Wind And Water Power Field Trip Generates Interest
Media advisory for immediate use 11 August
2009
Learnz Wind And Water Power Field
Trip Generates Huge Interest
This week more than
1,700 primary, intermediate, and secondary school students
from around New Zealand will participate in a virtual trek
to the bottom of the South Island to visit Meridian’s
Manapori hydro-station and White Hill wind farm.
The three day LEARNZ-run Wind and Water Power field trip, beginning on 12 August, will allow students to see how New Zealand’s largest hydro station generates around 5025 GWh electricity each year and how the South Island’s first wind farm provides power to more than 30,000 homes.
All this, and they won’t even need to leave the classroom. LEARNZ is an interactive education programme that uses online tools such as live audio conferencing, web diaries, and videos to take students to places they would never usually get the chance to visit, without the expense and time of a physical field trip.
In 2008 Meridian entered into a three-year partnership with LEARNZ. Each year four trips featuring Meridian wind and water assets will be offered to students.
Claire Shaw, Meridian’s External Relations Manager, says Meridian is delighted that students are able to see how the vastly different generation schemes operate.
“The LEARNZ field-trips are a great way of giving students a up-close and personal insight in to how renewable electricity is generated,” she says. “We are sure students will be fascinated by how water and wind can be turned into electricity and the process that gets it into their home.
“The Manapouri hydro station took more than eight years to complete and unlike many other power stations, it does not rely on a high dam to provide water. Instead it takes advantage of the natural 178 metre height difference between Lake Manapouri and the sea at Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound.
“The White Hill wind farm will also be of interest to students as it is the first wind farm to be built in the South Island. Students will get the chance to climb up the huge turbines to check out the 39 metre 6.5 tonne blades, and learn how when the wind speed doubles, the power available for generation increases by eight times.”
In term four students will learn about Project
Crimson, a Meridian sponsored environmental trust which aims
to renew and protect the New Zealand’s native red
flowering trees - the pohutukawa and rata.
To find out
more about Meridian’s hydro and wind generation visit
wwwmeridian.co.nz http://www.meridian.co.nz . For more
information on LEARNZ field trips visit www.learnz.org.nz http://www.learnz.org.nz .
The
schools that are participating in the LEARNZ Water Power
field trip include:
Auckland
Hawkes Bay
Botany Downs School
Otane School
Epsom Normal School
Te Aute College
Meadowbank School
Otahuhu Intermediate
Gisborne
Randwick Park School
Mata School
Rosebank School
Waikato
Manawatu
Hamilton Seventh-Day Adventist School
Awahou School
Hauturu School
Mosston School
Maihiihi School
Matamata Primary School
Bay of Plenty
Pio Pio School
Tauranga School
Opotiki College
Wellington
Blenheim
St Teresa’s
Rapaura School
Te Kura Maori o Porirua
Wellington
Canterbury
Dunedin
Broadfield School
Dunedin North Intermediate
Cashmere High School
Tahuna Normal Intermediate
Diamond Harbour
School
Dunsandel School
Southland
Halswell School
Riverton School
Ilam School
St Peter’s College
Lincoln High School
Rangiora High
School
Roncalli College
South Hornby School
St
Peters School Beckenham
ENDS