North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce partners with The Community College of Rhode Island to provide the first Rhode Island High School KidWind Challenge- Wind Turbine Competition in the State

North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce partners with The Community College of Rhode Island to provide the first Rhode Island High School KidWind Challenge- Wind Turbine Competition in the State

North Kingstown, RI- The North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce’s WindWinRI program, through their Real Jobs RI grant, has partnered with the Community College of Rhode Island to provide a KidWind Challenge Wind Turbine Competition on March 21st from 9 am to 3 pm at the Warwick Knight Campus. The competition is one of twenty-two in the U.S. The competition is also funded through a federal grant.

“This is a terrific program that teaches kids about wind energy and showcases their talent and ingenuity. I am pleased to see the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce teaming up with its partners to offer this opportunity to local students,” said Senator Reed.

The following high schools are participating- North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Exeter West Greenwich, West Warwick, Warwick, and Cranston totaling 60 students in teams of 2-4 people. Senator Jack Reed will be attending and interacting with the students during the turbine testing and Lt. Governor McKee will provide opening remarks.

The KidWind Challenge is the ultimate wind energy learning experience where middle and high school students design, build, and test small wind turbines. The students who participate will discover the promise and limitations of renewable energy technology; design, build, and test functional creative renewable energy structures; and compete with their peers in a supportive environment.

After the mentoring and testing, the judges will award two winners for two categories for first place and second place and a third place (serves as an alternate). The winners of first and second place will be eligible to compete in the National KidWind Challenge June 2-4 in Denver, Colorado where top performing teams from across the nation compete alongside each other.

“We are excited and proud to support this engaging, hands-on opportunity for young people to learn more about the wind industry,” said Scott Jensen, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. “By preparing the next generation of the wind energy workforce, WindWinRI is setting the stage for the wind industry’s future success in our state.”

TPI Composites, The Lightship Group, GE Renewables, CCRI faculty and URI Energy Fellows will be serving as judges and mentors during the competition. The students will be testing their turbines on CCRI’s 24-foot wind tunnel and KidWind’s wind tunnel.