• Study Programme,

Low-tech innovation: students from Centrale Nantes and EESAB Rennes co-design tomorrow's wind turbine

Spearheaded by EESAB students Zoé Moreels and Jules Subrenat, the ‘2 l'électricité dans l'air’ workshop brought together some twenty talented young people for a week to work on an ambitious project: designing a low-tech, efficient and aesthetically pleasing wind turbine using recycled materials.

on December 3, 2024

A fruitful collaboration between engineers and designers

This interdisciplinary project brought together students from Centrale Nantes, the low-tech engineering - sustainable housing techniques project-based option, and design students from EESAB. Together, they explored and rethought the use of wind turbines, drawing inspiration from them to develop innovative low-tech solutions.
 

A range of objectives

As well as designing a working prototype, the workshop had a number of objectives:

  • Understand the challenges of low-tech: participants were able to learn more about the principles of low-tech, its importance in the current context and the challenges it presents.
  • Develop a multi-disciplinary approach: the collaboration between engineers and designers encouraged a global approach to design, integrating both technical and aesthetic aspects.
  • Promoting innovation: by pushing back the limits of the traditional wind turbine, the students demonstrated their ability to find creative and original solutions.
  • Encouraging teamwork: The team projects enabled students to develop their communication, collaboration and project management skills.

A varied and stimulating programme

The workshop featured a number of highlights:

  • Presentations by experts to provide a theoretical grounding in wind turbines and low-tech.
  • Design workshops to develop original and creative ideas.
  • Manufacturing phases to bring the prototypes to life.
  • A final presentation to showcase the work carried out.

A promising future for low-tech

This inter-university project is a fine illustration of the dynamics of innovation in the field of renewable energies. By combining creativity and ingenuity, the students have shown that it is possible to combine utility with respect for the environment. This type of initiative is likely to become more common as we respond to the challenges of the energy transition.

Published on December 10, 2024 Updated on December 10, 2024