Active learning ideas
Sustainable Engineering and Renewable Energy focuses on how Ireland is transitioning away from fossil fuels. Students investigate wind, wave, and solar energy, looking at how engineers capture natural forces to generate power. This topic is central to the NCCA SESE Geography (Environmental Awareness and Care) and Science (Energy and Forces) strands.
Activity 01
Using card, dowels, and a desk fan, students design and test different shapes of turbine blades. They measure which design spins the fastest or lifts a small weight most efficiently.
What is sustainable engineering?
Activity 02
Display posters of wind farms, solar parks, and wave energy prototypes. Students move in pairs to identify the 'pros' and 'cons' of each for the Irish landscape.
How do wind turbines generate electricity?
Activity 03
Students look around their school and brainstorm three ways engineering could make it more sustainable (e.g., solar panels, better insulation). They share and justify their top idea.
Why is renewable energy important for Ireland's future?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Wind turbines are dangerous because they might fall over or spin too fast.
Engineers design turbines with deep foundations and 'braking' systems that stop them if the wind gets too strong. Discussing these safety features helps students understand the 'fail-safe' aspect of engineering.
Solar panels don't work in Ireland because it's always cloudy.
Solar panels use daylight, not just direct sunlight, to generate electricity. While they are more efficient in bright sun, they still produce power on overcast days. Testing a small solar cell under a lamp vs. near a window helps prove this.
Methods used in this brief
Designing Smart Cities
An exploration of urban planning and civil engineering for the future. Students will consider how technology and engineering can make cities more efficient, sustainable, and liveable.
8 methodologies
Engineering and Climate Change Adaptation
Students examine how engineers are designing flood defences and resilient infrastructure to protect communities from climate change. They will look at local Irish case studies of coastal erosion and flooding.
8 methodologies