In today’s technology-driven society, consumers depend on effective and efficient electrical energy generation and distribution.
Electrical energy generation is accomplished through the conversion of energy forms by the use of electromagnet induction or chemical processes. To provide reliable and cost-effective electrical energy to consumers, utility companies use and depend upon multiple methods of electrical energy generation. Current methods of electrical energy generation utilize resources such as fossil fuels, solar thermal energy, biomass, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, hydroelectric, wind, solar electric, fuel cells, and batteries.
Energy producing companies are working to provide clean, lowcost energy. Wind turbines are one of the new forms of renewable energy becoming more prevalent today. Often the energy companies that are responsible for building the wind farms today are p utting them in farmer’s fields and near towns and family homes. As a result, it is very likely that at some point today’s students will either live near where a wind farm is located or know someone that does.
This lesson gives the students an inquiry based activity that will help them to learn the basic design principles of wind power technology by designing, building and refining their own wind turbine. Students will look at the resulting voltage generation of their design and then work to refine it through a couple of different iterations in order to show improvement in the amount of voltage generated.
Turbine Base

1 pre-built base per – 2-3 student teams
Turbine Blades

Poster Board

Card Stock

Index Cards

Paper

Pie Tins
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 1


Paper Plates

Plastic Plates

Cardboard

Manila file folders

Other materials determined by the teacher
 3/8” dowels (cut to size) – 4 to 12 per group of students
Other Equipment and Materials

Small to medium sized household fan, 1 or 2 for the class

Voltmeter – one per turbine base

Alligator Clip leads for each voltmeter

Glue Gun and glue sticks

Masking tape

Scissors

Craft knives

Bread board

LED Light (either red, green, or white)
Your team will first research wind turbines to familiarize yourself with how they are currently being built and utilized. You will need to look for information that will tell you about things such as – how the blades are sized, the angle that the blades are set into the hub, how many blades are used in wind turbines, and the shape of the blades, along with anything else that may help you to design your own turbine blades.
Once your research has been documented you will then make three design iterations for your blades for a wind turbine. Once the first set of blades has been created and tested, then as a group you will need to document the test results observed and any problems or issues that were observed. You will then make changes to your design in order to improve how much voltage the turbine creates.
The extended thinking section of the project gives the students the opportunity to compare how the turbine would behave with a different material for the support arm for the blade.
Design Constraints

Maximum number of design iterations is 3

Allowable number of blades – 2-12

The turbine operation will be simulated using a small dc motor. The turbine operation will be simulated by a fan blowing onto the turbine fan blades

An LED light will be wired to the turbine. The task of your design and research is to be able to light up the LED by creating enough voltage to power it through the turbine.
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 2

Preliminary Investigation
1. Research current wind turbine designs being used in production. Document below the information that you find including such things as: a sketch of the design, blade size and shape, angles that the blades are placed at, number of blades used in the design, blade orientation, and shape of blade used.
Draw sketches below that show the turbine designs that you found in your research and descrie the information found about each one.
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 3

2. Research online to find the voltage needed to power the following LED lights. Record the information below.
White LED
Green LED
Red LED
3. Brainstorm ideas for your first set of turbine blades. Sketch your ideas below.
4. Decide which idea you want to use for your first set of turbine blades. Sketch the idea below in detain and show all dimensions and information needed make them.
5. Build your turbine blade & hub combination.
6. Attach the hub to the turbine stand.
7. Position the fan 3 feet in front of the turbine and turn it on. Make sure that it is positioned to blow air towards the turbine.
8. What voltage do you think you will be able to get out of the turbine?
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 4

