Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Imagine a world powered entirely by wind

20 minutes

Find Out: Understanding ethical and sustainable practices in the wind energy sector

25 minutes

Take Action: Create career posters

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions and success criteria

Students will:

investigate roles in the wind energy sector
understand the different stakeholders involved in a wind energy project
understand what being ethical and sustainable means in the context of the wind energy sector.

Students can:

identify the diversity of occupations involved in the wind energy sector
describe what people working in the wind energy sector do and who they work with
explain how ethical and sustainability factors are considered in the development, construction, and maintenance of wind energy projects so that they benefit both people and the planet.

Curriculum Connections

In this lesson, students investigate how ethical and sustainability factors are considered in the development, construction, and maintenance of wind energy projects so that they benefit both people and the planet. This Year 7 unit also includes a Science lesson, The Science and Ethics of Renewable Energy, which explores the ethical, environmental, social, and economic implications of renewable energy projects within a scientific context. Cool.org recommends that Science and Design and Technologies teachers collaborate to deliver these content materials across their respective subjects so students can understand the content from multiple STEM perspectives.

Tune In: Imagine a world powered entirely by wind

Step 1

Divide the class into groups of 4 and provide each group with a sheet of blank paper. Ask students to close their eyes and imagine a world powered entirely by wind energy. After pausing for a few seconds, invite students in their groups to begin drawing what this world looks like as a team.

You might like to draw out this quiet, reflective moment with extra prompts to encourage students’ imagination before they start drawing or as they undertake the task together:

How do we get wind energy?
What would society need to make a world powered entirely by wind energy a reality?
What would society need to build it? Where would things need to be built?
How would the electricity get where it needs to go?
How would people and communities be affected?
How would the environment be impacted?
What innovative designs or technologies could be used?
How might communities, states and countries work together to make this happen?
How would our day-to-day look different?

Encourage groups to use their imagination and think big. Give students as much time as they need.

Step 2

Once students have completed their drawings, invite 1 student from each group to bring their group's design to the front of the classroom. As a class, discuss everyone's depictions. What were common themes amongst everyone's ideas? What were interesting differences or additions?

Step 3

After discussing what a world powered by wind energy would look like, ask your students to consider what types of jobs and careers would make this society possible.

Invite students in their groups to brainstorm all the different types of jobs they can think of that would be necessary to build these wind farms. Students can list the jobs or even annotate their drawings, showing what type of people might need to work in each area they have drawn.

To prompt students, you might like to share the following infographic from the Future Energy Jobs Guide using the attached Visual Explainer. It shows the different stages of jobs and careers in clean energy projects.

Source: Future Energy Jobs Guide, Queensland Government

Step 4

Quickly go through each group's list, leading students to understand that there are many different types of jobs and people who are responsible for creating large-scale renewable energy projects like this.

Find Out: Understanding ethical and sustainable practices in the wind energy sector

Step 1

Watch the following video with your students, which shows the Wambo Wind Farm in Queensland.

Wambo Wind Farm | Working with our community - Powerlink Queensland (https://youtu.be/zG2YbOtNVWw?si=ZQYauGxx7AqucilA)

As students watch the video, ask them to write down all the different occupations they see.

Step 2

Discuss the different occupations shown in the clip. Did students know that all these people are involved in a wind energy project? Were there stakeholders students hadn’t thought of before?

Literacy opportunity: If students are unaware of the term ‘stakeholders’, explain that a stakeholder is an individual, group or organisation involved in a particular project or impacted by its process or outcome.

Step 3

Share with students the brief descriptions below of the occupations mentioned in the video about Wambo Wind Farm.

Project Manager	Oversees and coordinates the entire wind farm project to ensure it runs smoothly and on time.
Landholder Relations Advisor	Negotiates land use agreements and maintains positive relationships with landowners.
Landholder/Farmer	Leases land for wind turbines and integrates wind energy with farming operations.
Site Delivery Manager	Manages site preparation and construction to ensure safety and timely completion.
Environmental Advisor	Assesses environmental impacts and develops plans to minimise negative effects.
Project Director	Provides strategic leadership and oversees all aspects of the wind energy project.

