USA - Students present at World Wind Energy Conference

Students from Napanee District Secondary School received a standing ovation after their presentation at the World Wind Energy Conference at St. Lawrence College on Wednesday.

Adam Mitchell, Chris Hale, James Gill, Jake Mitchell, Courtney Marshall, and teacher George Knight presented some of the world’s leaders in the field of sustainable energy on the merits of their solar powered Stirling engine prototype. A sixth member of the team Will Detlor was in attendance but did not present.

“It is a little nerve racking to be honest,” said Gill after the presentation, “ I think that I was a few seats from where Dr. Suzuki sat yesterday.”

Former St.Lawrence College president and a key organizer of the conference Volker Thompsen arranged to have the students make their presentation during the mornings plenary sessions. The students presentation was in tune with the theme of community power and may have been the best illustration of the sub-theme, energy autonomy for local economies.

According to Adam the engine that they are developing can be used to power an electric generator and, theoretically, could create enough electricity to power a home.

A Stirling engine is a closed-cycle engine with a gaseous working fluid. Closed-cycle means the working fluid or gas that pushes on the piston is permanently contained inside the engine. An external heat source heats the gasses that power the engine.

Over at NDSS the students took a 15 foot parabolic dish and lined it with mirrors to concentrate the heat of the sun as the external heat source to power the engine.

None of the technology used in the NDSS student project is new. In fact the Stirling engine was patented in 1816. What is fascinating about the NDSS project is that the students have used scrap material and an abundance of ingenuity to produce this prototype for less than $300.

Now thanks to a $4,100 grant from Limestone Learning Foundation the students plan on spending part of their summer working on another larger prototype of their solar powered stirling engine. This one will theoretically be able to produce one kilowatt unit.

World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) hosted the conference. WWEA is an international non-profit association that promotes the wind sector. Member groups come from 80 different countries around the world including the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA). By supporting Ontarians in the development of their own green energy projects, OESA hopes to create a renewable energy movement.

For information on the 2008 World Wind Energy Conference log on to wwec2008.com. For information on the World Wind Energy Association Visit www.wwindea.org. For information on the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association visit www.ontario-sea.org.