RE projects for technology courses

Reviews, ideas, or complete lesson plans. Please include the subject and perhaps the appropriate grade level in your subject line.
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shawn
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Posts: 344
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:41 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass.

RE projects for technology courses

Post by shawn »

I'd like to start a forum discussing interesting projects in that teach about renewable energy as a technological centerpiece. Please reply if you know about any good projects.
shawn
Site Admin
Posts: 344
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:41 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass.

Solar recharged power lawnmower

Post by shawn »

Appropedia is an excellent site for technological innovations, mostly on the scale of an individual's work:
http://www.appropedia.org/
One example is the Solar Charged Lawnmower, a car-battery powered lawnmower.
http://www.appropedia.org/Solar_Charged_Lawnmower
It seems like such a good idea, since the more sun a lawn gets, the more the grass grows, and the more the PV panel charges the battery. I would turn it into a lesson about right-sizing the electric components (motor, panel, battery). It seems from the article that the author manifested physics-learning in his discussion of sizing.
Appropedia also includes an article about a solar food dehydrator, which explicitly describes an engineering process:
http://www.appropedia.org/Chris%27s_ENG ... Dehydrator
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