"Could the lights go off across Europe? Cooperation to shape an all renewable vision for Europe by 2050." Inspired by the hardrainproject’s web of energy (www.hardrainproject.com/web_of_energy ) this project will explore how our activities and attitudes will have to be altered if we want to change from carbon energy - coal, oil and gas - to renewable energies: solar, wind, hydro, wave and geothermal energy generation. The 2050 vision requires simultaneous and coordinated progress on many levels as well as a cooperation between governments, industry and consumers. Are we ready to seize the day and collaborate on a solution which is European-wide? Following new guidelines on the optimization of transnational energy flows which were published in April 2014, our project aims at building and strengthening cooperation among schools from different European countries. We hereby want to offer adolescents from different regions a profound, long-lasting and consequently European perspective on two topics which will shape many generations to come: sustainability and renewable energies. The central aim of the project is to offer students and teachers a first- hand encounter with different technologies that use renewable energies. Different countries offer different ways of implementing renewable energies. Getting to know these various ways of using renewable energies on-site will broaden our students' horizons and thus lead to a sustainable and long-lasting learning effect. They will learn in which ways their everyday behaviour has an effect on the global environment by actively learning about the connectedness of different European regions and their respective use of renewable energies. Thus they will learn not regard themselves as isolated individuals from a certain region, but as active and effective European agents for change. They will improve their language skills through different communication forms (face-to-face communication, email, eTwinning, homepages, skype, facebook, google docs etc.) methodical skills (preparing presentations, conducting workshops, designing leaflets etc.) and gain a deeper understanding of the shared European heritage and responsibility. Owing to the past Comenius project in which the partners from Germany, England and Norway took part, there is a common ground from which the new project can be launched. The addition of Portugal as a fourth partner will enrich our project and lead to even more comprehensive discussions and results. Since all schools are situated in UNESCO Geoparks in rural areas and are specialized in Geography and Science, we can all benefit from the different national ways of approaching the topics of sustainability and renewable energies. Due to already established external partnerships such as affiliations with regional companies (e.g. ENO, Steiff in Buchen) or research institutions (e.g. South West Energy Centre, Paignton, Aveiro University Campus) we can conduct highly efficient exchange trips for five students and two teachers to the different countries where we are planning to hold lectures, take part in workshops, conduct student presentations, attend discussions etc. The possible stages of the project (raising awareness within & between our communities, challenges we are facing now and in the future, responses: from local to national solutions, a web of energy - a 2050 all renewable European supergrid?) could serve as multiplication activities for the teaching staff (internal training programs, school conferences on relevant topics etc.) as well as for students (the projects topics will be presented in different subjects). Besides using our findings in school contexts, we are planning to publish our results through different media, on our homepages and in permanent exhibitions in our school buildings as well as in communal buildings. This will offer the chance to continuously evaluate our procedures and share our thoughts with the other partners based on feedback sessions. Additionally, we are not only planning to build models of photovoltaic systems, but also to shoot video clips about the individual school projects which will be combined to comprise a longer film about our conjoined project. The students will thus acquire expert knowledge about renewable energies, improve their language skills as well as gain access to universities and other external partners such as companies or political boards and parties. Most importantly, they will actively participate in formulating and realizing the European vision of sustainability and energy efficiency. They will act as active multipliers for the project's central aim by not only learning about renewable energies, but also integrating them into their daily life and thus influencing their social environment. The project's scope reaches far beyond the walls of our schools and will contribute to a coordinated European step towards sustainability and renewable energies.
Could the lights go off across Europe? Cooperation to shape an all renewable vision for Europe by 2050." In the project we focussed on the transition of energy production from fossil fuels to renewable sources like solar, wind, water, wave and bio as well as geothermal power. Through direct encounters students learned about different ways of generating energy in different countries with special regards to sustainability. Their daily habits were questioned and they were provided with concrete strategies to change their behaviour and their attitude towards climate change. This was the main goal of our project. Pressing climate issues and catastrophic incidents in the field of energy production (for example Fukushima) functioned as the basis for learning intellectually and emotionally about alternative ways of generating energy and valuing these sustainable strategies. Working together with other European nations showed the need for working together but also the many problems of implementing these actions. Different levels of knowledge concerning energy production but also different opinions on for example nuclear power led to interesting discussions about an orchestrated energy policy within Europe. Numerous field trips, workshops, interviews, creative work sequences, experiments and discussions helped the students to gain a deeper understanding of the issues. Digital media (among them GIS programs) were used to create presentations and visual documentations. The partners used different social media tools (for example etwinning) to communicate their results Another important aspect of our project was understanding our common European heritage and our common responsibility. All project partners are located near a UNESCO geopark and thus understand the importance of sustainable actions. The geoparks’ experts and employees elaborated on their different national approaches towards sustainability and renewable energy. Especially regional companies (AWN Buchen, MVV Mannheim, Lindum Drammen, Senvion wind turbines factory Ria Blades) and research institutes (South West Energy Center, Paignton) helped to offer more insights. The results of our research endeavours were discussed within the different schools’ staff meetings, implemented in lessons and curricula and presented in exhibitions. Thanks to that the project’s results were shared with a larger audience and also presented within the media. The most important goal of the project however was turned young students into multiplicators for sustainability and renewable energy in their respective social strata and peer groups.