Pupils throughout Lowestoft and Waveney have been inspired by a series of interactive wind power and engineering workshops held by ScottishPower Renewables and Cambridge Science Centre.
Held at Ormiston Denes Academy, in Lowestoft, more than 650 students attended the hands-on COSMOS science roadshow, highlighting career opportunities available within the engineering and science sectors. Each class was able to participate in an interactive workshop tailored to inspiring young people to think about renewable energy and electricity.
Developed through a partnership with educational charity, Cambridge Science Centre, the week of educational fun, between 5th and 9th November, saw young people learn about electricity generation, wind power and much more.
Victoria Sinclair, supply chain strategy manager at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “We believe in inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists. Through hosting workshops, such as these, we are able to give back to the communities where we work, while developing a skilled, local workforce who can access the increasing jobs available on windfarms such as East Anglia ONE and lead the region’s flourishing energy industry in years to come.
“Seeing students engaged with activities inspired by the industry has been so rewarding and we hope this week has encouraged them to consider careers in the science and engineering sectors.”
Above: Dr Diogo Gomes from Cambridge Science Centre gives a demonstration
Above: Emily Fisk shows an Ormiston Denes Academy student how wind turbines generate power
The workshops represent a key element of the investment being made by ScottishPower Renewables, developer of the East Anglia ONE windfarm, and form part of its skills strategy to inspire future generations to take advantage of the booming offshore energy industry evolving off the East Anglian coast.
As part of the week young people, aged between nine and 13-years-old, from Corton Church of England Primary School, Oulton Broad Primary School, Roman Hill Primary School, Somerleyton Primary School and Woods Loke Primary School enjoyed such activities as how electricity is made and how to build your own wind turbine
Luca, Year Seven student at Ormiston Denes Academy, added: “We’ve learnt all about electrical energy, how it’s produced and how it travels to power objects we use every day.
“The workshops have been great and have taught me a lot of things about renewable energy that I didn’t know before and I have particularly enjoyed building structures which are used in the world of energy.”
Above: Nikki Berry of SP Renewables alongside Emily Fisk, Dr Andrew Farrer and Dr Diogo Gomes of CSC
Above: Students froom Ormiston Denes Academy engage with the workshops
Educational charity, Cambridge Science Centre, provides hands-on, fun and educational activities for children across East Anglia, sparking scientific curiosity by bringing classroom knowledge to life through interactive exhibits, shows and workshops.
Dr Diogo Gomes from Cambridge Science Centre, said: “We are thrilled to be working with ScottishPower Renewables to bring our COSMOS Roadshows to schools and the community.
“We are passionate about making STEM accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds; encouraging creativity, investigation and discovery. In Lowestoft and Waveney we are combining the best of our previous exhibitions with fantastic hands-on activities, sparking imaginations and inspiring young minds.”
Above: Workshop coordinator Emily Fisk shows students how wind turbines generate energy
For more information about ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia ONE project visit spreastanglia.co.uk and to find out further about Cambridge Science Centre go to www.cambridgesciencecentre.org.
Notes to editors:
About East Anglia ONE:
East Anglia ONE will see 102 wind turbines installed in the southern North Sea, approximately 30 miles off the coast. The overall investment will be in the region of £2.5 billion, and the project is planned to meet the annual electricity demands of the equivalent of almost 630,000 homes*.
East Anglia ONE Offshore Windfarm project is likely to include:
- Offshore wind turbines and foundations (102 wind turbines to provide an installed capacity of 714 megawatts).
- An offshore substation to collect the electricity from the turbines and transform it to a form suitable for transfer to shore.
- Two offshore export cables, each around 85 km in length, to transfer the electricity to shore.
- A landfall site with onshore transition pits to connect the offshore and onshore cables.
- Six onshore underground cables, each of around 37 km in length, to transfer the electricity from landfall to an onshore converter station.
- An onshore substation adjacent to the existing substation at Bramford, Suffolk, to connect the offshore windfarm to the National Grid.
*Based on the following calculation: 714 MW (installed capacity) x 0.3836 “offshore wind” average load factor (Digest of UK Energy Statistics) x 8,766 hours (hours per year)/3,781MWh (average domestic annual consumption) = 634,997 homes powered equivalent.
About ScottishPower Renewables
ScottishPower Renewables is part of Iberdrola, a world leader in clean energy with an installed capacity of over 28,000MW, and the leading wind energy producer worldwide.
Responsible for progressing Iberdrola’s onshore wind and marine energy projects in the UK, ScottishPower Renewables also manages the development, construction and operation of offshore windfarms throughout the world and currently has 40 operational windfarm sites producing over 2,000 MW.