Michigan Energy Fair makes going green fun

Eight-year-old Ryleigh Crawford had plenty to do at the Western Michigan Fairgrounds on Friday.

She built a miniature wind turbine out of PVC pipe, then rode on a bike that powered a row of lightbulbs using a 12-volt generator before entering the fairgrounds building to check out other exhibits.

She walked back out with a toy yellow fan powered by something much more sophisticated than the AA-batteries that are standard in most childhood toys.

The fan was powered by a miniature solar panel on the bottom. Ryleigh held it up to the sun, watching as the blades whirred in the sunlight.

“It’s just really cool because when the sun hits it it works by itself, but when you cover (the solar panel) up, it stops,” she said.

Ryleigh, who will be going into the fourth grade at Foster Elementary, went to the energy fair with her grandpa, Dave Crawford. They went to the fair after going on a tour of the Lake Winds Energy Park.

The first exhibit they visited at the fair was the Great Lakes Energy Service’s renewable energy mobile classroom.

Chris Dunkel, director of the Great Lakes Energy Service, was on site to tell visitors about the various types of green and efficient energy, which are on display within the solar and wind-powered trailer.

The energy generated by two solar panels and a wind turbine on the trailer’s roof is stored in batteries in the trailer’s floor. It is then put through two inverters that convert the direct current stored in the batteries into alternating current that powers the lights and television screens in the trailer.

Dunkel said one of the keys to using efficient energy is to use and conserve it properly. To buy solar panels or wind turbines to use for power is a waste, she said, if a house isn’t properly insulated or uses inefficient appliances and light bulbs.

The Michigan Energy Fair continues at the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 per day, but the fair is free for members of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, as well as for children 12 and under.

Source:http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news/66080-michigan-energy-fair-makes-going-green-fun