Solar and Wind Farm School Visits

Solar Power Education has organised visits to solar and wind farms for over 7,500 children from Cornwall to Leicestershire.  Each visit is tailored to your requirements.  To give you an idea of what you can learn at a solar farm we have included a few ideas here.

Foundation Stage building a mini-beast hotel at Newnham Solar Farm

Biodiversity

Renewable energy sites are managed to support many different plants, insects, birds and small mammals.  On the farm you will be able to learn to identify the wildlife and create food chains and webs.  Foundation Stage can look at different habitats for mini-beasts or create bee houses and bug hotels for the solar farm.  KS3 can learn different sampling techniques.

Electricity

Light photons from the sun hit the solar photovoltaic panels creating an electric current.  This current travels through copper wires and is used to power our homes.  Children will be able to touch solar panels and follow the path of the electricity from the sun to their homes.  They will be able to see a smaller solar powered circuit demonstrating how the electricity makes things move.

Eco-Warriors learning about electricity generation at a solar farm

Year 6 from Gatehouse ACE Academy hearing about the construction process at Sawmills Solar Farm

Careers and Jobs

Many different people work on or for a renewable energy site including archeologists, project managers, ecologists, landowners, electricians and construction workers.  Children will have the opportunity to meet people who work on or for the solar farm and can hear about their role and the skills they need to do their job.  

We can organise for professionals to come into your school or you can send some questions for them to answer.

The Sun

Focusing your visit around the sun enables you to explore different scientific concepts including: light and shadow; the relationship between the earth and the sun; the sun as our ultimate source of energy; climate change; and carbon capturing.  

At the solar farm you can explore why solar panels are constructed to face due south at an angle of 30 degrees and to explain the gap between the rows of panels.  

Year 3 exploring light and shadow by creating shadow puppets