Subject area of the workshop:

The workshop is dedicated to the topic of wind energy. It is aimed to attract the attention of the young participants by discussing the topic of wind energy in the context of climate change and the Energy Strategy 2050. This takes up the School of Engineering's profile topic of energy and brings it to the public. A wind tunnel and several small wind turbines (horizontal and vertical) will be set up during the workshop so that the technology can be discussed concretely using a model and space for experiments is created. Additionally, each participant can construct a small model of a wind turbine, which they can keep. At our institute there are research and development activities in the field of wind energy. Specifically the ICP start-up company Zarawind is developing a new airborne wind power system "lighter-than-air wind turbine”. In the framework of this initiative we would like to highlight some cultural aspects related to renewable wind sources. Therefore, the idea was to start firstly in this workshop, from simple models of classic technologies for generating wind energy.

Description of the workshops:

• we discuss with the young visitors the need for the expansion of renewable energies in the context of climate change and discuss the cornerstones of the Energy Strategy 2050.
• In group work we build wind turbines together and understand the required components: What does it take to convert wind energy into electrical energy? Where are optimal locations for the energy yield? How is wind created?
• We test the wind turbine in our mobile wind tunnel. It is possible to experiment: the dependence of the energy yield on the shape of the blades can be discovered.

Target groups: The workshop is targeting primary school students (8-10 years old) by letting them experience wind energy and discover physical laws in a playful manner. With young adults we could go deeper into the discussion: vertical vs horizontal wind turbines, wind vs solar power, traditional vs airborne wind power

Added value / connectivity: as part of this workshop, a handy, mobile wind tunnel with a small wind turbine will be created, which is well suited as an exhibition object for various occasions. The wind tunnel could also be used for other workshops, e.g. on topics such as aerodynamics or aviation.

Accomplishments: This workshop idea has gained attractiveness through a subsequently program of activities. This was conducted by David Bernhardsgrütter and colleagues from the school of engineering at ZHAW in the framework of several Events (see links below).