An offshore wind firm will be wowing the crowds with entertaining science at the Suffolk Show this week.
ScottishPower Renewables, which has started onshore pre-construction work for its East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm, is at 262 stand on Flower Show Avenue at the event, which takes place at Trinity Park, Ipswich, on Wednesday, May 31, and Thursday, June 1.
Members of the project team for East Anglia ONE will be on hand to talk to people about the wind farm, while ‘Helium Helen’ from Mad Science will be impressing onlookers with her selection of hands-on ‘windy’ science experiments, such as using an Air Zooka to blow cups off volunteers’ heads and blowing ping pong balls into cups, demonstrating how fast moving air creates low pressure.
ScottishPower Renewables engineer Theo Dimitriadis will also be sharing his knowledge with young people at the Suffolk County Council Skills Tent.
He will be talking to students about the importance of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) in a series of talks over the two days.
East Anglia ONE, a 102 turbine offshore wind farm 30 miles off the coast of Suffolk, is planned to meet the electricity demands of up to the equivalent of half a million homes once fully operational in 2020.
Charlie Jordan, East Anglia ONE project director, will be at the show and said: “Our relationship with local landowners and stakeholders is really important to us, so we are looking forward to engaging with lots of people during the show.
“We are teaming up with Mad Science to promote the fun side of wind power and inspire children and young people to consider a career in science and engineering, so they are equipped to access the jobs available on projects such as ours.”
ScottishPower Renewables and Mad Science have been involved in workshops in local schools where they wowed students with experiments and assemblies to inspire them to find out more about wind power. The workshops are part of ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia ONE Skills Strategy and aim to encourage further study of STEM subjects to assist with developing a skilled local workforce.
East Anglia ONE is the first in a pipeline of projects ScottishPower Renewables is planning off the coast of Suffolk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here