are the intended uses of the mini wind turbines?

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Explain (article two)

Interview with Wind Technologist Alicia Webb How did you get into wind technology? I studied engineering at UWA in Perth. I selected the course for no particular reason, other than that I was good at maths and physics at school and all my teachers informed me that is what I should do. In engineering at the end of third year you have to do vacation work for three months, I went to Tasmania and worked in a smelter and came back to Perth and realised that engineering definitely wasn’t for me, but I was encouraged to finish it. In a lecture during my fourth year I saw a video on the subject of wind power. After that I said to my friends, “I am going to work in wind power.” I finished university and went to see the head of environmental engineering and I said, “How do I get into wind power?”. He said there was nothing in WA, so I moved to Melbourne. When I was 22 I got my first job in wind with a company called Vestas, which is a Danish turbine manufacturing company which had a head office in Melbourne. My position was project assistant, and I assisted the project manager who was building Yambuk Wind Farm – a 30 megawatt wind farm in south western Victoria with 20 turbines. It was the first wind farm I worked on and it was really fun. During that time I went to a wind energy conference and saw a lecture by a British Wind Association representative about community engagement around wind farming. When I was 23 I went backpacking in Europe. In London I walked into the British Wind Association and offered to do volunteer work. And I ended up volunteering in the UK in the communications department for Wind Weekend, which is basically when a bunch of wind farmers in the UK open up their doors to the public. The one I went to was in Cornwall and they had a light show and a rock concert under the turbines. Then I came back here and eventually got a job as a technical wind turbine consultant at PB Power. I worked for PB for three years. We engineers do a bunch of stuff: shutter quick studies, energy yields analysis – which is the energy resource analysis on where to put a wind farm, what kind of turbines to use and how much energy you’ll get. It was quite mathematical.

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At the same time I was writing for this magazine called ReNew which is an ATA renewable energy magazine. One day I wanted to write a story about Hepburn Wind, which is Australia’s first community wind farm – a two-turbine wind farm in Daylesford in Victoria that’s owned by the community. I contacted the organisation and met with the chairman, who told me about a new organisation being set up called Embark, which was going to roll out the model to other communities who were interested. In the end I got a job with them as a technical community liaison, which was very exciting. Now I am the senior policy advisor in wind at the CEC and my job is to lobby on behalf of Australia’s wind energy association to get favourable policies. What will wind technology do for the future of Australian energy? We want to see a vibrant fair wind industry; we want to see Australia’s energy come from clean sources. We want to see the communities having trust that wind turbines are better for your health than traditional fossil fuel sources. We want to see people embracing the change towards clean energy. What is the best part of your job? The best thing about my job is that I get to talk to a lot of people who like wind power as much as I do. I get to try, together with all of those guys, to make a difference. On a personal level I am enjoying the career change from numbers into words – eight years as an engineer is a lot. Wind engineering is a great background for what I do now. Where do you envisage your future? I’ve had a million different jobs and the only thing unifying my career so far is the wind. I think technology changes and I definitely want to move with the changes, but I believe that having energy available has given us an amazing standard of living, and that renewable energy is the only way forward. I would always want to be in renewable energy, whether wind turbines make it or not. But at the moment they are the best way to make energy.

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Explain (article two) Activity 1 – Glossary of terms [Task] Use the table to define any science words that are used in this article. Word

Definition

Engineering Environmental engineering CEC ATA Domestic turbines Energy yields analysis

Fossil fuel sources Clean energy

Activity 2 – Comprehension and summarising Many of Alicia’s jobs involved interacting with the public about wind energy. Why is it necessary to liaise with the public about wind turbines? Consider the way the public perceives this technology, and why it’s important for scientists to talk about their work and the technology with the public.

