Exploration 1
Wind Energy

By 2019, onshore wind turbines generated 25% of Germany’s electricity, contributing to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity production.

As a class, watch the video on Feldheim available on YouTube by the Transatlantic Outreach Program.

Then divide students into pairs. They will read Exploration 1: Welcome to Feldheim and Wind Energy from the Companion Reader below.

Present the guiding question to students. Ask students to consider what they would need to know to answer the question. Ask students to frame their need to know in the form of a question.
 
 

Using the inquiry steps guide, gather information from the following resources:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Wind Density
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Migratory Bird Flyways
United States Geological Survey How Wind Turbines Affect Bats
Google Earth
 

Discussion
Working with a partner, students will analyze the wind turbine animation, How Does a Wind Turbine Work? on energy.gov. They should explain how wind power converts to mechanical power and how mechanical power becomes electrical power.

Activity
Conventional tower wind turbines require 0.13 square mile of unobstructed land. Communities that have sufficient wind for power generation may not have sufficient land. Some communities may have the space but need to find the optimal location to power the turbine.

The challenge for your students is to design a wind turbine for power generation in their community. They should base their solution on criteria and constraints in their specific area. Consider noise and safety in their design. What are the challenges they face at certain stages in implementing wind energy? Students will use the Engineering Challenege Activity worksheet below.
 
 

Students will:

• Describe the problem they are solving.
• Identify the environmental, social, and economic benefits of their design.
• Identify any possible drawbacks (intended or unintended).
• State their design criteria and constraints.
• Identify two or three possible design solutions and state the pros and cons of each design (sketches or descriptions).
• Provide specifications for their final design including materials and dimensions.
• State the instructions for assembling and using their wind turbine.

Students will evaluate the pros and cons of using wind energy in their own community.
 

• Use mixed ability pairs.
• Read-aloud strategies can be used for the information sections.
• Chunk tasks and set a time schedule for completion.
• Provide sentence starters for writing activities.
• Allow students to check answers with peers.

• Give examples how Germany is integrating renewable energy into the power grid.
• Understand the rationale behind the generation of wind energy in Germany.

CareerOneStop. (2022). GetMyFuture. Retrieved from https://www.careeronestop.org/GetMyFuture/default.aspx

My Next Move. (2022). What do you want to do for a living? Retrieved from https://www.mynextmove.org/

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). (n.d.). Wind maps. Retrieved from https://www.nrel.gov/gis/wind.html

Transatlantic Outreach Program. (2022). STEM Unit 2: Feldheim Renewable Energy. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnbyqKYawTY

U.S. Department of Energy. (n.d.). How Does a Wind Turbine Work? Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/maps/how-does-wind-turbine-work

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (n.d.). Flyways. Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/maps/how-does-wind-turbine-work

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (n.d.). How are bats affected by wind turbines? Retrieved from https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-are-bats-affected-wind-turbines?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products