9. What results did you get – a. Did the hub spin? _____________________________________ b. Did the LED light up? __________________________________ c. What voltage did the multimeter register? ___________________ d. Where there any issues observed in how the hub and blades worked? e. What do you think caused the observed issues?
10. Using your first design as a base model, make a second blade design and sketch your design below. Include all applicable information needed to be able to build it.
11. Build your second turbine blade & hub combination.
12. Attach the hub to the turbine stand.
13. Position the fan 3 feet in front of the turbine and turn it on.
14. What voltage do you think you will be able to get out of the turbine?
15. What results did you get – a. Did the hub spin? _____________________________________ b. Did the LED light up? __________________________________ c. What voltage did the multimeter register? ___________________ d. Where there any issues observed in how the hub and blades worked? e. What do you think caused the observed issues?
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 5

16. Using your second design as a base model, make a third blade design and sketch your design below. Include all applicable information needed to be able to build it.
17. Build your third turbine blade & hub combination.
18. Attach the hub to the turbine stand.
19. Position the fan 3 feet in front of the turbine and turn it on.
20. What voltage do you think you will be able to get out of the turbine?
21. What results did you get – a. Did the hub spin? _____________________________________
22. Using the voltages found above calculate the following values:
Note: resistance of motor and wires is equal to: XXX ohms a. Average voltage: ___________________________________________ b. Current for Blade variation #1 _________________________________ c. Current for Blade variation #2 _________________________________ d. Current for Blade variation #3 _________________________________ b. Did the LED light up? __________________________________ c. What voltage did the multimeter register? ___________________ d. Where there any issues observed in how the hub and blades worked? e. What do you think caused the observed issues?
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 6

Extended thinking:
Build a fourth set of turbine blades, but replace the dowel with straws. Before testing answer the following question -
Do you expect this set of turbine blades to work better or worse than the previous three designs?
Test and record the results. a. Did the hub spin? _____________________________________ b. Did the LED light up? __________________________________ c. What voltage did the multimeter register? ___________________ d. Where there any issues observed in how the hub and blades worked?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Documentation Deliverables (Written or multimedia format) – to be done individually

Title Page : Include the title of the project, team member names, your name, and the date.

Project Description : Include a description of the design process that you went through in designing the three different blade and hub combinations. Include, information on blade size, shape, placement angle, number of blades, and any other pertinent information.

Testing Summary : Summarize your results from testing the three versions of the turbine blades and hub. The testing summary should be less than one page.

Success or Failure of your designs : Include answers to the following questions o Were you successful in getting the LED light to illuminate? o If you were not successful, what could your team have done differently to improve the amount of voltage that was generated by the wind turbine. o If you were successful, then discuss what aspect(s) of your design you believe to be most responsible for making this happen. o When testing and observing the voltage output for your turbine blades, was the observed voltage a constant value or did it fluctuate. Discuss how your design could have caused this to happen.

Conclusion: What would you do differently if you were to do this project again?
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 7

1. Explain the limitations of electrical energy production created by harnessing the power of wind.
2. What are some things that should be carefully considered when deciding where wind turbines are placed for power generation.
3. What factors had the most effect in changing the performance of your blade and hub? Why was this so?
4. Is the area here around the school a good area to build wind turbines? Why or why not?
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 8

In today’s technology-driven society, consumers depend on effective and efficient electrical energy generation and distribution. Electrical energy generation is accomplished through the conversion of energy forms by the use of electromagnet induction or chemical processes. To provide reliable and costeffective electrical energy to consumers, utility companies use and depend upon multiple methods of electrical energy generation. Current methods of electrical energy generation utilize resources such as fossil fuels, solar thermal energy, biomass, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, hydroelectric, wind, solar electric, fuel cells, and batteries.
Consumer demand for reliable, usable, and low cost electrical energy drives utility company operations and profitability. Consumers require electrical energy in varying locations, times, and quantities depending upon application. Utility company operational considerations include customer-driven peak and offpeak energy demands and energy production process capability.
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VEX POE kit
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2 Fuel cells
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Distilled water
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2 Solar panels
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Multimeter
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Solar and fuel cell connector wire
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LEDs - 3mm red (represent residential consumers)
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LEDs - 3mm amber/yellow (represent industrial consumers)

