Energy Workshop goes to Loulé to teach how to build solar-powered cars.

It can be with the help of the sun or even using a projector, but it is already known that in march there will be a practical session to teach students from the Padre Coelho Cabanita School Group in Loulé how to build solar-powered cars. The initiative, promoted by the Oficina da Energias (Energy Workshop), follows many others that have taken students from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa) to various schools across the country to develop the device while working as a team to assemble a vehicle distinguished by its use of renewable energy.

“All the cars are assembled with recyclable materials and have four solar panels on top. These sessions also help raise awareness among the population about a type of energy that is part of the future,” explains Mário Farinha, a student of Energy and Environment Engineering and vice-president of the Energy Workshop student group.

The students from the Energy Workshop already know that the visit to the school in Loulé should take place in march, although they admit that the final date is not yet set and will have to be decided in the near future. The availability of the Energy Workshop shares a common point with the solar cars themselves: "We will continue with these training actions as far as possible," replies Mário Vilas, president of the Energy Workshop. "This time the training is aimed at children in the first and second cycles of primary education, but we have also held similar sessions with young people and adults," adds the leader of the Energy Workshop.

The workshops focused on solar cars can produce results as diverse as simple cardboard models with wheels and solar panels, or models with designs reminiscent of the Hollywood character Lightning McQueen. Mário Vilas and Mário Farinhas point out that Oficina das Energias also holds workshops on topics such as Arduino processors, soldering techniques, or 3D printing – but it's usually the construction of palm-sized solar cars that are most popular, "because it's accessible and appeals to all ages."

Roughly speaking, in 2 and a half years, the group of students from Ciências ULisboa has already carried out "more than 30 training sessions," ranging from Marinha Grande to Cova da Moura in Amadora, or from the Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Lisbon to the Bela Vista neighborhood in Setúbal.

"Generally, we are very well received because the activity we propose is dynamic and practical, and includes only a few minutes of theory. From the youngest to the oldest – everyone is interested in these sessions because they involve engineering concepts and imply the creativity that is part of engineering," concludes Mário Vilas.