By: Jennifer Britt
The Parsons Advocate
Students from the TVEMS Innovation Project Robotics Team, led by Christine Ward, presented the Tucker County Commission with their First LEGO League projects. Oliver Archuleta, Lela Wright, Shilah Jones, Lylee Jones, and Logan Kopec gave an informative presentation on renewable energy. Archuleta said, “We are one of the first LEGO League’s representing Tucker Valley. Each year our robotic teams are consistently creating innovation projects. Each team in the league identifies a problem related to the theme of the challenges for the year and comes up with possible solutions for that problem. Then the team presents their projects to a group of judges at the end of the meet.”
This year’s theme is “Superpower”. It relates to energy production, conservation, and clean energy. The administrators of the First LEGO meet wanted the students to imagine a better energy future. Their answer was to research different alternative forms of clean energy, advocate clean energy conservation, and spread awareness for the importance of clean energy. This year for their innovation project they hope to advocate some of the main ways citizens as individuals can conserve and use renewable energy. They have created flyers to spread awareness and put them up around the county.
Hydropower was introduced by the students, and they said, “One way to use renewable energy within your home is hydropower. Hydropower uses moving water to flow through a pipe or penstock (A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems.) to push against or turn blades in a turbine to produce electricity. We researched different ways to install hydroelectric into residential homes and found multiple things people can place in their homes to utilize hydropower. Such as a hydroelectric closet that produces electricity by the water used to wash your hands and a hydroelectric turbine generator that you can place in nearby creeks, streams, or rivers to create hydroelectric power.”
The students explained how just using hydropower for half a year could save an estimated $500. They explained that even the cheaper $200 wind turbine could produce 600 watts of energy which would average around $4.17 a year where it would normally average around $1,000 a year.
The general goal for the team presenting to the Commission was to inform and spread their message for their cause. They will continue to place flyers around the county to inform people on how to conserve energy and spread a positive message. Commissioner Mike Rosenau said, “I think you guys did a wonderful job getting your message out. We have boards throughout the courthouse and the annex, and you are welcome to put your flyers on them. I appreciate you guys coming and making us aware. I did not even know about the robotics. I did not even know the class was at the school.
I thank you for coming forward and educating the County Commission with what is going on with the school systems. So, thank you and never hesitate to come to a Commission meeting. We are here to represent everybody. Please come anytime and I mean that. Please make yourself active in your community and working together is what it is all about.”
