Bloomsburg, PA -- Educators' Workshop

Teachers testing solar circuits
Location:
Milton, PA
Grade Level:
6-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Kawneer facility in Bloomsburg, PA. Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) hosted a “Solar Energy Inquiry and Engineering” workshop for 6th – 12th grade teachers from area school districts. CSIU, alongside numerous others throughout the state, acts as an educational resource provider for schools in this region.  The IU was responsible for reaching out to local districts, having each district nominate a few teachers that they would like to send to the... Read full project narrative >>

Designing a Solar Phone Charger

Car Charger Schematic
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Energy Fundamentals
electrical circuits
efficiency
Estimated Activity Length:
5 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will be able to design a device that can charge a phone with 4 hours of sun a day. 2. Students will use collected data and be able to support their design – i.e. the data will show that the unit will produce enough energy to charge a phone given it receives 4 hours of sun a day. 3. Students will also be able to calculate efficiency from their power calculations. 4. Students will be able to compare efficiencies of their circuit to others tested in this unit. 5. Students can calculate how much energy 4 hours of sunlight can produce on the solar modules they will use.

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This is the culminating activity for the unit “Off the Grid.” Students will be given some restricted parameters around which to design a solar powered battery operated phone (or other USB device) charger

... View full description >>

Biolite - Fire to Phone Charging

BioLite
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Energy Fundamentals
electrical circuits
efficiency
thermo-electric effect
calories and heat
Estimated Activity Length:
1 hour 30 min
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will use thermometers and a stopwatch to calculate power. 2. Students will use collected data and be able to make power calculations from this data. 3. Students will also be able to calculate efficiency from their power calculations. 4. Students will be able to compare efficiencies to other circuits tested in this unit. 5. Students will know what the Peltier Junction does.

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This is the 6th part in the Off the Grid Unit. This lesson continues to look at the efficiency of USB charging devices, but this time we will be using a commercially available camping stove that uses heat to create electricity in order to charge a phone. This is the Biolite stove that exploits the Peltier Junction in order to... View full description >>

DC to AC to DC Efficiency

Car Charger Schematic
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Energy Fundamentals
electrical circuits
efficiency
Estimated Activity Length:
3 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will use multimeters to measure voltage and current in circuits. 2. Students will use collected data and be able to make power calculations from this data. 3. Students will also be able to calculate efficiency from their power calculations. 4. Students will be able to compare efficiencies in order to identify the circuit that is most efficient. 5. Students will be able to make circuits from a diagram and vice versa. 6. Students will know what an inverter is and what it does.

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This is part of the Off the Grid Unit. This lesson will continue to deal with efficiency

... View full description >>

Exploring Buck and Boost Converters

Car Charger Schematic
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Energy Fundamentals
electrical circuits
efficiency
buck and boost converters
Estimated Activity Length:
3 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will use multimeters to measure voltage and current in circuits. 2. Students will use collected data and be able to make power calculations from this data. 3. Students will also be able to calculate efficiency from their power calculations. 4. Students will be able to compare efficiencies in order to identify the circuit that is most efficient. 5. Students will be able to make circuits from a diagram and vice versa.

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This lab uses a variety of voltage conversion devices to output 5 Volts, the requirements for a USB charger such as for a cell phone. Students will take data on these devices and calculate, graph and compare

... View full description >>

Phone Charger Efficiency

Car Charger Schematic
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Energy Fundamentals
electrical circuits
efficiency
schematic diagrams
Estimated Activity Length:
2 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will use multimeters to measure voltage and current in circuits. 2. Students will use collected data and be able to make power calculations from this data. 3. Students will also be able to calculate efficiency from their power calculations. 4. Students will be able to compare efficiencies in order to identify the circuit that is most efficient. 5. Students will be able to make circuits from a diagram and vice versa.

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This is part of the Off the Grid Unit. In this lesson students will explore the concept of efficiency

... View full description >>

Activities and Assessment of Vocab and Units

Car Charger Schematic
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
physics
electrical energy
Estimated Activity Length:
2 hours
Learning Goal(s):
  1. Students will be able to define voltage, current, power and energy as it relates to electricity.
  2. Students will be able to define electricity and have the units for all the above terms in their Journals.
  3. Students will be able to set up multimeters for voltage and current and will be assessed on this.
Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This lesson is intended as a way to check for student understanding regarding the content presented in the previous lesson of this unit. The assessment takes place in two parts: a written assessment of

... View full description >>

Electrical Energy and Solar Module Efficiency

Car Charger Schematic
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
electrical energy
Calculating power
Estimated Activity Length:
4 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will document necessary terms in their journals 2. Students will be able to set up a multimeter to measure voltage 3. Students will be able to set up a multimeter to measure current 4. Students will be able to calculate power from data collected 5. Students should be able to measure the collector area of a solar module (area of solar cell(s) within solar module) and represent this value in square meters (m^2)

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

This lesson will let students do research to define terms that will be used in this unit. They will record this information in their Journals, which can be scientific or simple homemade notebooks. This lesson will also introduce the multimeter, small solar modules, and how to calculate power. Students will compare the power of the module to its... View full description >>

Coeur d' Alene Tribe Natural Resources

Location:
Plummer, ID
Grade Level:
K-12
Technology Type:
PV System Size:
14.25 - kilowatts

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is excited to host a solar-electric demonstration project that will educate students who will become the leaders in the area in the next generations. This 14.25 -kilowatt system sits atop the Tribe's Natural Resources building and was installed in 2016.
Educators from across the... Read full project narrative >>

Bioreactor Water Circulation System

Wort Chiller
Average Rating:
0
Intended Grade Level(s):
7-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Physical science
Energy Fundamentals; Sustainable energy
Solar/Renewable energy
Estimated Activity Length:
4 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will examine the properties of solar water pumping systems using KidWind solar water pumps or similar water pumps. 2. Students will experiment with the properties of water and its limitations in circulating due to pump power and distance. 3. Students will evaluate the use of a heat sink/chiller in the circulation of water through the bioreactor.

Solar energy is available when the sun shines but energy can be supplemented at night by the decomposition energy in a bioreactor. In this activity we will experiment with the feasibility of using heated water in a bioreactor to circulate it through a water trough or pipe system to prevent it from freezing in the winter. This method will save... View full description >>