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about the three) guide Explain (article

Windmills of our time Before the invention of the steam engine that converted hot air into energy, the only types of energy humans had access to were those that occurred naturally in the environment around them.

hey either lived beside a downward-running body windmill with a rotating cap. The sails of the windmill were fixed of water and spun a water wheel as the water rushed by, to the rotating cap at the top of the body of the windmill so that worked with their own hands to provide the energy, used when the cap was rotated, it moved the sails with it until they an animal such as a horse (old-fashioned horsepower!) to work faced the wind. In early designs, the cap was moved manually for them, or put up some sails and used the prevailing wind to using a tail pole to manoeuvre it. Later designs had tail fans that convert the movement of the sails into movement of a boat. moved the cap automatically to face the wind. Man tapped into the force of the wind as a resource well Most windmills were used either to pump water or to grind before the beginning of recorded history, not only using the grains. Water was pumped up either from a river or a lake, but wind as a driving force in various industries, but out on the sea, was also used to pump water out of wetland areas. The Dutch where using sails allowed them to travel easily up and down the reclaimed an enormous area of land by using windmills to coast without having to exert energy by rowing. pump water out of wetland areas. They also build windmills Recorded examples of the use of wind date back to 300 BC, large enough either to live inside or to process grain. A series when giant furnaces in Sri Lanka were built along the path of of gears inside the windmill allowed the wheel to change from the monsoon wind, so that the winds would stoke the fires. a horizontal wheel to a vertical wheel, which was used to crush Windmills are simple wheel-and-axle machines. The first the grain. windmills were designed in Persia around 500 AD and had a Rural Australians living on dry properties still use small metal vertical axis. This means that they turned the way a carousel or horizontal-axis windmills with a tail fan to pump water from a wind vane does with the axle angled straight up and the rest of below the ground. the wheel moving around it parallel to the ground. Today’s wind engineers design wind turbines with blades that The benefit of a vertical-axis windmill is that it doesn’t matter turn other turbines hidden behind. what direction the wind blows – at least some of the sails on the The turbines produce electricity that is transported to homes windmill will be able to capture the wind and rotate the wheel. and businesses around the area. The blades in wind turbines Also, they were easier to construct and repair because they sat are far more low to the ground. The drawback, though, is that not all parts aerodynamic than of the windmill can make use of the oncoming wind. Like a those in windmills. water wheel, the wind pushes on only part of the windmill in Where windmills order to turn it. would mostly make The horizontal-axis windmill design is thought to have its use of drag to turn origins in Arabia around 700 AD, but was not used extensively the wheel on its axis, until the western Europeans began to build them a few hundred turbine blades mostly years later. make use of lift – the With a horizontal axis, the wheel turns around a horizontal same process used axle, just like the wheels on a car, a bike or a Ferris wheel. A in the design of an windmill’s axis must be raised up off the ground so that the aircraft’s wing in blades do not strike the ground as it turns. This position made it order to help it lift off more difficult to erect and maintain. The benefit of horizontalthe ground. axis windmills is that they can use all of their sails to capture the wind Four types of mini wind turbine are under evaluation at West energy – as long, of course, as they are Beach, near Adelaide. facing into the wind. For farmers who lived along the coast, such as those near the Mediterranean Sea, a fixed horizontal axis windmill was not necessarily a drawback because the wind almost always blew off the sea onto the land. But for farmers living inland where Each of the mini wind turbines wind direction could change more on trial in South regularly, a fixed windmill posed a Australia has a problem because it would not always different pattern be in use. The Dutch came up with of vanes. a solution to this and designed a

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Explain (article three) Activity 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Glossary of terms [Task] Use the table to define any science words that are used in this article. Word

Definition

Windmill Simple machine Axle Horizontal axis Vertical axis Rotating cap

Tail fan Kinetic energy Gears Drag Lift

Activity 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Comprehension and Summarising [Task] Compare vertical and horizontal-axis windmills in terms of their efficiency. Draw up a table that allows you to list the different features of both horizontal and vertical axis windmills. Think about things such as what they were used for, how difficult they were to operate and whether they turned themselves or had to be manually moved to face the wind. Compare the uses and technology of modern turbines to traditional windmills.

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Explain (summarising) Questioning Toolkit [Task] We have provided a series of discussion questions in the form of a questioning toolkit. Choose some or all of the questions, or ask some of your own.

