KidWind Solar Challenge

2025 Clean Energy Olympics, Solar Division

Overview
Submit Your Project
View Projects

Project Overview

Student teams in grades 4th-12th participate in age-level divisions to create a solar powered project on the theme Solar Home. A solar home is a type of structure that considers the environment, the inhabitants, and its functional and aesthetic design. We encourage teams to think creatively and even fantastically about their solar homes. The environment can range from outer space to the arctic, and the inhabitants can be anything from people to butterflies!
Students in Elementary and Middle school build a solar home using simple circuits, and High School students are required to build solar smart homes, incorporating programmable microcontrollers. Ambitious Elementary and Middle School students may also choose to build a solar smart home. Teams will present their design to a panel of judges and complete a knowledge test.

Materials Required

Solar panels, Loads (lights, motors, buzzers, etc.), Multimeter, Conductive materials, Switches, Home construction materials, Anything else you need to construct a radiant Solar Home

Student Award

Top three teams in elementary, middle, and high school divisions, Special Recognition Awards will be assigned based on creativity and team vibes

Submit Your Project

Hidden
Hidden
This will be public in the View Projects section.
This will be public in the View Projects section.
This will be publicly shared.
Show off your project! Be sure we can see the whole thing, including any special or unique details. This image will be public in the View Projects section.
Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 5 MB.
In 3 short sentences describe the project. This will be public in the View Projects section.
These images will be public in the View Projects section.
Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 5 MB.

    Design Process and Reporting

    Share schematics for any 3-D printed parts if applicable.
    Accepted file types: pdf, txt, doc, docx, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    Documentation is important. This can be used to tell the origin story of the design idea by explaining why the team used certain materials and technologies. Explain why the team shaped, designed, and organized the blades the way they did. Documentation can also show design iterations and results throughout the project with the different variables and conditions the device was tested under and highlight aspects specific to the design. This can be done through a Powerpoint presentation, narrative, or design notebooks for example.
    Accepted file types: pdf, txt, doc, docx, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    Documentation is important, please provide where your code was sourced from and describe how each resource was used. You do not need to include the code.
    Accepted file types: pdf, txt, doc, docx, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    Accepted file types: pdf, pptx, Max. file size: 50 MB.

    Turbine Performance Fields

    The Turbine, blades and all accessories must fit within a 4’’ width, 4’ length, 4’ height space.
    Need help? See common fans (on the highest setting) and corresponding wind velocities on this cheat sheet.
    Need help? Check out this calculation guide. The typical range for this value is 1000 cm2 - 8000 cm2. This will be publicly shared.
    This value must be a whole number. Do not use decimals or spaces. Need help? Check out this guide. This will be publicly shared.
    Need help calculating voltage? Check out this guide. This will be publicly shared.
    Wind Load Chart
    Load
    Qty
    Notes
     

    Solar Home General Information

    1 image of the surrounding environment
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 1.

      Solar Home Narrative

      The Solar Home and all accessories must fit within a 2’ width, 2’ length, 1’ height space.
      Describe in two sentences or less what the solar home is (that could be its name, materials, shape, general purpose) what inhabits it, the environment it’s in, and its general purpose.

      For example: The LoneStar Space Garden provides astronauts in space an Earth-like sanctuary and food garden with plants, waterfalls, insects, and animals, all made possible by solar power.
      Set the stage by briefly describing the environment and why the selected environment was a good place for the solar home. Introduce the inhabitants and their wants and needs. Talk about the solar powered features and how those features address the wants and needs of the inhabitants.
      1 image of the surrounding environment
      Drop files here or
      Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 1.
        1 image that shows the inhabitants
        Drop files here or
        Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 1.
          1-3 images that zoom in on the solar powered features.
          Drop files here or
          Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 3.
            Tell the origin story of the design idea by explaining why the team used certain materials and technologies. How does the team think the solar home they created is inspired by real world problems? Explain why the team shaped, designed, and organized the solar home in response to its environmental factors. Describe how the needs, health, entertainment, and comfort of the inhabitants were considered.
            1-3 images that highlight the solar home design
            Drop files here or
            Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 3.
              Explain how the team considered the social and cultural connections of the inhabitants when making the solar home. Describe how the solar home is “green,” and how it has a low impact on its environment.
              1-3 images that focus on how the solar home is “green,” optional photo of how the design considers social and cultural connections.
              Drop files here or
              Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 3.
                Team members describe their roles and how they worked within the team. Each team member lists some part of the process, design, or build of the solar home that they really enjoyed doing.

                Wind General Information

                1 image using a ruler to show the measurement from the tip of the blade to the center of the hub. This image will be used to check the Rotor Swept Area by showing the rotor dimension.
                Drop files here or
                Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, jpeg, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 1.

                  Wind Narrative

                  Team members describe their roles and how they worked within the team. Each team member lists some part of the process, design, or build of the solar home that they really enjoyed doing.

                  Additional Files

                  In the solar panel schematic, include each solar powered circuit's configuration (parallel/series), and a label to what the terminals connect to. Label each panel's rated voltage and current, the length, width, and area of each solar panel, and each configurations voltage/current/wattage total. This Schematic is different from the wiring diagram because it only includes the solar panel arrangement, not the rest of the circuit. For example, if the team has up to three circuits that are powered by solar, they will need to provide three solar panel schematics.
                  Drop files here or
                  Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 10.
                    Each circuit requires a separate wiring diagram. Teams must provide a wiring diagram for no more than three circuits. Each wiring diagram must include a symbols key. The wiring diagram should have the symbols labeled for all the electrical parts of a circuit, and every emergency switch clearly labeled as such in the diagram. If using power storage, teams will label how the solar panels are charging the power storage and how the storage is powering the loads on the device. Solar Home Elementary 4th-5th Division can create a hand drawn wiring diagram. For Solar Home 6th-8th and Solar Smart Home 9th-12th a printout is required and using a wiring diagram application is optional. If the wiring diagram is complicated, there is no need to fit it into a 8.5” x 11” paper size. The team can expand their diagram onto other pages as long as the continuation is clearly labeled.
                    Drop files here or
                    Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 10.
                      Documentation is important, please provide where your code was sourced from and describe how each resource was used. You do not need to include the code.
                      Materials Used
                      Material
                      How was the material used in the build?
                      Is the material recycled, found, or purchased?
                      If purchased, how much did it cost? If free, put a zero
                       
                      Project Submissions