5th grade Students Design and Build Alternative Energy Models

Students chose groups to work in and were assigned a geographic region (Pacific NW, California Coast, Great Plains, Northeast, Texas, South Florida) of the United States. The group had to research what types of alternative energy (solar, wind, geo-thermal, biofuel, hydro/tidal, etc.) were already being used in their region, and the benefits/drawbacks of each system. The group then chose two types of systems to integrate into a hybrid model, with the goal of correcting for drawbacks/inefficiencies of a single system. One group combined a Geo-Thermal System with combined with algae farms to regulate growth bed water temperatures. Another group designed a concentrating solar collector to heat algae beds and increase photosynthesis in the northern plains. And another group designed a septic methane system with pumps and compressors run by a wind turbine. Each region posed its own challenges for students to consider, but EVERYONE rose to the challenge! After designing their hybrid systems, each group built a model from their design and labeled component parts.