Article Contributed on: 3/12/2007 2:50:26 PM
Students of all ages were invited to learn about renewable energy and try their hand some hands-on activities when the National Renewable Energy Laboratories propane-fueled RnE²EW van rolled into visit to Franklin Elementary School, 1603 E. Euclid Ave. in Centennial on March 9.
Science consultant
Rick Shin and National Renewable Energy Laboratories employee
Doug Haller held interactive seminars through out the day teaching students about renewable energy with hands on demonstrations of renewable energy including working solar panels and a clock powered by a potato.
Fifth-grade student
Brandon Pine marveled at the demonstration. "I thought the wind turbines were cool because you could make electricity from the wind," Pine said. Classmate
Whitney Anderson was also impressed. " I was suprised to find there are many sources of energy ... Did you know that a potato can make electricity to work a clock?"
The RnE²EW van is a resource center, outfitted with electronics and displays to help teach about the benefits of renewable energy. It's trailer houses displays renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, including solar, wind and hydrogen power generation.
The van is an outreach tool used to conduct educational events around the country. It is sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Midwest Research Institute (MRI), and BP America.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is one of the nation's primary laboratories for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. It is located in Golden. For more information, visit
nrel.gov.
Students from
Mrs. Maybee's fifth-grade class wrote down a few thoughts about the demonstration. Here are some excerpts:
Madison Shultz: The first thing I learned was astonishing. We were told how a clock could run a potato. The power to energize the clock came from the sun, which in turn, came from the energy that was used to grow the potato.
Davis Westfield: I think that solar energy is very cool. In science class we worked with batteries and made lights and motors go off and on. It felt like the same thing with solar energy except we used an energy cell instead of a battery to power a fan. I though it was cool that the solar panel worked the way that it did.
Seth Nice:I though the NREL assembly was very cool. I really enjoyed making the motors work and making the light bulbs light. Overall I though you guys were really amazing.
Kyle Taylor: I learned what solar panels were made of and how they worked. I got to try using a real solar panel to make light bulbs light up by facing the panels up to the sun.
Patrick Muldoon: I thought it was really interesting they can have fossils of something that was alive. But it isn't all-good because we don't have enough fossil fuels to last forever. I though it was cool that he sun is like a big battery. It is really good because it is so big and produces so much power.
Natalie Miller: I was surprised to learn how many renewable energy resources we have on earth. One source of renewable energy is biomass. A way to show biomass is to use a potato to power a small electronic. Another source of renewable energy is to use solar energy to produce electricity for you house.
Anna Smith: I was wowed to learn there is more than one kind of renewable energy. I was also shocked to learn that electricity can be made by using a new type of fuel cell out of oxygen and hydrogen. Clearly I was shocked by renewable energy.
Sarah Philips: The future is coming fast. One thing I thought was cool was in the future most cars are going to be run electricity instead of gas.
Austin Plantz: I learned that wee need sun and wind to make energy and that Wyoming has wind turbines that make energy.
Erica DeLucero: Most energy sources that we use actually lived before. Most of the energy comes from the ground or other, reusable, resources.