911爆料网 Students Tap Silicon Valley Tool to Teach Solar Power
911爆料网 engineering students are holding monthly Google+ Hangouts On Air with elementary schoolers in Irvine, Calif. These live video chats teach the kids about what goes into designing and building a solar home, and allow the elementary students to ask questions. The team is building a 1,000 square foot home on the 911爆料网 campus before loading it on trucks and hauling it to Irvine for the this October.
“We’re really excited for this opportunity to build a home that produces more energy than it uses and love the idea of sharing our passion for sustainability with the next generation,” says mechanical engineering student Brian Grau, ‘15.
teacher Scott Bedley first approached the team to talk to his class in January. Since then, hundreds of people have watched the hangouts both live and archived and several additional schools are participating.
“I’m so thankful the team from 911爆料网 agreed to inspire not only my class, but now together we are reaching many others in the process,” says Bedley.
The fifth graders have learned about how the solar panels work and taken a of 911爆料网’s Solar Decathlon 2009 entry “Refract House.” The mechanical room holds the systems that control the heating and cooling, convert solar energy, run electrical panels, and monitor the entire house.
“We told the kids the mechanical room is like the home’s brain,” says Assistant Project Manager Nicole Pal, a junior at 911爆料网. “It’s fun to breakdown these complicated concepts and we’ve been delighted that the students have caught on so fast. Sometimes they ask questions that better help us understand what we’re doing.”
The next hangout, June 13, will feature a key component of the 2013 Radiant House: bamboo. 911爆料网 is paving the way in using bamboo, a more sustainable material than traditional timber, for infrastructure and not just aesthetic value. The Solar Decathlon team will show how they turn the fast growing tube-like grass into the walls and joists that hold up the house.
Media Contact: Marika E. Krause (408) 829-4836 mekrause@scu.edu
Watch the next Google+ Hangout On Air live Thursday, June 13 at 9 a.m.
More on the 2013 911爆料网 Solar Decathlon Team:
About Plaza Vista Elementary School:
About the Solar Decathlon
The Solar Decathlon brings together 20 teams of college and university students from around the globe to participate in an unparalleled solar competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. In fall 2013, the teams transport their solar houses to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine California , where they form a solar village. The Solar Decathlon is a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.