Solderless breadboard

Two 330 Ω resistors
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 9

Procedure
Your team will design and create a renewable electrical energy generating and distribution system that utilizes wind, solar electric, and fuel cell energy conversion systems. Successful system design will demonstrate strategic power generation and distribution to meet the demand of both residential and industrial consumers. System design effectiveness will be based on the total number of successfully supplied industrial and residential consumers during a simulated 24 hour electrical energy demand cycle.
Design Constraints

Simulated 24 hour electrical energy demand cycle
–
1 hour is represented by
15 seconds
24 Hour Electrical Energy Demand Scenario
Operational Time Simulated Environmental Residential
Operational
Duration
7:00 PM – 6:00 AM 165 seconds
(2min 45sec)
Conditions
Wind and darkness
Demand
(Red LED)
Minimal
(Lit LEDs x 1)
Industrial
Demand
(Amber-Yellow LED)
Minimal
(Lit LEDs x .5)
6:00 AM
– 4:00 PM 150 seconds
(2min 30sec)
4:00 PM
– 7:00 PM
45 seconds
Wind and sunlight
Wind and sunlight
Maximum
(Lit LEDs x 3)
Maximum
(Lit LEDs x 4.5)
Minimal
(Lit LEDs x .5)
Maximum
(Lit LEDs x 2)

Allowable electrical energy generation devices o (2) Solar cells (teacher-provided) o (2) Fuel cells (teacher-provided) o Turbine(s) (student-created)

The turbine (e.g. wind, tidal, or geothermal) operation will be simulated using a
VEX 393 motor. The turbine can be simulated by using any size gear or wheel in the VEX kit, and turned using your hand. No cranks or further mechanical advantage should be attained to prevent damage to the motor or other VEX parts. More speed can be created by transferring motion from a bigger gear connected to a smaller gear attached to the VEX motor

System dimensions may not exceed 22 in. by 15 in. by 18 in. high.

LEDs must be wired in two individual banks – one representing industrial demand and the other representing residential demand.

LEDs within the banks must be wired in series and require a 330
Ω resistor.
Preliminary Investigation
23. Research LED specifications, including voltage, current, and resistance requirements.
Consumer
Group
Residential
Industrial
LED Color Voltage
Requirement
Current
Requirement
Resistance
Requirement
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 10

24. Calculate testing scenario requirements. Test banks must be wired in series and must include a 330 Ω resistor.
Residential LED Scenario Requirements
Number of LEDs Voltage Requirement
2
3
4
5
Industrial LED Scenario Requirements
Number of LEDs Voltage Requirement
2
3
4
5
Current Requirement
Current Requirement
25. Research and test individual power generation devices. Important: Do not do a short circuit current test on the fuel cell. Refer to the Fuel Cell User Guide.
Device Voltage Output Current Output
26. Calculate and test possible power generation device circuit configurations connected in series, parallel, and series-parallel. Consider all testing scenarios and device quantity limitations.
Device Configurations Voltage Output Current Output
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 11

Documentation Deliverables (Written or multimedia format)

Title Page : Include the title of the project, a picture of the system and team members, team member names, course title, name of your school, and the date.

Research Summary : Summarize your research, including all information gathered during preliminary investigation. The research summary should be less than one page.

Design Brief : Include a description of the problem and all constraints.

Brainstorming Sketches : Include copies or originals of your team’s five brainstorming sketches.

Final Solution Sketch : Include copies or originals of the final design sketches.

Modification Sketches : Include copies or originals of all modification sketches.

Prototype : Include a description of the final solution, image(s), test data, and calculations.

Wiring Diagram: Include wiring diagram for power generation and distribution during each electrical energy demand cycle. Include sources, loads, switches, and other components as well as voltage, current, and resistance values.

