Wind Turbine Size on Maui

We visited Maui's Kaheawa wind farm with First Wind's Kekoa Kaluhiwa and Jennifer Endo on October 17.  As we passed one of the turbines, we noticed a worker cleaning one of the fan blades.  Can you spot him?  There were actually two workers on the same blade.  Exciting view!

Refresher Workshop on Maui

 Teachers measuring their work, equal to force times distance

 Prepping for torque lab--a new IEI activity under development

 Twisting a tube to lift weights

 Data to determine work and power

 Watts and costs for electric loads

 Renewed skills using volt meters

 Checking voltage from photovoltaic cells

 Voltages confirmed, the team's PV panel drives their water pump

Optimizing blade angle of a wind turbine--as a team

Power of Students!

Power of Students

Island Energy Inquiry is developing additional class activities linking energy to work.  Students in Tech Careers measured forces and distances in two mini-labs:  Stairway to Heaven and Moving Water.  Back in the classroom, they calculated Work = Force x Distance, then computed their individual power.

Are you brighter than a 50-watt bulb?  Students calculated their results and answered the question.

Finally, they converted their watts of power to horsepower in the lab section titled Horsing Around.  Through this inquiry activity, they found that large muscle groups are best!  And that a world-class athletic bicyclist generated the power for the Gossamer Condor when it won the Kremer Prize for human-powered flight in 1977. 

Island Energy Inquiry Professional Development Course for Maui County Teachers Grades 5-12

MEDB Women in Technology is pleased to announce an Island Energy Inquiry Professional Development Course for teachers grades 5-12 to be held November 11^th & 12^th, 2011 (lunch provided both days) & 2 online follow-up sessions in February 2012 (exact dates TBD) at the Maui Research & Technology Park Malcolm Center (limited funding available for Molokai and Lanai teacher travel).

Highlights of the course:

·    ENGAGE in the use of the Island Energy Inquiry science curriculum which focuses on energy sustainability for Hawai’i  (aligned to HCPS III and Common Core Standards)

·    RECEIVE an Island Energy Inquiry Kit as well as access to an equipment loan program (PV panels, solar thermal, wind, energy auditing, and other equipment!)

·    INTERACT with local Hawai‘i energy professionals and hear live energy presentations

·    BENEFIT from ongoing support via Island Energy Inquiry Blog & Website

·    LEARN to use our Clean Energy Hawaii STEM App via a mobile lab of iPad computers

·    EARN $200 stipend for full participation and classroom implementation

Please visit www.womenintech.com/workshops.html to register.

Download the IEI flyer for more information. 

We look forward to an enriching workshop!

Island Energy Inquiry Lending Library Fall 2011

As Hawaii educators are starting their 2011/2012 school year, we would like to remind Island Energy Inquiry Workshop participants that the Island Energy Inquiry Library Program (IEI-LL Program) is available to teachers who want to use hands-on tools to implement energy inquiry science in their classrooms.

To sign up for a kit, please complete the following survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8NPKXMS

Participants need to have an IEI-LL Participant Agreement on file, abide by the program's policies and procedures, and have a google or gmail account to access online shared forms.

If you have already implemented the IEI-LL tools in your classroom, please share your IEI-LL experiences and ideas here! Mahalo!

Maui Smart Grid Project

The Maui Smart Grid Project will demonstrate and evaluate new technologies that will help residents better manage and reduce energy consumption during periods of high demand, and assist Maui Electric Co. (MECO) to operate the power grid more efficiently. These technologies will also help  to restore power outages faster and integrate more renewable energy into Maui’s electricity grid. If you are interested and participating and live in the Maui Meadows please check out: http://www.mauismartgrid.com/

Resource from: http://www.mauismartgrid.com/

"Clean Energy: Picking up the Pace in 2011"

Hawaiian Electric Company's latest newsletter featuring updated information on new technologies, customer projects, and the status of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.

 "Clean Energy: Picking up the Pace in 2011". Powerlines. Summer 2011.