Inspiring the next generation with a wind farm workshop
Sponsoring an OffshoreWind4Kids event gave us a chance to hit the beach and build miniature turbines at Port Melbourne on 20 January.
We are proud to sponsor international not-for-profit group OffshoreWind4Kids.
Since 2021, they have been helping volunteers from the offshore wind community organise public events around the world to help teach kids aged three and up about the science and engineering of offshore wind.
OffshoreWind4Kids works by providing the materials for these demonstrations to volunteers — often from educational institutions — who run events on their behalf.
On Saturday 20 January, we were pleased to join a few student volunteers from the University of Melbourne club Victoria Offshore Wind who had organised an OffshoreWind4Kids event at the beach in Port Melbourne showing how offshore wind turbines are made.
It was a cloudy morning with minimal wind, but the attending families still had a lot of fun working together. Following a short intro to wind energy, the kids got to put together their own miniature turbines before heading down to the shore to place them in the water. This section of the workshop helped the kids to learn how offshore turbines are put together, as well as the difference between fixed and floating turbines.
To wrap things up, the kids were tasked with 'decommissioning' their masterpieces by disassembling the models and helping to put things away.
"Victoria Offshore Wind was thrilled to partner with Alinta Energy for the beach demo day at Port Melbourne," said Mario Alvarado, a Melbourne University student who helped to lead the event.
"By actively engaging in educational activities like this, we can cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation for sustainable energy sources among the younger generation.”
Alinta Energy Project Development Manager Linden Blair said it was great to see young people getting excited about offshore wind and sparking the idea of a future career in renewable energy:
"I'll admit I also had a lot of fun showing the kids how to build and install the model turbines with different kinds of offshore foundations!"