Oppimis­kokonaisuus

”Build your own wind turbine”

 

Short description about the project

Using provided materials but without building instructions, the young people work together in teams to construct a wind turbine. They then compete by comparing which plant generates the most energy. The voltage is determined using professional measuring technology.

Age group

13.-18.

Instructions

The young people are asked to build a wind turbine without instructions. To do this, they think up the design and build it from a selection of materials. For the generator, eight neodymium magnets are attached to the axis of rotation on a disk (diameter: 15 cm) at regular intervals, making sure that the magnets have the same polarity. Then they have to wind eight coils of enameled copper wire onto the end of an Edding pen. The coils are now glued to the base plate of the wind turbine at regular intervals in a circle (diameter: 15 cm), making sure that the coils rotate in the same direction. Use a soldering iron to remove the copper enamel from the ends of the coil wires and then solder them together to form a closed circuit, solder the LED into the circuit. The resistance can be checked with a multimeter. Finally, all wind turbines are connected to an oscilloscope while being driven by a fan. This allows the voltage generated to be measured.

Goals

Develop an understanding of how wind turbines work and how they are constructed. Work in a team and develop new technical skills.

Skills

Physical and mathematical skills, fine motor skills, teamwork, handtradesmen skills.

Materials and machines needed

Wood sticks (round and rectangular), cardboard, paper, styrofoam, cardboard tubes, enameled copper wire, neodymium magnets, leds, fan, multimeter, oscilloscope, hot glue, saws, geo triangle, circle, scissors, eyelets, soldering iron and solder.

Time needed

4 – 5 hours

Group size

Max. 30 (3 per group)