The ‘Gust to Grid’ workshops were enjoyed by 142 primary 5-7 pupils from Dales Park School, Meethill School and Peterhead Central School who got the chance to learn about the floating offshore wind industry and the career opportunities projects like MarramWind could offer on their doorstep as they get older.
The interactive sessions saw groups of pupils working together to build a model generator using Lego, magnets and copper wire, before trying to generate an electrical current and measuring how much power was produced.
“It was brilliant to see the pupils so engaged and involved in the workshops and keen to learn about the offshore wind industry and the opportunities it can offer” said MarramWind Project Director, Richard Eakin. “For many of them, this was their first visit to Aberdeen Science Centre and their first chance to consider what a clean energy future – through projects like MarramWind – could mean for them. I’ve no doubt we’ll see some of the participants building and operating the North Sea windfarms of the future and I hope they remember where it started!”
The pupils were also challenged with planning the development of an offshore windfarm, based on a fictional coastal area. The pupils had to consider where the onshore substation would go and how to plan a route for the cables to connect the clean power from the turbines to the grid, taking into account residential communities, conservation areas, farmland, and sites of archaeological interest.
Once complete, the pupils then got the chance to test out dozens of interactive STEM-based exhibits at Aberdeen Science Centre before taking home a special MarramWind goodie bag as a souvenir of their day.
More than two-thirds of the young people said they felt their knowledge of how electricity is generated using wind energy had increased after taking part in the workshops, with one pupil describing it as ‘exciting and fun’.
Many of them also said they had a better awareness of the different jobs involved in developing a windfarm, including planners and engineers as well as jobs working in construction, or on supply and maintenance vessels.
“Renewable energy generation will play an important role in the North-east of Scotland’s future and as a STEM charity and visitor attraction, it’s our job to reflect the work of the sector and the career opportunities it offers” added Bryan Snelling, chief executive at Aberdeen Science Centre. “Thanks to the support of ScottishPower, Shell and the MarramWind project, we were able to deliver interactive sessions giving the children a hands-on introduction to the inner workings of wind turbines. The workshops are designed to develop pupils’ understanding of the power of wind, while inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators.”
Located 75 kilometres off the north-east coast of Aberdeenshire, MarramWind could be one of the first commercial-scale floating offshore windfarms in the world. A joint ScottishPower and Shell project, MarramWind could produce up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy – enough to power the equivalent of more than 3.5 million homes.
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