Introduction

In this hands-on STEM activity, students will use the engineering design process to design, build, and test a model wind turbine. Using everyday materials, students will investigate how different design choices affect performance and simulate real-world wind energy engineering.

Materials

• Student Handout

Note: Materials can be distributed per group or accessed from a central supply table. Students will choose which materials to use. Quantities listed are suggested per group.

Per Group Materials (available for groups; may or may not be used by a particular group):

Whole Class Materials:

• Desk fan for wind generation and extension cord (if needed)

Optional Additional Building Materials:

• 1-2 large plastic cups; paper bowl and plate
• Other recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles
• Hot glue gun

Optional Extension Materials:

• Standard weights (e.g., pennies, 10g weight, etc.)

Student Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Design and build a working model of a wind turbine.
• Test and analyze how design features affect turbine performance.
• Apply the engineering design process.
• Collect and analyze performance data.

Engineering Design Process

• Ask: What design works best? 
• Imagine: Brainstorm Ideas
• Plan: Sketch and choose a design. 
• Create: Build your turbine.
• Test: Measure performance.
• Improve: Reflect and redesign.

Procedure

1. Setup: Divide students into groups of 2-3. Provide materials for students, with any relevant instructions. Distribute the Experimental Design Form (Student Handout) to each student. Ensure access to a power source for the desk fan.

2. Introduction: Show students the pictures of wind turbines (page 3) and ask, “What do you notice about these wind turbines?” Guide students to observe blade shape, size and number, tower height, spacing and placement, and structural features.

3. Activity Stage 1 (Engineering Design – Ask): Students must construct a windmill that can raise a medicine cup to touch the nacelle as quickly as possible. Which team can raise their cup the fastest? Show students the Components of a Wind Turbine diagram on page 4.

• Choose a desk fan speed setting and distance from the turbine model. Demonstrate the “weather conditions” to the class, which must remain constant during the testing and presentation stages. 
• Determine tower height (e.g., 12”).

Note: Wind turbines can be secured to the desk and cups must start resting on the desk (or hanging off the edge of the desk). 

Alternative goals: Increase difficulty by challenging teams to use weights inside the medicine cup. Which team can raise 3 pennies to the nacelle the fastest? Of the finalist teams, which team’s wind turbine can lift the most weight?

• Have students formulate a design question and have students write it in the first section of the Experimental Design Form (Student Handout). 

• Student questions should focus on how one design feature (blade design, structure, or mechanism) affects how quickly the turbine lifts the cup. 

• Example: How does the number of blades affect the time it takes to lift the cup?

4. Activity Stage 2 (Engineering Design – Imagine): Each group has 20-30 minutes to research and sketch a design for a wind turbine that can lift a medicine cup using chosen materials. 

• Students must use the Research section of the Experimental Design Form (Student Handout), including a sketch of their design with the materials they are planning to use clearly labeled or listed.

Note: Have students get teacher approval for their designs before moving on to the next step.

5. Activity Stage 3 (Engineering Design: Plan): Students will form a hypothesis and build their wind turbines.

• Instruct students to form a hypothesis focusing on the one key design feature (blade design, structure, or mechanism) in their original question and how it will affect performance. Their hypothesis should predict a measurable outcome (e.g., time to lift). 

• Hypothesis structure: “If _________design feature________, then _________measurable outcome________, because ___________a scientific explanation (how/why) _________. 

• Students will write their hypothesis in the Hypothesis section of the Experimental Design Form. 

6. Activity Stage 4 (Engineering Design – Create): Teams spend 30-45 minutes building the wind turbine according to their design and the parameters outlined in Activity Stage 1.

7. Activity Stage 5 (Engineering Design – Test): Once student teams have completed building their windmills, teams present their hypothesis and test their turbine in front of the class, timing how long it takes for the turbine to raise the medicine cup from the desk to the nacelle. 

• Students should record their test data in the Test section of the Experimental Design Form and record observations.

8. Activity Stage 6: (Engineering Design – Improve): After completing the test, students will analyze their results and brainstorm ways to improve their design.

• If time allows, students can redesign, implement their improvements, and retest. If not, students can discuss their test results and improvement ideas in a class discussion. 

• Students should describe whether they were able to prove their hypothesis in the Analysis section of the Experimental Design Form, as well as describe improvements they could implement based on the test results.

Components of a Wind Turbine

source: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29653-9

Student Examples