Teaching the next generation about renewable energy

We recently attended Parklands Primary School in Romford to share our knowledge on renewable energy.

Teaching the next generation about renewable energy

We recently attended Parklands Primary School in Romford to share our knowledge on renewable energy and education surrounding this with Year 6 students. Led by Matt and Flavia, the workshop took place during the school’s Science Month. This was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn more about the renewables industry, and how this creates a cleaner and greener future. There was a creative workshop and presentation, allowing the students to develop their understanding of renewables first-hand, and share this with their fellow peers and families too. This was an inspiring moment for us at Exagen, as connecting with local communities is an important part of our work. We found that through hosting workshops in this style, the community benefited from having their questions surrounding renewables, answered in a fun and insightful format.

How we are engaging with students and communities

We work with local schools and offer informative workshops for students and teachers to learn more about the renewables industry and ways of producing cleaner energy, sustainably to regenerate our planet. It is vital that we produce energy projects that directly have a positive effect on the communities surrounding our developments. We’ve found that through connecting with students, and sharing more about the renewable industry, we can break down some of the unanswered questions that most people have surrounding cleaner energy.

What did our renewables workshop involve?

For this workshop in particular, we began by exploring the fundamental basics surrounding solar energy and its relationship with the sun.

“The sun delivers a lot of energy, enough in an hour to power the Earth for a year. Photovoltaic (PV) cells harness sunlight by channelling light into the cell, exciting the atoms and creating an electrical current.” Sharing this, and breaking down the process of how the sun’s energy is dispersed across the earth, we were able to teach the students how our projects are integrated within this too.

“Solar cells produce DC (direct current) which needs to be converted into AC (alternating current) to be compatible with the UK grid. This is where an inverter is required to convert the DC current into AC. The electricity then follows into the National Grid, along the electrical cables and into your homes. Solar panels can still receive light on cloudy days, which in turn can continue to create electricity. The amount of sunlight (irradiation) across the UK fluctuates depending on where you are in the country. South of England receives a lot more irradiation compared to the north of Scotland, which is why it is warmer in the south compared to the north.”

Inspired by this, we set a task for the students to build their own solar farm and prove it works in the class by acknowledging questions such as – what current does the solar panel produce, what location is best for radiation, and when do solar panels produce electricity. Additionally, we also explained the process of how wind turbines harness kinetic energy and how this forms into an electrical current. Through taking the students on this journey, we saw the benefits that sharing this information has to actively educate the next generation about how solar can generate energy, sustainably and efficiently too.

How do we hope to inspire communities about cleaner energy?

From unpacking Britain’s electricity network, to the process of solar, wind and battery energy, we were able to highlight the benefits of renewable energy and how it positively aids biodiversity. Our main objectives were to ensure that the children learnt: how energy is produced, how it is transported to their homes, a brief history of how energy has been used in the past, and how the different types of renewable generation can enhance biodiversity. We look forward to hosting more workshops like this one in the future!

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