Solar MindSet teaches kids how solar power really works

In September, Ampere released the Solar MindSet, a solar power kit that encourages youth to understand the power of renewable energy in a fun and practical way, and now the kit is being sold at MIT.

The product is the first in Ampere’s social enterprise product line. The idea came from Jane M.E. Darling, director of social enterprise at Ampere who thought a solar powered lamp would be a good product.

Along with a solar panel the kit also comes with a light box that can act as a flashlight or a tool for tracing, fan, and inside the hardware are various components that youth can code. On average it takes 90 minutes to build, and then users can spend 12 hours exploring and completing activities.

“All these components come apart, so you can actually play with them and explore them independently. But as a system, what it allows you to do is do experimentation and explore energy production,” said Darling.

The kit is aimed for youth in Grade 5 and up and can be used individually or in a classroom setting. The educator kit comes with a guide on how the MindSet can be used to teach in line with the curriculum taught in schools in STEAM classes.

The kit charges in the sun, and even in lower lit areas, it will still charge just at a slower pace. After it’s charged, devices like cell phones can be plugged directly into the panel where it will charge.

“The idea is that you start getting used to charging and understand how long it takes to generate enough power to charge your cell phone on a regular basis,” said Darling.

With the MindSet, everything can be seen clearly giving users a better understanding of how the system actually functions. “It’s demystifying the process that you would see in a closed unit,” said Darling.

Darling had the opportunity to visit MIT and one of their museums that shows some of the early solar panel prototypes. The MindSet is now being sold at a gift shop in the museum, and it will also be used in their maker lab at the museum, which is similar to Ampere’s makerspace.

“These are resources specifically designed to support STEAM education, and we try and make them accessible with our grant funding to communities that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them or access them,” said Darling.

So far, more than 800 kits have been distributed to youth and educators in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Ontario, Labrador and Nunavut through funding by Canada Service Corps.

The Solar MindSet can be purchased at Tradewind Toys in Lindsay or online at store.amp.ca for $150. All proceeds go to directly back into Ampere’s programming mission of delivering STEAM education to rural, remote and Indigenous communities.