You might like to extend this discussion by brainstorming with your students about what people might do in these occupations and what skills might be needed. Use the overview of occupations in the wind energy sector in Queensland below to guide your discussion:

Project Manager	What they do: Plan and manage the whole wind farm project, ensuring everything goes smoothly and on time. Skills needed: Good at leading teams, staying organised and planning projects.
Landholder Relations Adviser	What they do: Talk to landowners, negotiate land use agreements and solve any emerging problems. Skills needed: Great at talking to people, negotiating and understanding land laws.
Landholder/Farmer	What they do: Lease their land for wind turbines and work with the energy company to fit the turbines into their farming. Skills needed: Knowledge of farming, working well with others and caring about the environment.
Site Delivery Manager	What they do: Prepare the site for wind turbines, manage construction teams and ensure safety rules are followed. Skills needed: Good at organising, have experience in construction and know safety rules.
Environmental Advisor	What they do: Check how the wind farm affects the environment and plan to reduce negative impacts. Skills needed: Understanding of environmental science, good at analysing data and following environmental laws.
Project Director	What they do: Lead the entire project, make big decisions and ensure everything is on track financially. Skills needed: Strong leadership, strategic planning and knowledge of renewable energy.

Highlight how students’ skills could apply to this context by identifying parallels between their strengths and skills, and the occupations they observed. You could ask students to put their hand up if they’re good at staying organised, leading a team, or are interested in the environment. You could also point out positive traits in your students that suit certain roles. For example, ‘Isabel, you have demonstrated fantastic project management skills by taking note of due dates and writing them on the board for everyone. This is part of a project manager's skill set.’

Step 4

Watch the following video with the class. It highlights Tracy McLeod, the Cultural Heritage Manager at Wambo Wind Farm, who, with her team, recovers and preserves Indigenous artefacts on the construction grounds.

Energising Queensland - Stanwell & Cubico Sustainable Investments | Tracy - Clean Energy Council (https://youtu.be/k9vLL-PXn9Q?si=ec_s4Lfp9JHWnmra)

After watching the video ask your students:

What does Tracy do and what are the skills needed?
Why is Tracy’s job so important?

Step 5

Explain to your students that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have sustainably cared for Country for thousands of years and many First Nations groups have what is called Native Title rights for their Country and lands. Native Title recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as being Australia’s first people and that their rights and interests in the land and waters continue to exist despite settlement. This means they have the rights over their traditional land. In states like Queensland, Native Title exists across at least a third of the state (Source: Queensland Government). There is a lot of potential for renewable energy development in these areas, however, it is important that Country is protected and First Nations Communities are consulted, included and benefit from any development that occurs on their land.

Organisations like the First Nations Clean Energy Network and Good Energy Minds work to ensure First Nations communities are represented in all of these developments and that any outcomes are mutually designed and result in benefit for their communities. Specific career roles such as Indigenous engagement advisors and community engagement officers also work to ensure these outcomes. Consider sharing the Energy Sharing: Clean Energy on Country case study on page 33 of the Clean Energy Australia 2024 report to highlight this concept.

You might like to explore the First Nations Clean Energy Network and Good Energy Minds websites with your students to show them a little about what these organisations do and how they contribute to developing sustainable, ethical projects.

Ask your students:

After considering all of these specific organisations, people and roles involved in creating big projects like this (as shown in the previous video), why is it important for all of these people to work together?

Step 6

Explain to your students that all of these people must work together to ensure that designers, engineers, manufacturers, workers, governments and companies are making the best decisions for all of the stakeholders in a project. This includes the workers, the local community, the local environment, the global environment, etc. This ensures that the services designed, constructed, and provided are ethical and sustainable.

Elicit from students what their understanding of ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ is. Share with your students the following descriptions of ethical and sustainable factors to develop and extend their understanding:

An ethical factor in this context refers to a consideration or principle that helps ensure decisions are made in a way that is fair, responsible and beneficial to all involved. This includes considering how a decision affects people, communities and the environment. Ethical factors help guide us to make choices that are good for business and society, and the planet.
A sustainability factor in this context refers to a consideration or principle that helps ensure decisions are made in a way that supports long-term environmental, social and economic health. This means making choices that do not deplete resources or harm the planet, ensuring that future generations can have their needs met too. The 3 pillars of sustainability, and some examples for each, are:

Environmental sustainability:

using renewable energy sources like wind or solar power
reducing waste and increasing recycling efforts
conserving water and other natural resources

Economic sustainability:

creating jobs that provide fair wages and job security
supporting local businesses and economies
investing in technologies that promote long-term growth

Social sustainability:

ensuring access to education and healthcare
promoting equality and reducing poverty
ensuring diversity and inclusion is at the heart of developing workforces
encouraging community involvement and social cohesion

Step 7

In the same groups as before, allocate each group to a stage of a wind farm project listed in the table on their Student Worksheet. Give students a couple of minutes to note down as many ethical and sustainability considerations as they can for people working in these stages. Ensure they think about the people developing the wind farms, as well as the people who may be impacted.

