“Building my wind farm was awesome!” and “I loved Hydrogen Grand Prix!” were the words of two Year 6 pupils from Normany Primary School on the latest Redcar and Cleveland College funded Energy Academy workshops.

During this action-packed session, all the Year 6 pupils demonstrated how to work effectively in teams to plan a wind farm, calculate their cable costs and build a working model. They also learned all about renewable energy and the important role renewable energy plays in Teesside. They even had time to look at the developments happening right on their doorsteps and future job opportunities in our local area.

Even with the interruption of a practice fire drill halfway through the morning, this didn’t stop these keen young scientists from setting up their hydrogen-powered cars. Using the process of water electrolysis, separating hydrogen from water, and then recombining these elements, they were ready for the Hydrogen Grand Prix! After the final countdown, they flipped the switch and a sea of amazed little faces flooded the dining hall as their cars lit up and drove around using the hydrogen from the water as fuel.

Resilience, concentration and enthusiasm levels were off the scale and Normanby Year 6 pupils and staff left talking excitedly about the interactive science session!