PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION USING LOCALLY DESIGNED SOLAR CONCENTRATOR: ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES AMONG NIGERIAN SCIENCE STUDENTS

Emerging trends in education reforms have continued to call for quality education that will foster the ability of learners to meet the challenges of the 21st century and encourage their participation in sustainable development issues. The wealth drawn from quality education form the basis to finding solutions to issues of national economy beginning from needs of rural people. The current economic recession in Nigeria radically challenges the system of education to shift from factory model of education to a more proactive system of education through PBL. Twenty secondary school students from Anambra State, Nigeria participated in the study. The study was an experiment that involved the participants in designing a solar concentrator using locally available materials. The students used the designed solar concentrator to generate high temperatures at the focal region of the concentrator where the absorber was positioned. The incoming solar radiation was measured periodically for four days using pyranometer between 8.00 to 18.00 hours. The temperatures of the concentrator surface, the focal region (the absorber), the control, the ambient, the air within the aperture of the concentrator and outside the concentrator were monitored using mercury-in-glass thermometers. Results revealed that the rise in temperature of the absorber was much higher than that of the control, concentrator surface and ambient temperatures. The behavior of the system was similar for all the days, with the maximum temperatures obtained at the absorber between 12.30 hours and 14.30 hours (70 ºC to 96 ºC). The temperature of the collector varied between 43˚C and 45˚C while the ambient temperature varied slightly from about 30oC to 32oC. The results clearly showed that the designed solar concentrator was an effective solar cooker/solar furnace and could function better than most kerosene stoves which exude smoke and pollute the air. Collaborative working in groups also enhanced the acquisition of soft and generic skills.