Further reading on questioning toolkits: McKenzie, Jamie (2000) Beyond Technology, FNO Press, Bellingham, Washington, USA. www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html Discuss and research, then write your ideas and opinions relating to each of the different types of questions. Inspired by Jamie McKenzieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Questioning Toolkit

Type of question

Your ideas and opinions

Essential questions These are the most important and central questions. They probe the deepest issues that confront us and can be difficult to answer. Questions What is a mini wind turbine? How does a mini wind turbine differ to a full-scale large turbine wind farm? What are the goals of the mini wind trial in South Australia? What are the benefits and drawbacks of wind farms?

Subsidiary questions These questions help us to manage our information by finding the most relevant details. Questions How much money can a family save by making their own electricity from wind power? Would everyone benefit from having a wind farm? How does a wind turbine generate electricity?

Sorting and sifting questions These questions take us to the heart of the matter, like an archaeologist digging for clues. Questions If the winds are the stronger the higher you go, why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we build windmills or turbines that reach hundreds of metres into the sky? What is the pay-off for the height of the blades?

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Explain (summarising) Hypothetical questions Questions designed to explore the possibilities, the ‘what ifs?’ They are useful when we want to test our hunches. Questions When you own your own home, would you consider putting a mini wind turbine on your property – why or why not? If everyone living and working along coastal areas and farms had wind farms, would it benefit society, and why? If we were running out of fossils fuels more quickly than we are today, would the sums of money invested in wind farms be greater than they are now? Provocative questions Questions to challenge convention. Questions Do you think people will ever secure mini wind turbines to their roof as readily as they do TV aerials? Why/why not? If wind farms have the potential to benefit us is there enough research, time and money invested into wind technology?

How much have you learnt? [Task] Now go back and evaluate your wind farm brainstorm. As a class discuss the following questions: 1. What do you know now that you didn’t know before? 2. Was there anything you thought about wind energy that you now know to be inaccurate or incorrect? 3. Is there anything new you can add to your word cloud?

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h ac er

ou rc

’s

Elaborate

About the Cosmos matrix What is the COSMOS Science Matrix? A learning matrix such as the COSMOS Science Matrix is a flexible classroom tool designed to meet the needs of a variety of different learning styles across different levels of capabilities. Students learn in many different ways – some are suited to hands-on activities, others are strong visual learners, some enjoy intellectually challenging, independent hands-off activities, while others need more guidance. The matrix provides a smorgasbord of science learning activities from which teachers and/or students can choose. Can I use the matrix for one or two lessons, or for a whole unit of study? Either! The matrix is designed to be time flexible as well as educationally flexible. A time frame for each activity is suggested on the matrix. Choose to complete one activity, or as many as you like. Is there room for student negotiation? Yes! Students can be given a copy of the matrix and choose their own activities, or design their own activities in consultation with their classroom teacher. Can I use the matrix for a class assessment? Yes! You can set up a points system – perhaps one lesson equals one point. Students can be given a number of points to complete. If they choose less demanding activities, they will have to complete more of them.

What do the row headings mean? Row heading

Description of activity

Scientific procedure

Hands-on activities that follow the scientific method. Includes experiments and surveys. Great for kinaesthetic and logical learners, as well as budding scientists.

Science philosophy

Thinking about science and its role in society. Includes discussion of ethical issues, debates and hypothetical situations. An important part of science in the 21st century.

Being creative with science

For all those imaginative students with a creative flair. Great for visual and musical learners and those who like to be innovative with the written word.

Science time travel

Here we consider scientific and technological development as a linear process by looking back in time or travelling creatively into the future.

‘Me’ the scientist

Personalising the science experience in order to engage students more deeply.

Communicating Using images to communicate complex science ideas. with graphics ICT

Exploring the topic using computers and the Internet.

What do the column headings mean? 1. Read and revise

2. Read and relate

3. Read and review

Designed to enhance student comprehension of information.

