Students learn about energy at Solar Races

MOSES LAKE - It's a matter of getting the angle right.

Ulises Aguirre, a fifth grader at Lakeview Terrace Elementary, explained that success in solar car racing depended on properly installing the battery. The battery has to be at just the right angle to catch the maximum energy provided by the sun, Ulises said.

It was a bright sunny day for the Solar Races, which was crucial. Adrian Guaderrama, who's also in the fifth grade at Lakeview, explained it. The solar battery collects the energy from the sun, which converts it into electricity to run the engine. Without the sun the car doesn't run.

The sun was out but alas, sometimes there were other obstacles to a good race. Sometimes the cars got hung up on their way down the track. Sometimes the connection was lost between the battery and the engine. For those cases there was a pit crew all ready to help kids get their cars back on the track.

The Solar Races are an annual event sponsored by the Grant County PUD and held for the last two years at Big Bend Community College. The idea is to teach kids all about energy, especially renewable energy, according to PUD officials.

Kids learned about wind power by making their own pinwheels and getting a close-up look at a wind turbine model. Presenters cooked hot dogs and s'mores using the rays of the sun (and a convex mirror). They learned about hydro power.

And they raced cars. Each kid at participating schools got a car kit, and they had a couple of weeks to play with it and get it in racing condition.

The first, second and third place winner from each class received a medal, according to PUD officials.