In this project we learned about wind turbines. We eventually had to create our own functioning turbines out of class materials. Whoever's group went the fastest, wins.
Q & A: What is renewable energy? How does this relate to your power of wind project?:
Renewable energy is energy that can be renewed or used again. Example- wind, sunlight, running water, plants, Earth's heat, and the ocean. We made wind turbines, which makes renewable energy with wind.
How does a generator work? How does this relate to your power of wind project?:
A generator works by having wind turn the turbine, which powers the generator that makes electricity. In the power of wind project, a fan spun your turbine, which powered the generator, that lit lights for the voltmeter.
Explain what a wind turbine is. How is this different from a windmill?:
Wind turbines make electricity, and windmills are used for something specific like grinding seeds.
Explain the design process behind your wind turbine blade design:
My partner and I decided to make a upscaled design of a mini wind turbine that the class made altogether. We used foam for the inside, and foil for the outside because foil conducts electricity.
Explain the testing process for the blade designs(classroom competition). What variables contributed to the most efficient designs(number of blades, blade pitch, blade material, etc.)?:
We used the turbine that created the most volts of electricity for the classroom competition because the winner is the design that got the most volts. We got 2nd place for the design explained in question above (also in powerpoint #1). We had to used a hub and dowels to connect the blades to the generator. We think that the foil contributed to the speed of the turbine because foil conducts electricity.