Gives the student the opportunity to apply or transfer their learning into a unique format.

Involves the more challenging tasks of analysing, and/or assessing information in order to create and express new ideas and opinions.

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Elaborate Scientific procedure

Science philosophy

Being creative with science

Science time travel

Make a digital scrapbook of a range of turbine designs, including the 4 from the SA mini wind trial shown in the ‘about the turbine’ section at http://www. saminiwindtrial.com.au/ Then create and apply a list of criteria to judge them for aesthetic value. Do you think the way the turbines look will affect people’s attitude to them? Why or why not?

Make a wind vane and use it every day to test for the direction of a prevailing wind in a predesignated spot. See Linked Activity 1.

1. Read and revise – one or two lessons

“Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them.” These are the words of the disillusioned Don Quixote who, in the classic novel of the same name, went to battle against a windmill thinking it was a giant. Do you think the people that protest against wind farms are equally disillusioned or do they have a point? Is ‘Wind Turbine syndrome’ real? Summarise the benefits and drawbacks of wind farms to make your judgement.

Make an anemometer and measure wind speed. See Linked Activity 2.

2. Read and relate – three or four lessons

Create a model or diagram that shows how wind turbines work to produce electricity. Watch this video to help understand the different compartments and how they work together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNXTm7aHv Wc&feature=related

One of the considerations scientists have to include in their plans when building a wind farm or placing small wind turbines, is the concerns of the people that live nearby. Neighbours of wind turbines may be concerned with noise levels of the turbines themselves, the effect on their property values, the safety of birds that might fly into the blades, job losses in non-renewable energy sectors. Design and apply a survey for a range of people to gather their views on small wind turbines in their local area (parks, backyards, beaches). What do people think?

Design your own windmill by building on the collective technological ideas used by yourself and your classmates in the engage activity. Test one feature of your windmill’s performance such as rotational speed in different wind directions or wind speeds, effect of infrastructure (such as buildings) near the windmill, angle of any blades, number of blades/sails, size of blades/sails. You can use a hair dryer or a fan if you want to control wind speed and direction.

3. Read and review – four or five lessons

Create a poster or pamphlet of a particular wind turbine of your choice and annotate it showing its features and benefits. You might choose the tallest turbines, a domestic turbine or an offshore turbine.

Imagine that you are a wind technologist. Visit the Mini Wind Trial Site at West Beach and conduct the following tests. See Linked Activity 4. If you can’t visit the site personally, visit the website and undertake the following activities. See Linked Activity 5.

Identify the key components of common types of wind turbines and the role of each component. Create a wind turbine game where correct questions allow you to pick up a piece of a wind turbine to complete a wind turbine jigsaw puzzle. Watch the following video of engineers putting together the pieces of a real wind turbine for inspiration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= DxOYwWu7Xcc&feature=player_embedded

Research the use of small wind in Australia and another country of your choice. How can small wind be used as a sustainable power source in poverty stricken areas that don’t currently have access to electricity? How many are there in each country, how much energy do they generate, what % of total energy produced comes from wind farms in each country?

Create an energy conversion flow chart or a Sankey diagram to show how wind energy can be converted to the heat energy in a bowl of soup.

Create a timeline leading to the invention of electricity generating wind turbines.

How is wind created? Carry out this simple activity to create convection currents to show how hot air rises and cool air moves in to take its place. See Linked Activity 3.

How noisy is a wind farm? Use the data recorded in the following video shot in the UK and plot the data recorded. http://www. telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/8621266/How-noisyis-a-wind-farm.html

Research and compare the strengths of different turbine designs such as which perform better in different conditions or the effectiveness of vertical and horizontal axis turbines or overall size of the blades. Use this information when you design and build your own wind turbine of the future using inspiration from the current design features that you find the most efficient.

Using the website http://windenergydesign.com. au/wind_farms_australia.htm create a wall map of Australia’s many wind farms and create a pie chart of the percentage of wind farms in each state.

