1. Wind Energy Station Directions

2. Simple Wind Generator 1.Connect the LED to the motor in the pvc stand (using the red and black wires). 2.Place the motor in front of the fan (set to the highest setting). 3.Change the position of the motor so that the blades rotate at the fastest speed possible. (The propeller must be turning very fast to produce enough voltage to light the LED) 4.If the LED does not light up, try switching the wires. Why might that work? This experiment shows how wind can be used to generate electricity to light an LED bulb (light-emitting diode)

3. Wind Turbine Powered Motor 1.Connect the 2 nd motor to the turbine in the pvc stand (using the red and black wires). 2.Place the turbine in front of the fan (set to the highest setting). 3.Change the position of the turbine so that the blades rotate at the fastest speed possible ) 4.If the 2 nd motor does not turn, try switching the wires. Why might that work? Did you notice which way the turbine was spinning? What about the motor? Are both spinning at the same rate? Why or Why Not? This experiment shows how wind can be used to generate electricity to power another motor.

4. How Much Wind Turbine Power? 1.Place the turbine in front of the fan (set to the LOWEST setting). 2.Connect a lead (red & green wires w/ clips) to each of the turbine’s wires (red to red, green to black) 3.Connect the MULTIMETER to the ends of the leads. (black to red, red to green) 4.Turn on the multimeter and turn the dial to DCV20 to measure POWER (V). – What was the voltage? 5.Turn the dial to DCA200m to measure CURRENT – How many AMPS are produced? 6.Try different fan settings and record the new values. 7.Can you calculate power knowing that Power (watts)= Voltage (volts) x Current (amps) for each setting? This experiment shows how we can measure the amount of power generated From a wind turbine.

5. Putting Wind Power to Use 1.This station requires 3 people (1 person to position the wind turbine and 2 to race) 2.Turn on the power to the “WIND” (the fan on the wall) 3.Position the turbine, using the long DROP BAR so that the blades spin as fast as possible. 4.Place the cars on the race track and press the button on each controller (Don’t push to hard, there is so much energy being produced that the cars will fly off the track)

6. Putting Wind Power to Use Questions: 1.What happens if you hold the button down to long? 2.Try waiting a minute and press the button again. What happened? 3.What happens if you change the direction the turbine is facing the “wind”? 4.Why don’t the cars work right away? (Think about the experiment with the capacitor you just did. What do you think might be inside the race track?) 5.What could we use (like the capacitor) that would allow us to store wind energy generated by a wind turbine?