Solar Cars and Wind Turbines: Hands-On Renewable Energy Engineering at Chester Area School

Project Summary

Students at Chester Area School in South Dakota built and tested solar-powered cars and designed wind turbine blades, discovering firsthand the real-world engineering challenges of renewable energy while connecting their learning to the agricultural landscape around them.

Detailed Story

Mike’s 25 students at Chester Area School tackled renewable energy from two angles: solar and wind. On the solar side, students built their own solar cars and tested them for speed and agility. The experience delivered a memorable lesson — many students initially couldn’t figure out why their cars wouldn’t move, only to realize they had been blocking the sun with their own bodies, cutting off power to the panels. That moment of discovery made the concept click in a way a textbook couldn’t: solar energy isn’t as simple or forgiving as plugging into the grid. For wind, students designed and built turbine blades using cardboard, Styrofoam, and balsa wood, testing different blade shapes and angles on a collar connected to a fan. They measured output with a multimeter and iterated, adjusting angles, swapping materials, and refining their designs until they were satisfied with their voltage readings. Wind power has particular resonance for students in this part of South Dakota, where agriculture dominates the landscape and wind is a constant presence. Students came away with a concrete understanding of how climate conditions affect the viability and performance of renewable energy sources.

Impact Statement

25 students gained hands-on experience engineering and testing solar and wind energy systems, developing a practical understanding of the real challenges and trade-offs involved in renewable energy production. Students connected classroom learning to their regional agricultural context and the role wind energy plays in their community.