Go to http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/wind-farm-game and have a look at the offshore wind game. How many offshore wind turbines can you put up in the limited time? Why do you think bonus points are given for hitting a solar panel? Why do you think it is game over if you hit an oil barrel? Suggest elements of this game that could be added so that players can learn more about harvesting wind power or how it would be turned into an app as an educational tool.

If you have Lego robotics or any similar kit, use the instructions and those from the article to build a simple geared windmill such as those first developed in Europe hundreds of years ago.

Communicating with graphics

Prepare a database of the details of at least half a dozen wind farms around the world. List the fields you need to collect data in, such as number of turbines, location, size of area used, energy output and any other information you find relevant. Examples of wind farms to get you started include the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in New York, Roscoe Wind Farm in Texas or Lake Bonney in South Australia.

‘Me’ the scientist

ICT

Use live data from the internet, such as from the Bureau of Meteorology http://www.bom.gov.au/ to record the wind speed and wind direction in your area over a period of a few weeks and then give an average wind weather report to summarise your data. If you live near the coast you can also use http://www.seabreeze.com.au/

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Elaborate

The Cosmos Science Matrix Read and Revise

Read and Relate

Read and Review

Scientific Procedure

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117, ACSIS129, ACSIS130, ACSIS131, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACACSIS144, ACSIS145, ACSIS146, ACSIS148 Yr 9 - ACSSU182, ACSIS169, ACSIS170, ACSIS171, ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACSIS203, ACSIS204, ACSIS205, ACSIS208

All ACSIS outcomes from 7 to 10. Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117 Yr 8 – ACSSU155 Yr 9 - ACSSU182 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSSU229

Science Philosophy

Yr 7 – ACSSU116

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSHE120, ACSHE121, ACSIS132 Yr 8 – ACSHE135, ACSHE136, ACSIS234 Yr 9 – ACSHE160, ACSIS172 Yr 10 – ACSHE194, ACSIS206

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSHE120, ACSHE121 Yr 8 – ACSHE135, ACSHE136 Yr 9 – ACSHE160 Yr 10 – ACSHE194

Being Creative with Science

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117 Yr 8 – ACSSU155 Yr 9 – ACSSU182 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSSU229

Science Time Travel

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117 Yr 8 – ACSSU155 Yr 9 – ACSHE160 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSSU229

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117, ACSHE119, ACSHE223, ACSHE120, ACSHE121, ACSHE224 Yr 8 – ACSSU155, ACSHE134, ACSHE226, ACSHE135, ACSHE136, ACSHE227 Yr 9 – ACSHE160, ACSHE157, ACSHE158, ACSHE161, ACSHE228 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSSU229, ACSHE191, ACSHE192, ACSHE195, ACSHE230

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACSSU155, ACSIS148 Yr 9 - ACSSU182 ACSSU182, ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSSU229, ACSIS208

‘Me’ the Scientist

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACSIS148 Yr 9 – ACSSU182, ACSIS170, ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACSIS204, ACSIS208

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACSIS148 Yr 9 – ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACIS208

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS129, ACSIS130, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACSIS144, ACSIS145, ACSIS148 Yr 9 – ACSIS169, ACSIS170ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACSIS203, ACSIS204, ACSIS208

Communicating with Graphics

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS129 Yr 8 – ACSIS144

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS129, ACSIS130 Yr 8 – ACSIS144, ACSIS145

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117 Yr 8 – ACSSU155 Yr 9 - ACSSU182 Yr 10 – ACSSU190

ICT

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACSIS148 Yr 9 – ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACSIS208

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSIS129 Yr 8 – ACSIS144

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117, ACSIS133 Yr 8 – ACSSU155, ACSIS148 Yr 9 – ACSIS174 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSIS208

Engage

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117 Yr 8 – ACSSU155 Yr 9 - ACSSU182 Yr 10 – ACSSU190, ACSSU229

