Interactive Solar Energy Exhibition
Abstract
In 2011 (1), we introduced the acronym PURE: Public understanding of science PUS is a central concept among science communicators. Public understanding of renewable energy PURE is proposed as an important sub-concept of PUS. Four separate important questions for a PURE research project can be identified: (A) Is PURE important? (B) Which issues of PURE are the most important ones, according to renewable energy scientists? (C) What understanding of renewable energy has the general public today, worldwide? (D) How to achieve PURE? There are many channels that can be and are tried to achieve PURE: Newspapers, TV programs, books, interactive exhibits in science centres, lessons in the school. Different media attract different target groups. Loosely defined target groups frequently mentioned are young people (in the world of science centres often restricted to the "7-eleven group" of elementary school children), voting adults, and decision makers. Other interesting groups may include teenagers, refugees, religious fundamentalists, senior citizens, people living in villages as well as cities, just to name a few. We have over the years built a number of interactive solar energy exhibitions, presented among others at the ISES Solar World Congresses in Denver 1999 and in Göteborg 2003. In the present poster we will develop a modern interactive exhibition that could both be part of the newly established digital ISES Solar Energy Museum and a Science Center IRL in Strömstad or elsewhere. Useful experiments that can be included were published in 2016 (2). 1. L. Broman and T.C. Kandpal, 2012, PURE – Public Understanding of Renewable Energy, Proc. World Renewable Energy Congress WREC-2011 in Linköping, Sweden, 8-13 May 2011. 2. T.C. Kandpal and L. Broman, 2016, Activities on Renewable Energy for School-Going Children in H P Garg et al., Ed.s, Advances in Solar Energy, Vol. 3, New Delhi: Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers, ISBN 81-7019-550-7.