ScottishPower Renewables inspires scientists and engineers of tomorrow with interactive roadshow.

The next generation of engineers and scientists have been inspired by the wonder of wind power and engineering in a series of hands-on workshops organised by ScottishPower Renewables and Cambridge Science Centre.

More than 1,000 students, from across Lowestoft and Waveney, attended the interactive COSMOS science roadshow, between 4th and 8th March, which also highlighted career opportunities available within the engineering and science sectors.

Held at East Point Academy, in Lowestoft, the week of educational fun saw young people learn about electricity generation, wind power and much more, with each class participating in workshops tailored to encouraging young people to think about renewable energy and electricity.

Victoria Sinclair, supply chain strategy manager at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Inspiring young people to consider careers in the science and engineering sectors is an important part of our commitment to giving back to the communities where we work.

“We are keen to develop a skilled, local workforce able to take advantage of the opportunities being created in the growing offshore wind industry in East Anglia and events, such as this, are crucial to sparking interest in young minds.”

Developed through a partnership with educational charity Cambridge Science Centre, the workshops form part of ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia ONE Skills Strategy and represent the windfarm developer’s commitment to inspire future engineers and scientists to work in the booming offshore wind industry.

As part of the week pupils aged between nine and 12-years-old from East Point Academy, Elm Tree Primary Academy, Phoenix St Peter Academy and Red Oak Primary School, enjoyed such activities as the ‘All Charged Up’ show, explaining static electricity, and the ‘Power Up!’ workshop, which demonstrated how electricity is generated and wind turbines operate.

Harrison, Year 7, student at East Point Academy, added: “Today we have been learning about electric, static electricity, magnetism and wind turbines.

“The workshop has helped bring my class work to life as taking part in the experiments makes it easier to understand what we learn in class because I can see it happening in front of me. I really enjoyed learning how wind turbines generate power and watching my friends use the Van de Graaf generator and seeing their hair stand up due to the static electricity!”

Cambridge Science Centre provides hands-on, fun and educational activities for children across East Anglia, encouraging creativity and sparking scientific curiosity by bringing classroom knowledge to life through interactive exhibits, shows and workshops.

Rich McLean, Chief Operating Officer at Cambridge Science Centre said: “Young people are born with a natural curiosity which, if nurtured, can know no bounds. Events like this can be transformative in feeding that natural curiosity, leading to a lifelong passion and understanding of how science and innovation impact the changing world around us.

“We’re proud to continue our partnership with ScottishPower Renewables in our collective vision to illuminate the possibilities across all STEM subjects and boost the aspirations of future generations with real and inspiring memories.”

For more information about ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia ONE project visit spreastanglia.co.uk and to find out more about Cambridge Science Centre go to www.cambridgesciencecentre.org.

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About East Anglia ONE:

East Anglia ONE will see 102 wind turbines installed in the southern North Sea, approximately 30 miles off the coast. The overall investment will be in the region of £2.5 billion, and the project is planned to meet the annual electricity demands of the equivalent of almost 630,000 homes*.

East Anglia ONE Offshore Windfarm project is likely to include:

Offshore wind turbines and foundations (102 wind turbines to provide an installed capacity of 714 megawatts).

An offshore substation to collect the electricity from the turbines and transform it to a form suitable for transfer to shore.

Two offshore export cables, each around 85 km in length, to transfer the electricity to shore.

A landfall site with onshore transition pits to connect the offshore and onshore cables.

Six onshore underground cables, each of around 37 km in length, to transfer the electricity from landfall to an onshore converter station.

An onshore substation adjacent to the existing substation at Bramford, Suffolk, to connect the offshore windfarm to the National Grid.

*Based on the following calculation: 714 MW (installed capacity) x 0.3836 “offshore wind” average load factor (Digest of UK Energy Statistics) x 8,766 hours (hours per year)/3,781MWh (average domestic annual consumption) = 634,997 homes powered equivalent

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About ScottishPower Renewables 

ScottishPower Renewables is part of Iberdrola, a world leader in clean energy with an installed capacity of over 28,000MW, and the leading wind energy producer worldwide.

Responsible for progressing Iberdrola’s onshore wind and marine energy projects in the UK, ScottishPower Renewables also manages the development, construction and operation of offshore windfarms throughout the world and currently has 40 operational windfarm sites producing over 2,000 MW.

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About Cambridge Science Centre

Cambridge Science Centre (CSC) is an independent Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) engagement charity.  We are devoted to inspiring young people through hands-on experiences in STEM learning.

Through this approach, we spark scientific curiosity in every guest, ignite passion for scientific discovery, fuel self-belief in those whom doubt their own potential and illuminate pathways into STEM education and careers.