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JULY 07 - BACKING THE RACE FOR GREEN POWER!

An active role in helping the future generation appreciate the benefits of sustainable solutions is being adopted by Passivent Ltd.

The company, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of domestic and commercial energy efficient natural ventilation systems, is sponsoring the 2007 ‘Formula 24’ Greenpower car built by pupils at St Pauls Catholic College in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, as part of the students’ students’ extra-curriculur enrichment programme open to students in Years 7-11. Under the Greenpower scheme, pupils at secondary schools design, build and race their own car, using as a power source just one standard 24volt electric wheelchair motor and two 12volt car batteries, then compete the car in a series of four-hour endurance races culminating in a national final held at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit. The scheme can involve work in various subjects including Design & Technology, media (sponsorship and marketing of the car), textiles (team clothing), ICT (data logging, car electronics and monitoring of lap times) and Food Technology (feeding the crew!).

For St Pauls, Passivent has provided additional assistance for the students by helping manufacture the car body panels using its advanced ABS material and colouring technology used in its own range of Airstract and Airscoop ventilation roof terminals, and helping engineer the aluminium box section frame chassis, applying in-house expertise from fabrication of louvres for the terminals.

Neil Rideout, Passivent Technical Director, elaborates, “The use of non-fossil fuels in the Greenpower scheme provides obvious synergy with Passivent’s harnessing of natural air movement as a power source for its ventilation systems; our experience in engineering with metals and plastics can also add value to the educational experience. Additionally, we believe in encouraging understanding of sustainable solutions, and where better than in the engineers, architects and builders of tomorrow- today’s schoolchildren?”

Passivent is part of the Building Product Design. A founder member of the NatVent EC-EU-funded project co-ordinated by the Building Research establishment to develop practical natural ventilation solutions for the commercial sector, it has also contributed to the BISRIA Guide BG2/2005 Wind Driven Natural Ventilation Systems, as well as being a member of the DfES steering committee on natural ventilation guidance for schools, Building Bulletin 101. In addition to its natural and assisted ventilation systems, it supplies a comprehensive range of background trickle ventilators, through wall ventilators, and ‘whole house’ natural ventilation solutions, with or without acoustic options, all of which contribute towards efficient ventilation of the building- domestic or commercial- with little or no energy consumption.

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