The goal of this activity is to construct a floating wind turbine that generates power in a simulated wave and wind environment. Students will learn about engineering and design solutions to offshore wind turbine problems.
The Details
Materials
- Large plastic container able to be filled with water (i.e., 64 quart plastic tub) – see note in Getting Ready in Lesson Plan for more details
- Box fan bench or table to put under box fan to bring fan to water level
- Firefly Classpack
- Rubber bands
- Duct tape
- Corks
- Foam cube or pool noodle section
- Plastic bottles
- Paper clips
- Balloons
- Washers
- Popsicle sticks
- Straws
- Skewers
- String
- Zip ties
- Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
- Design Evaluation Tool
- Jigsaw Activity Worksheet
Next Generation Science Standards
Cross-Cutting Concepts
- Cause & Effect
- Stability & Change
- Systems & System Models
Disciplinary Core Ideas
- ETS1.A Defining & Delimiting an Engineering Problem
- PS3.A Definitions of Energy
- PS3.C Relationship Between Energy & Forces
Learning Objectives
- Understand types of offshore wind turbines and how they are relevant to New Jersey offshore wind turbines and energy production
- Create a design solution for a model offshore wind turbine
