Over 60 P7 pupils from Dyce School gained valuable knowledge about the renewables industry from STEM sessions run by renewables company, RES.
The interactive workshop formed part of the school’s ‘Weather’ Learning Expedition and focused on ‘Climate, Wind and Renewable Energy’ – exploring how renewables harness the power of the weather and help tackle climate change.
A tailored workbook was developed in advance of the workshop for the children to engage with, and RES involved their project manager, project engineer, and weather expert in the learning sessions. A range of topics were covered including climate change, weather, forms of energy generation and career opportunities available within the renewables sector.
RES’ Aberdeenshire Hill of Fare Wind Farm proposal was also used as a case study to help explain the key considerations for locating and designing an onshore wind farm as well as timescales and costs associated with such a project.
Gavin Shirley, Development Project Manager at RES, explained: “As RES STEM Ambassadors, we really enjoyed engaging with the pupils, sharing our knowledge and experience, and answering their many questions. It’s been very rewarding – and great to see their enthusiasm and interest in the topics covered. Hopefully, we’ve inspired some of the pupils to consider a career in the renewables industry.”
Gillian Hewitt, Dyce School Depute Head Teacher, added: “A lot of work was clearly put into the presentation and the children really enjoyed the sessions.”
Feedback from some of the pupils included: “Today’s session with Gavin was really good, he explained his job and how RES help the earth with renewable energy” (Lucy) and; “We got to ask lots of questions and he answered them clearly. We learned about windmills, how they get transported to destinations, how much they weigh and how much they cost to install. It’s a huge investment but helps the climate” (Neave).
RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company and has been at the forefront of wind energy development for over 40 years. In Scotland alone, RES has developed/or constructed 21 wind farms with a total generation capacity of 597MW.
Scottish Renewables recently reported that in 2021 the renewables industry and its supply chain in Scotland supported more than 42,000 jobs and generated over £10.1 billion in output. Scotland’s renewables industry is expected to continue to grow significantly over the next few years in order to meet net zero carbon emissions and help tackle climate change – offering a wealth of upcoming career opportunities for our younger generation. As such, RES is keen to enthuse the younger generation about renewables and actively supports a wide range of schools and STEM activities across Scotland to help young people develop their knowledge and employability skills.