Explore

Yr 7 – ACSSU116, ACSSU117 Yr 8 – ACSSU155 Yr 9 - ACSSU182

Explain article 1

Yr 7 – ACSSU116

Explain article 2

Yr 7 – ACSSU116 Yr 9 – ACSHE161 Yr 10 – ACSHE195

Explain article 3

Yr 7 – ACSSU116

Elaborate

See codes in Matrix above

Evaluate

All ACSIS from Yr 7 to 10

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about the guide Elaborate

Activity 1 Wind Vane Aim To make a wind vane and use it to measure the direction of the wind. Hypothesis Circle the word you think is correct. The prevailing wind direction will be different/the same at each location over the course of the readings. Materials: • Thin plastic (ice cream container plastic) or cardboard • Scissors • Plastic straw • Sticky tape • Pin • Pencil with a rubber on one end • Compass Risk Analysis (Complete the following risk analysis) Risk

Precaution

Consequence

Piercing skin with pin Cutting yourself with the blade of the scissors

Method Part 1 – building and testing the wind vane

1. Cut a tail fin and a triangle pointer out of the plastic or cardboard 2. Cut two slits in the end of each straw and slot the tail fin in one slot and the triangle base in the other end 3. Secure the tail fin and pointer to the straw with some sticky tape 4. Push the pin through the middle of the straw from the top to the bottom. Make sure that there is enough room for the pin to feel free inside the straw

5. Stick the sharp end of the pin in the rubber end of the pencil 6. Make sure your wind vane moves freely on the pin 7. Go outside where there is a breeze and hold the wind vane by the pencil. The arrow will point to the direction where the wind is coming from

8. Use the compass to find out which direction the wind is coming from

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Elaborate Part 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Using the wind vane Choose at least three locations to test the direction of the wind around your school. Write the name of the various locations in the results table below. Record the direction the wind is coming from in each location over a period of a few weeks. Results Table 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wind direction at three different locations Day

Description of general Wind direction at wind conditions Location 1

Wind direction at Location 2

Wind direction at Location 3

Prevailing wind direction at each location Discussion Did each of the locations actually have a prevailing wind direction, or was the wind direction different each time?

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Elaborate What factors do you think might affect wind direction?

Did each of the 3 different locations have the same or different prevailing wind direction?

Did any of the results surprise you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is, did you expect the locations to have a prevailing wind or not?

If you were putting up a wind turbine in each of the 3 locations which direction would you face the blades into? Give reasons to justify your response.

Identify any difficulties you had when carrying out this investigation and describe how you overcame them.

Conclusion Write a conclusion that responds to your aim and summarises your results.

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Elaborate

Activity 2 Make an anemometer and measure wind speed Background Information Anemometers measure the speed of the wind. Scientists count the number of turns they make in a given amount of time and then convert this to wind speed values. Aim Make an anemometer and use it to measure wind speed in a few locations around the school. Hypothesis Wind speed will be in the same/different in each of the locations. Materials • Four small, light cups such as those made from paper or polystyrene • Two strips of stiff cardboard 8 cm x 44 cm (the kind of cardboard large boxes are made from) • Plasticine • Pin • Pencil with a rubber on the end • Stopwatch Method Part 1 - Making and testing the anemometer

1. Trim the rims of the paper or polystyrene cups so that they are a little lighter 2. Mark one of the cups so that it is easily identified from the other 3 cups 3. Mark the exact middle of the cardboard strips with an ‘X’. If you are not exact, your anemometer will wobble 4. Staple the cardboard strips together so that they make a plus sign and their mid points are over the top of each other 5. Staple a cup to each of the four ends of the cardboard, making sure they all face the same direction once the anemometer starts to rotate

6. Push the pin through the centre spot on the two pieces of cardboard and then stick the pin in the rubber of the pencil 7. Put the other end of the pencil in a ball of plasticine 8. Secure your anemometer to the ground outside in the wind using the plasticine 9. Adjust your anemometer until it moves freely in the wind. 10. To measure the wind speed, count the number of rotations the anemometer makes in a minute. The more rotations the faster the wind speed

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Elaborate Part 2 - Using the anemometer

1. Choose at least three locations to test the wind speed around your school 2. Write the name of the various locations in the results table below 3. Record the number of rotations of the anemometer to test the wind speed in each location over a period of a few weeks Results Table 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Anemometer rotations at three different locations Day

Description of general Rotations per minute wind conditions Location 1

Rotations per minute Location 2

Rotations per minute Location 3

Number of rotations at each location

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Elaborate Discussion Which location recorded the overall highest wind speed (i.e. which location had the greatest number of rotations)?

