Wind Siting
This activity was originally created for the 2022 KidWind Instant Challenge. During this 15-minute activity, students will evaluate and analyze three separate maps to determine the best location for a wind farm in a magical land. They’ll need to meet the Ruler’s requirements, avoid dragons and dinosaurs, and generate a pro and con list for each map.
Engage
Brainstorm all of the factors to consider when wind siting.
Backstory
The Enel Green Power Guild and ITC Clan are working to construct a wind farm in the KEP-Landia region. KEP-Landia is a diverse region with a wide range of wildlife, landscapes, and varied populations. Where dragons soar the sky, dinosaurs rule the ground, and nobody wants to venture through the haunted forest. The Ruler of KEP-Landia has been a big supporter of the new wind farm that will provide power to their castle and surrounding city. However, they are also cautious about making decisions that will affect their subjects by disrupting the beautiful landscape and protecting areas of importance. The Ruler has asked the group to prioritize wind speed over transmission line distances.
The group has worked tirelessly to identify three scenarios for possible wind farm sites that have varying pros and cons. With the work completed and having identified the most optimal placement for the project, they were ready to present their findings – but those mischievous dragons had other ideas. The dragons were upset at some of the proposed locations and decided to organize a raid to sweep in and destroy all the work plans that had been put together. But the dragons did not take into consideration one very important part of the project: You.
Backstory Cont.
Your Task: The group was able to recover some documents (3 copies of each) that you now have before you: Map A scenario, Map B scenario, Map C scenario, and Overlay of restricted boundaries.
It is up to your team to review the recovered documents and make a recommendation for which map scenario is best. The pros and cons will also need to be matched with each map to further explain what makes them different. In your review of each map scenario, it is likely multiple scenarios will share a pro or con, but you will need to identify the one pro and one con that is the best fit with each map scenario, using each only once. There are many things to take into consideration when choosing the best location, so proceed wisely: Wind speed, Substation location, Dragons, Populations, Haunted Forests, and Dinosaurs.
Good Luck! KEP-Landia is counting on you!
Student Handout
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Restricted Zones
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Restricted Zones
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Restricted Zones
Student Handout
Answer the questions on your handout.
Answer Key