Lesson summary
Students will explore and evaluate the ethical, sustainability, and technological factors influencing wind farm location and layout and analyse how these considerations impact the efficiency and innovation of renewable energy solutions.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- explore the factors that influence the location and layout of wind farms, and evaluate how these considerations impact the efficiency and sustainability of renewable energy projects.
Success criteria:
Students can...
- design a wind farm layout that optimises turbine placement based on wind resource data and spacing guidelines
- evaluate the suitability of different locations for a wind farm by considering factors such as wind density, environmental impact, and proximity to transmission lines
- justify their chosen wind farm location and layout by providing specific examples and reasoning based on analysis of data.
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- creative thinking
- critical thinking
- collaboration
- problem-solving
- prototyping
Curriculum Mapping
Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description: Year 9 & 10, Design and Technologies
Students learn to:
- analyse how people in design and technologies occupations consider ethical, security and sustainability factors to innovate and improve products, services and environments (AC9TDE10K01)
- analyse the impact of innovation, enterprise and emerging technologies on designed solutions for global preferred futures (AC9TDE10K02)
- analyse and make judgements on how the characteristics and properties of materials are combined with force, motion and energy to control engineered systems (AC9TDE10K03).
Relevant parts of Year 9 & 10 achievement standards: Students can explain how people consider factors that impact on design decisions and the technologies used to design and produce products, services and environments for sustainable living. They explain the contribution of innovation, enterprise skills and emerging technologies to global preferred futures. Students can justify their decisions against developed design criteria that include sustainability. They communicate solutions to a range of audiences, including using digital tools.
NSW Syllabus outcomes:
- evaluates designed solutions that consider preferred futures, the principles of appropriate technology, and ethical and responsible design (DT5-5)
- develops and evaluates creative, innovative and enterprising design ideas and solutions (DT5-6)
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium: facilitate discussion around interpreting and analysing data around the location of turbines and layout.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
Resources Required
- Considerations in Wind Farm Design Factsheet
- Device capable of displaying audiovisual material
- Student devices for individual research
- Student Worksheet
- Visual Explainer
- Wind Farm Case Study Factsheet
Additional Info
This lesson has been developed in partnership with the Queensland Government through Queensland's Clean Energy Workforce Roadmap. Cool.org would like to acknowledge and express our gratitude to the Clean Energy Council for the expertise and advice provided in creating these resources.
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