Which location(s) recorded the overall lowest wind speed (i.e. which location had the lowest number of rotations)?

Which location had the greatest average wind speed over the time you recorded wind speed?

Which location had the lowest average wind speed over the time you recorded wind speed?

Did any of the results surprise you, that is, did you expect any of the locations to have a higher or lower wind speed?

If you were putting up a single wind turbine, which of the three locations would you place it in? Give reasons to justify your response.

Identify any difficulties you had when carrying out this investigation and describe how you overcame them.

Conclusion Write a conclusion that responds to your aim and summarises your results.

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Elaborate

Activity 3 Make convection currents Introduction In the morning, the radiation from the Sun heats the ground. The ground then heats the air just above it. When the particles in air become warmer, they move around more quickly and spread out. This makes the warm air less dense and therefore it rises. Cold air moves in to replace the warm air until it too becomes warm and rises. This cycling of warm and cold air is known as a convection current and helps create the air movements that we feel on most days. Aim Create a model of convection currents to understand how they work Materials • A small mosquito coil • Matches • Two recycled, clean, wide rimmed glass jars of equal size and at least 500g capacity • Freezer • Plasticine • Thin piece of cardboard Risk Analysis Complete the following risk analysis: Risk

Precaution

Consequence

Burning mosquito coil and matches

Glass jar breaks

Method 1. Place one of the glass jars in the freezer

2. Roll the plasticine out into a snake shape that fits around the rim of the glass jars 3. Light the mosquito coil and place it on its stand on a heat proof mat on the lab bench 4. Place one of the glass jars over the coil so that it fills with smoke 5. Lift the jar up and cover it with the cardboard so that the smoke does not escape. Stand it upright so that the cardboard

acts as a lid.

6. Remove the other glass jar from the freezer and turn it upside down and place it on top of the smoke filled jar so that they

are lip to lip

Cold Jar

Cardboard

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Elaborate 7. Gently remove the cardboard from between the two jars without disturbing the smoke inside 8. Seal the two jars together using the plasticine 9. Observe what happens inside the jar and record what you see in the results section Results Observations: Smoke in the bottom jar rises up to fill the top jar Discussion What evidence was there that the warm air in the bottom of the jar rose? Why did the warmer air rise? Why did the cold, dense air in the top jar move down? Give examples of where convection currents such as these are found in the natural world Conclusion Write a conclusion that responds to your aim and summarises your results

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Elaborate

Activity 4 Excursion to the West Beach Wind Trial Aim To explore the West Beach Mini Wind Trial and understand the purpose, relevance, logistics and science behind the trial. Section 1 - Pre-Excursion Activities Go to the SA Mini Wind Trial site at http://www.saminiwindtrial.com.au/ and answer the following questions: Where exactly is the SA Mini Wind Trial located?

When did the trial begin, that is, when did they start recording data?

How long will the trial run?

How many turbines are being trialled?

What sort of data will the turbines collect? Which wind measurements will they be taking?

Whose initiative is this project?

Section 2 - Excursion Activities Identify the visual indicators used to gather information about the wind

Use the wind vanes to detect which direction the wind is coming from.

Do all of the turbines face into the wind?

What design feature makes use of them facing into the wind, and why is it important?

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Elaborate Complete the following table to compare the turbines: Turbine 1

Turbine 2

Turbine 3

Turbine 4

Identification name

Drawing

Blade size

Blade rotation speed

Energy generated from the turbine (read from panel or from website later) Noise generated (stand at the base of the turbine and count how many steps you take before you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear it any more) Aesthetic value (order the turbines from the most visually appealing (1) to least visually appealing (4)

Which turbine design was the noisiest? Why do you think it was the noisiest?

