Photovoltaics OnLine Project

Introduction to the partners

The Schools and Homes Energy Education Project in partnership with the Solar Trust For Education and Research and Schools OnLine Science facilitated a number of secondary schools in the UK (initially in Sheffield and London ) to work within the Energy & Environment and Energy & Development sections of the international Energy Net project.

Since 1993, in South Yorkshire, Schools & Homes Energy Education Project has been devising and conducting a pilot scheme on ways in which school communities can make informed decisions for sustainable energy use. The project is piloting renewable energy technology within National Curriculum guidelines and through a Healthful Living, Energy Savings and Community Enterprise Initiative.

Schools OnLine Science is based at the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University. The project is part of the DTI funded Schools OnLine project, piloting the use of the Internet in UK schools.

The Solar Trust's past projects have included the development and dissemination of curriculum modules and fact sheets on renewable energy for use in schools. It has acted as an effective meeting point between technical experts and practising teachers to develop educational material on renewable energy.

Background to Energy Net project

Every school year since 1993 the Laboratorio Dell'Immaninario Scientifico (LIS) has undertaken educational telematics projects on specific interdisciplinary subjects suitable for joint research work and discussion. Last year's project was DrugNet, on drugs and drug abuse. Thanks to this three-year experience the LIS has developed a model for collaborative education which can be repeated and exported on the Internet, involving a greater number of schools. For the 1996 European Week (LIS) is planning an educational telematic project on energy - a very broad subject indeed.

The project is divided into several themes

• Energy & Matter
• Energy & Work,
• Energy & Life
• Energy & Environment
• Energy & Development
• Energy & Knowledge

which will appear on the screen in the form of individual folders containing the material collected by different groups of schools students. English will be the official language.