Day 2- Wind

DAY 2 

First Wind Palouse 

First Wind, a wind turbine farm in Rosalia, owns 58 turbines along the rolling Palouse hills. Standing 80 meters high, the large structures are a powerful source of energy for customers of Avista Utilities. 

I was blown away by their size while standing so close to the base of one. 

This particular facility supplies 5% of Avista's power by wind. Hydroelectric supplies the majority of Spokane's power at around 48%. 

A few facts about wind turbines:

• The Nacelle (the box that sits at the top) is the size of a Winnebago and houses computers which report data to the facility 
• The Nacelle has sensors that allow it to rotate and face the direction that would capture the most wind energy 
• Washington state has set a goal for 2020 to have 15% of it's power come from renewables. 
• Renewables are cost competitive with fossil fuels- they just aren't being subsidized and thus aren't receiving the funding they need
• Nuclear energy is the most expensive type of energy
• Each wind turbine costs about $4 million 
• The blades on a windmill are 49 (160 feet) long

This field trip provided a ton of information that was new to me, and I think it would be very impacting for students to come tour the facility as an engagement lesson. Following the trip to First Wind, we constructed our own wind turbines with materials and lesson plans from kidwind.org- a fantastic resource for future inquiry lessons with students. This was a great exploration following the tour of real wind turbines- kids would be so engaged and excited to investigate!

As we tested our wind turbines and collected data, I concluded that this exploration would be fantastic to meet the diverse needs of students. Using a hands-on activity would stimulate kinesthetic learners, gathering data allows logical thinkers to be involved and integrates math (Objective 2), and working in small groups would allow students with strong interpersonal skills to shine. Students with specific learning needs could easily work in smaller groups or with an aide. If touring the facility is not an option, a teacher could definitely capture students attention with a video or picture of a wind turbine and by asking students about their background knowledge on wind turbines. The exploration of building a wind turbine could fit anywhere on the inquiry spectrum, ranging from very guided to completely independent- a perfect lesson to meet diverse student needs! (Objective 3) 

Link to USGS interactive Wind Farm map display:
http://eerscmap.usgs.gov/windfarm/