Does the data you have collected in the table show any correlation between blade size and noise generated? If so, what is the trend?

Does the data you have collected in the table show any correlation between speed of blade rotation and noise generated? If so, what is the trend?

Does the data show any correlation between the energy generated and noise generated? If so, what is the trend?

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Elaborate Which turbine design did you like the look of the most? Suggest reasons why you found this design the most pleasing.

Walk along the beach path and behind the dunes noting the strength of the wind. Draw a map of the site and indicate where you can feel the wind the strongest. Use arrows to indicate the direction the wind is coming from. Don’t forget to show the direction of north and to provide a scale to your drawing.

Why do you think the wind is blowing the strongest in this location?

How might the landscape affect the performance of the turbines?

Section 3 - Post-excursion Activities

1. Imagine your class has been asked to select one of the turbine designs to be installed on the school grounds. In small groups, use your experience from the excursion to recommend to the school board which turbine to install and why, and which factors they will need to consider when identifying the best location for it. Justify your responses.

2. Complete the feedback survey which can be accessed either on the ‘contact us’ tab on the Mini Wind Trial website www.saminiwindtrial.com.au/or at www.surveymonkey.com/s/WFBFKG8

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Elaborate

Activity 5 Tour of the West Beach Wind Trial Website Aim To explore the West Beach Mini Wind Trial website to understand the purpose, relevance, logistics and science behind the trial. Go to the SA Mini Wind Trial site at http://www.saminiwindtrial.com.au/ and answer the following questions: Section 1 - General trial background information: Where exactly is the SA Mini Wind Trial located? When did the trial begin, that is, when did they start recording data? How long will the trial run? How many turbines are being trialled? What sort of data will the turbines collect? Which wind measurements will they be taking? Whose initiative is this project?

Section 2 - Turbine background information: In the website, click on the tab â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;About the Turbinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and tabulate the information about the 4 turbine designs in the space below.

Which criteria were used when selecting the wind turbines for the trial?

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Elaborate Section 3 - Using live data Over a period of several days, use the live data on the Mini Wind Trial website, as well as live data from other relevant sites, to record the wind conditions at the trialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location. Table 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Live data from the SA wind trial site Day Wind direction (o) SA trial site

Wind speed (km/h) SA trial site

Temperature (oC) SA trial site

Turbine performance (W) Kestrel

Scirocco

Skystream

Venco Twister

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Average daily performance of each turbine

Section 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Analysing the live data: What is the highest wind speed over the time you recorded data? Which turbine had the single best performance over the time you recorded data? What was the energy output? Which turbine had the best average daily performance? What was the energy output? Did your data provide evidence of a relationship between the performance of the turbines and the wind speed? Explain.

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Elaborate Plot a graph with wind speed on the horizontal axis and performance of the four turbines on the vertical axis to visually identify any relationship the data holds. Use a different coloured pencil for each of the four turbines.

What role did the wind direction play in the performance of the turbines? Did the turbines perform the best if the wind hit them straight on?

Which turbine do you think performed the best during the time you recorded data? Justify your response using the data in your table and graph.

What is the average energy usage of the following: Fridge Light globe Washing machine Clothes dryer Hair dryer Average household

Which turbine would you need, and how many, in order to meet your daily household needs?

RiAus PD plus: Wind technology

riaus.org.au/pdplus

www.saminiwindtrial.com.au

Evaluate Wind Energy Quiz Take the following quick quiz to see what you have learnt about wind energy. http://kidsahead.com/subjects/2-wind-energy/activities/158 Wind energy individual unit review

Your philosophy

Drawing

How have your thoughts about the use of wind energy changed by undertaking this unit of study?

Create an image that summarised this unit of work for you.

Learning summary

Metacognition

Write five dot points of things that you learnt about harvesting wind energy.

Which part of this unit of study on wind energy did you find the most interesting and enjoyable? Why do you think you found it so interesting?