Posted on September 18th, 2011 by Mary Lord
In this activity, student teams in grades 9 to 12 design and build a one-bedroom model house within design constraints that uses passive solar heating techniques to heat the house and sustain that temperature as long as possible.
Read More
Filed under: Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »
Tags: Alternative Energy, Architecture, home design, model house, passive solar, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering, solar heat, temperature
Posted on September 18th, 2011 by Mary Lord
What does it take to build a solar village, where homes not only are designed to create more energy than they use but are comfortable and cool to look at, too? For some 19 collegiate teams from the U.S. and aborad installing their entries to the 2011 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., this past weekend, the answer is: lots of hands-on work involving hammers, wrenches, plumbing, and construction cranes.
Read More
Filed under: Special Features | 3 Comments »
Tags: Architecture, Design, Solar Decathlon, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering, U.S. Department of Energy
Posted on August 28th, 2011 by Jaimie Schock
On a hike through the Catskill Mountains in New York, Aidan Dwyer, a seventh-grader, noticed that the branches of oak trees seemed to follow a pattern. Inspired, he created a tree-like arrangement of small solar panels capable of generating 20-50% more energy than a traditional flat designs.
Read More
Filed under: K-12 Education News | Comments Off on Student Invents Solar Tree
Tags: Energy, Energy and Environmental Technology, Green, Green Technology, Ideas & Inventions, Research, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering, student invention, Student research, Technology
Posted on June 5th, 2011 by Mary Lord
Student teams in grades 9-11 gain a better understanding of heat transfer and engineering by designing and building solar water-heating devices that mimic those used in residences. Once the model devices are constructed, students perform efficiency calculations and compare designs.
Read More
Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Solar Water Heater
Tags: Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Grades 9-12, Green, Green Technology, Lesson Plans, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering
Posted on March 15th, 2010 by ASEE
As part of the 2010 Junior Solar Spring, Florida middle school students, grades 6-8, are invited to design, build and race Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) cars. The small model cars — powered entirely by solar energy and steered by wires — are built as team efforts guided by teachers. Date: May 1, 2010
Read More
Filed under: Grades 6-8, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Contest: Junior Solar Sprint, Florida, May 1, 2010
Tags: Automobiles, Automotive engineering, Competitions for Students, Solar Engineering
Posted on March 8th, 2010 by ASEE
Operated by the Idaho National Laboratory, the Energy for Educators Website offers excellent lessons on energy topics for all grade levels, including on wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, nuclear, and biomass energy sources.
Teachers will also find news about the Energy workshops, INL wind resources, real-time wind data, “energy myths,” and a write-in “ask a scientist” page.
Read More
Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on Website: Energy for Educators
Tags: Alternative Energy, Geothermal, Idaho National Laboratory, Lesson Plans, Nuclear Engineering, Solar Engineering, Web Resources, Website, Wind Technology
Posted on November 25th, 2009 by ASEE
The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research arm of the University of Central Florida, has developed downloadable sets of curriculum materials for K-12 teachers and schools on alternative energy sources, including solar, photovoltaics, hydrogen, and fuel cells. The Website lists descriptions of these curriculum materials, links to web sites, and information on each unit. Care has been taken to insure that the proper state standards that apply have been maintained.
Read More
Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on Curriculum: Solar, Alternative Energy
Tags: Alternative Energy, Class Activities, Curriculum, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, Solar Engineering
Posted on September 29th, 2009 by ASEE
Students are making their way to the National Mall in Washington to reassemble the solar-powered houses that they designed as part of the 2009 Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the Department of Energy.
Read More
Filed under: K-12 Education News | Comments Off on Students Prepare for Solar Decathlon
Tags: Solar Engineering, U.S. Department of Energy
Posted on June 17th, 2009 by ASEE
In this series of lessons for grades 6-8, students first experiment with a virtual solar cooker to discover the mathematical relationship among reflection, transmission and absorption. Then they apply their knowledge to building and testing a solar cooker of their own invention. In an extension, students investigate how these principles can be used as sustainable energy sources for homes through passive solar heating.
Read More
Filed under: Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: Grades 6-8, Solar Engineering
