Renewable energies experience: powerado-plus

The powerado-plus research project followed on from the powerado project. This project recognised various deficits in the communication of renewable energies for different target groups. The Federal Ministry for the Environment therefore extended powerado for a further three years from April 2009. With additional modules, children, teachers, multipliers, tradespeople and companies were to be specifically addressed in order to familiarise the younger generation with the topic of renewable energies. The powerado-plus project was to demonstrate in pilot modules how these deficits can be remedied. These modules are: Online Game EE (11), Website Kids (12), Solar Cooling (13), Lecture Tour EE (14), EE Crafts (15), EE eLearning (16) and EE Industries (17).

PUBLICATION: Scharp, Michael (2012): powerado-plus - Promotion of education, training & further education for renewable energies. Workshop Report No. 119. Berlin: IZT - Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment.

This built on the success of the research project "Erlebniswelt Erneuerbare Energie: powerado". More than 16,000 people (teachers, multipliers, children, the general public) benefited from the pilot modules worked on there by taking part in presentations and activities (excluding the online game). This included around 7,000 children, 2,000 multipliers and 1,400 teachers. The computer game was played by more than 9,000 players with 80,000 hits. The powerado research project therefore achieved its main objective of improving environmental communication about renewable energies in many cases.

However, a large number of events, campaigns and expert discussions revealed that there were needs among the stakeholders that were not covered by the modules at the time, which is why it made sense to supplement and further develop some of the materials. There were different target groups such as children, teachers, multipliers, tradespeople and companies. The following modules were worked on in detail (consecutive numbering for powerado):

Ø Module online game EE (11): Conception of another online game with a different game principle
Ø Website Kids module (12): Processing of the powerado materials for better communication of renewable energies and support for the BMU in the development of media suitable for children
Ø Solar cooling module (13): Development of a curriculum for further training in the field of "solar cooling"
Ø Lecture tour EE module (14): Realisation of 50 pilot lectures for prospective primary school teachers in the fields of energy and renewable energies
Ø Module for renewable energy trades (15): Support for the BMU in the integration of renewable energies in the training and further education of tradespeople
Ø Module EE-eLearning (16): Development of eLearning modules for energy and renewable energies for primary schools
Ø Module RE sectors (17): Study on the need for further training in the renewable energy sectors
Ø powerado-plus management module (18): project coordination, public relations and website for powerado-plus