Stage of project	Ethical considerations	Sustainability considerations
Planning of a wind farm • sourcing location financing • gaining approvals • consulting local community
Design of a wind farm • designing the farm • thinking about size, materials, layout • site considerations
Construction • sourcing or creating the materials needed • building the turbines and connecting them as a power source site factors ie topography, local environment, etc • construction working conditions managing environmental impact
Operations and maintenance • project runs smoothly for the long term • communication with stakeholders

Suggested responses:

Ethical considerations

Respecting communities: Wind energy companies must respect local communities, especially when farms will be built on peoples’ lands, including First Nations Communities and anyone who lives near wind farms. This means listening to their concerns, ensuring the wind farms don't negatively impact their lives and ensuring the positive benefits are shared.
Fair treatment of workers: Workers in the wind industry should be treated fairly and safely. This includes good working conditions, fair pay and no discrimination. This also includes ensuring there is a diverse workforce and equal opportunity for all people. Learn more here.
Honesty: Companies should be honest about the benefits and potential downsides of wind energy, and provide clear and accurate information to the public.
Local environment: Protecting natural habitats, reducing pollution and managing resources responsibly.

Sustainable considerations

Renewable energy: Wind is a renewable resource, meaning it won't run out. Using wind to generate electricity helps reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which are limited and pollute the environment.
Protecting wildlife: When building wind farms, it's important to choose locations that won't harm wildlife, like birds and bats. Engineers work to design turbines that are safe for animals.
Reducing pollution: Wind energy produces no air or water pollution. This helps keep our environment clean and reduces the impact of climate change.

Extension opportunity: One of the most important factors in the transition to renewable energy is ensuring a diverse workforce. Invite students to explore the importance of this and write a newspaper article, informing people of the importance of ensuring all people, including women, First Nations peoples and people living with a disability, are provided with the opportunity to be a part of this workforce. Students may like to start their research here: Powering talent: Essential Energy harnesses the potential of a diverse workforce.

Take Action: Create career posters

Step 1

Organise students into 7 equal groups. Allocate a wind energy sector to each group (listed below and on their Student Worksheets). Ask students to choose an occupation from the sector they have been allocated.

Advise students that they will present 1 of the jobs of interest as an A4 poster for the classroom and will share their findings with another group in the class.

Point out that the list of jobs below relates directly to the wind energy sector.

Students will need to research their chosen role. As a starting point, they can learn more about various roles here: https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/energising-australia

Sector	Roles
Electrical trades	Power Plant Electrician, Commissioning Electrician
Construction roles	Scaffolder, Rigger, Steel Fixer, Concreter, Machinery Operator, Mechanical and Fabrication Trades
Technicians	Instrumentation Technician, Telecommunications Technician, Wind Turbine Technician, Wind Blade Technician, Civil Engineering Draftsperson, Laboratory Technical Officer
Engineers	Grid Connection Engineer, Renewable Energy Engineer, Structural Engineer, Construction, Project Manager, Mechanical Design Engineer, Composite Engineer, SCADA Engineer, Automation Engineer
Science and technology professionals	Site Analysis Surveyor, Construction Site Surveyor, Environmental Research Scientist, Conservation Officer, Environmental Consultant, Meteorologist, Geologist
Corporate roles	Community Engagement, Digital Marketing, Human Resources, Workplace Health and Safety, Finance and Contracts, Governance
Education, training and development	Industry Trainers and Educators, Specialist Adult and Vocational Educators, Tertiary Education Roles

Step 2

Instruct the class to include the following information in their poster. Write these points on the whiteboard or project on a screen.

occupation
job location: office, site or both
job-related phase: development, construction, operations or management
studies required for this occupation
who this job might appeal to
description of how the job works in the wind energy industry
explanation of how this job ensures wind energy is good for both people and the planet

Make sure students include this information on their A4 poster. Suggest that they put the occupation as the heading. Depending on their access to resources, students can incorporate images or draw them.

Extension opportunity:

Supporting gender equity in the clean energy sector is a key focus of government and industry. The Queensland Government has joined the Australian Government in signing up to the Equal by 30 campaign to promote equal pay, leadership and opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030. The Equal by 30 campaign and its underlying principles support the participation of women in Queensland’s energy sector now and into the future. Encourage students to find out more about Queensland’s Equal by 30 Commitments here and think about how the job they are researching could benefit from a campaign such as this.

Step 3

If students don’t finish their posters in the allotted time, they could finish them for homework and present them in the next class.

Reflection

As a class, discuss students’ job research findings to reinforce their understanding of ethical and sustainable factors. Ask:

How might the jobs researched work together when designing, building and maintaining wind energy projects?
How do these jobs support fair treatment of local communities in wind energy projects?
In what ways does the job you researched contribute to making wind energy more environmentally friendly and reducing its impact on wildlife and natural resources?

Ethics and Sustainability in Wind Energy Careers

Go to

Summary

Lesson guides and printables

In this lesson