Our students get involved: Wind power workshops with Institut privé Saint-Joseph

Meet the PPE éolienne team

Five students in their^4th year at ECE decided to set up a project on wind turbines.

The team leader :

• Diana-Eva Laszlo, Energy & Environment major.

The alternator and converter expert:

• Ronan Kernen, Embedded Systems Major.

Experts in 3D design and 3D printing:

• Antoine Pernod, Finance & Quantitative Energy Major.
• Victor Favre-Buisson, Energy & Environment major.

The person in charge of the specifications :

• Sonia Manaï, Finance & Quantitative Energy major.

The problem to be solved

The team started from the fact that today’s middle school students are not educated about climate change, and even less about renewable energies. Classical subjects such as mathematics, physics, French and modern languages remain predominant. These subjects are crucial to everyone’s education. However, in the current climate context, it was important and necessary to bring knowledge of these issues to^4th graders.

The aim and progress of the wind farm project

The main aim of this project is to teach ^4thgraders about wind energy. The aim is also to show what is at stake in today’s climate, and what means can be used to achieve a sustainable transition.

The project is in partnership with Beaugrenelle secondary school, and is aimed at^4th graders in Mr. Jardel’s technology class.

The project is structured around a practical session, in which the pupils learn about the theoretical aspects of wind turbine operation. Then they’ll have a second part where they can handle different technical features of this wind turbine.

Practical work on wind turbines for schoolchildren

The practical work consists of three main parts:

• A workshop on propeller shapes
• A workshop on rotational speed characteristics
• A workshop on the transformation of electric current

The wind turbine needs to be functional, dismountable and safe.

The TP needs to be clear, adapted to the level of^4th graders and innovative. The schoolchildren have to discover new information, and successfully carry out procedures and calculations to understand the characteristics of the wind turbine.