The school science forces and Energy range allows pupils to get hands-on in their physics lessons, teaching them the principles of heat, wind and electrochemical energy with fun and interactive ways of learning about power from natural energy.

Power House kit

The kit focuses on the heat and light energy from the sun, the energy from the wind, as well as with electrochemical and plant energy.  Students will learn how to transform and use these forms of energy.  With the Power House kit students can build a model house complete with solar panels windmill, solar cooker, solar hot water tank, hygrometer, electric motor, power hoist, sail car and more.  Plant watercress, prepare sauerkraut, and make chewing gum.  They will learn how plants convert sunlight into energy for human bodies and human engines.
The thoughtfully designed series of experiments was developed by physicist Uwe Wandrey.  Professor Wandrey creatively integrates physical science and technology lessons with the adventure of building a home and living on a remote island.  To survive, students must learn how to harness the power of the sun and the wind as well as tap the energy of other physical forces.  The storyline follows the experiments in a stepwise fashion.  Easy-to-follow activities make it fun to build models and use them for students experiments.
We hope that building small models such as are provided in the Power House kit will inspire students to plan and construct something on a larger scale.
The Power House experiment manual is much more than just a set of instructions.  The manual is organized around the story of a group of island dwellers who must learn to live sustainably using the resources available to them on their small island.  As students read their journal entries and learn of their products and experiments, teachers can build models of the same projects and conduct the same experiments alongside them

Solar Energy Panel Kit

The Solar energy panel kit was developed for schools to demonstrate the use of solar cells to provide electrical power.  The kit contains a solar cell on stand with outputs at 1.5, 3 or 4.5 volts; a motor with fan and disc attachments; a motor stand; a music module which will work at low sunlight levels); a lamp; jumper wires for altering cells output; a spanner and an instruction and information booklet.

Wind Turbine Kit

Developed with and endorsed by the National Energy Foundation, the Wind Turbine Kit offers a hands-on, interactive way to learn about wind power.  The kit is ready to use straight out of the box, and offers the advantage of being able to measure electrical energy produced directly on a voltmeter or using a data logger.
Using the kit indoors with a fan or outdoors in the wind, investigations can be carried out by adjusting the number of blades used (combinations of 2, 3 or 6 blades) or adjusting the pitch of the blades.  The tailplane enables the turbine to rotate to face the direction of the wind.
Study of the production of electricity can be further extended by investigating the effect of gearing ratios between the turbine and the generator, using any of the three different combinations provided.  Includes: 1.5-6V generator motor, 6 propeller blades, 3 gearing options (3:1, 1:1, 1:3), Motor LED and buzzer modules, dual-scale voltmeter and user manual/operating instructions.

About the Author:
Philip Harris is the leading supplier for Primary, Secondary and Further Education laboratory supplies and science education resources with a full range of biology, chemistry and physics equipment and supplies.