Question. What do you get when you take 25 like minded teachers with an interest in bringing more renewable energy education into their classrooms from all over the country together with Mike, Asia and Thai (the instructors/leaders) for five days in a REcharge Lab?
This years 2017 Recharge Lab was held at the Powerhouse campus at Colorado State University.
From hands on activities including but not limited to - MacGyver - Engineering design challenge to lift weights with wind - Wind Tunnel - Turbine blade design - Sail Cars - wind and distance - Solar Rover - PV variables, power storage and traction - Solar Water Pump - PV PSI for height - Sighting wind turbines and farms - Solar house building activity - Building a Power Grid - Offshore Wind generator platforms. More information and details about these and more can be found by visiting the Kid Wind site http://www.kidwind.org
And then there were the field trips to the Vestas blade factory in Windsor, CO (sorry no pictures allowed in the factory). However, I can tell you that the 25 of us saw and learned things that very few teachers get to see and learn about to bring back to the classroom.
We also spent a day at the National Energy Research Laboratory (NERL) this federal government sight is at the center of testing and developing all forms of renewable energy. Participants got to listen and ask questions about various project studies past and present. We got to visit the laboratories where the testing was taking place and see the activities, from wind blade building to dyno testing.
Think about it in the United States we use the most energy in the world, we should know the most about it, period.