Students turn ideas into cash

STUDENTS from Denes High School, Poplars Primary and Lowestoft College have celebrated successful bids in a UK pilot scheme developing ideas to save energy.

The Lowestoft Energy Challenge, run by the Make Your Mark Campaign and NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) has been running since September and students have been asked to come up with ideas to reduce their energy bills, as well as explore alternative sources.

They have now made their final pitches to a panel of judges and have all taken away substantial amounts of cash to put their ideas into motion.

Pupils at Poplars Primary School explored how energy is made and their money will go towards buying mini turbines to power security lighting.

Denes High School favoured the purchase of a wind turbine, with the £25,000 they were awarded and will look at what processes need to take place to allow this to happen.

And students at Lowestoft College have chosen to buy a compactor to turn wood chippings from their carpentry department into solid fuel.

During their research to form their bids, students started after school and lunchtime clubs and benefited from visits places such as to the National Science Museum and CRed at the UEA.

Enterprise Lowestoft focussed on enhancing the students' enterprise competencies with workshops and all students worked together on a partnership bid to build a website capturing statistics on amounts of energy saved by encouraging behaviour change and the installation of renewable technologies.

The resource will contain energy related games, forums and incorporate links to industry and the Orbis Energy Centre in Lowestoft.

Education materials are being developed and will be available online to schools throughout the country.

Students at Denes High School will hold an open evening on Thursday at 6.30pm to raise awareness and provide details of the proposed wind turbine.