Author: Kathy Bailes. Photos: Pete Bateson.
More than 400 school children and many Thanet families took part in Discovery Planet’s ‘Go For Green’ clean energy workshops in Ramsgate last week.
Scientists from the University of Kent, including a researcher working on improvements to solar panels, showed people how to conduct hands-on experiments on the theme of solar energy. They were joined by representatives of London Array who explained how the winds could also be harnessed to power our homes and demonstrated the safety equipment used to scale the vast turbines we can see just off our coastline.
Participants built their own thermal powered turbines, tested the efficiency of mini solar panels depending on their proximity to the sun’s rays, and considered how people might feel about solar farms being built close to their homes.
They had the chance to speak to working engineers and scientists and ask as many questions as they liked. The sessions armed participants with vital information to help them reduce their own carbon footprints and advocate for the use of clean energy within their communities.
The workshops took place at Radford House, Ramsgate, thanks to site owner Ramsgate Town Council. This gave people the chance to see inside the old fire station building which is proving to be a hugely valuable asset to the community.
The project marks the beginning of a two-year programme of exciting activities and workshops which will be delivered from a High Street location in the town due to generous funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
A Discovery Planet spokeperson said: “Thanks must also go to the wonderful volunteers who made this a truly collaborative affair within the community. They came to the project through Kent Coast Volunteering, Age UK, East Kent College, and Chatham and Clarendon School.”
For information about upcoming events from the Discovery Planet, University of Kent collaboration, take a look at their website: www.discoveryplanet.co.uk, follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
This article first appeared in the Isle of Thanet News.