References : Use APA format to list all sources that were used to complete this activity.
5. Explain the limitations of electrical energy production created exclusively by renewable energy sources.
6. Explain the relationship between demand, production, and profitability. Explain how consumer demand influences electrical energy production and distribution.
7. Explain the importance of efficiency related to electrical energy.
Unit 1 – Wind Mill Design and Renewable Energy Page 12

Elements
Documentation Deliverables
5 Points 4 Points 3 Points
Quality of
Documentation
Title Page for
All Required sections are included in final documentation
Required
Elements
Good grammar
(eg spelling, completeness, etc)

Name

Team members

Date

Project name

Title page

Project description

Testing summary

Success or failure

Conclusions
The work performed is of the highest quality, demonstrating exceptional content knowledge and outstanding effort.
All components required for the title page have been listed.
All components required for the documentation have been listed.
The work performed is adequate, demonstrating a competent level of content knowledge and a strong effort.
80% or more of the components required for the title page have been listed.
80% or more of the required components have been included
The work performed is in need of improvement, as content knowledge appears weak while effort is adequate.
70% or more of the components required for the title page have been listed.
60% or more of the required components have been included
Brainstorm Sketches
The product includes at least five viable sketch ideas, which are neat and include labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
The product includes at least four viable sketch ideas, which are mostly neat and include labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
The product includes at least three viable sketch ideas. The sketches are not particularly neat but do include labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
2 Points 1-0 Points
The work performed is in need of improvement, as content knowledge appears weak and effort is lacking.
There is little to no evidence that work was conducted or that content knowledge was enhanced.
50% or more of the components required for the title page have been listed.
40% or more of the required components have been included
The title page is not included in the report.
Less than 20% of the required components have been included
The product includes at least three viable sketch ideas. The sketches are not particularly neat and may be missing some labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
The product provides little or no evidence that sketches have been created.
Wind Turbine Design Project Rubric – Page 13

Design Sketches
Modification
Sketches
Elements
Blade construction
Design Requirements
Weight
Sketches exist for all elements of the design. Sketches are well-crafted and proportional and include annotations where necessary to support the design. All sketches are signed by the client.
The modification sketches clearly illustrate the proposed changes to the blades and include labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
Sketches are included, but one or two elements of the design are missing. Sketches are fairly wellcrafted and proportional.
Annotations are limited. All sketches are signed by the client.
The modification sketches illustrate most of the proposed changes to the blades and include labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
Sketches are included, but three or more elements of the design are missing. Sketches are sloppy and not proportional.
Annotations are provided in only one instance. All sketches are signed by the client.
The modification sketches somewhat clearly illustrate most of the proposed changes to the blades and include labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
Sketches are incomplete.
Annotations are missing. Sketches are not signed by the client.
The modification sketches do not clearly illustrate the proposed changes to the blades and may be missing some labels, descriptions, signatures, and dates.
Sketches are not included.
There is little to no evidence that modification sketches have been created.
5 Points
The blades are clearly based upon the group’s research.
Drawings are complete and technically specific.
Design Performance
4 Points
The blades are clearly based upon the group’s research. The plans contain minor specification errors or omissions.
The turbine fully meets all constraints and adequately supports the design function.
The turbine meets most constraints and adequately supports the design function.
3 Points
The blade design is loosely based upon the group’s research. The plan contains one or two major specification errors.
The turbine meets some constraints and minimally supports the design function.
2 Points
The blade design is unrelated to the group’s research.
The plans lack the specifications necessary for construction.
Functional parts are missing from the plans.
The turbine does not meet many constraints. The prototype does not adequately support the design
1-0 Points
Little to no evidence of the group’s blade design concept is included in the plans.
There is no evidence that the design requirements have been addressed.
Wind Turbine Design Project Rubric – Page 14

Quality and
Functionality
The turbine design functions consistently, and the chosen parts are appropriate.
The turbine design functions most of the time, and the chosen parts are appropriate.
The turbine design occasionally functions properly, and all chosen parts are not appropriate. function.
The turbine design rarely functions properly, and most chosen parts are not appropriate.
Little to no evidence exists to indicate that the turbine functions.
Wind Turbine Design Project Rubric – Page 15