Integrating laboratory activity into a junior high school classroom

This paper presents a wind power system laboratory activity and an outline for evaluating student performance in this activity. The work described here was to design and implement the laboratory to assist teachers in achieving the teaching objective of this activity. The laboratory teaching activities introduce energy sources, wind energy technology, electricity storage, and wind power system testing. The wind power system testing activity includes eight topics: setting up the experimental module, operating instruments, wind velocity measurement, rotor diameter activity, wind speed activity, blade angle activity, blade number activity, and data summary. These laboratory activities were first introduced in a Taiwanese junior high school in 2007. This laboratory activity effectively introduced students to wind energy technology through activity participation. The objective of this activity is for the students to gain not only an understanding of the concept of wind power electricity generation, but a greater confidence in investigating, questioning, and experimenting with renewable energy ideas. The students are able to relate the experiments to electronic and computer engineering.