2014 Volume 93 Issue 12 Pages 1257-1266
The present article describes the implementation and effect of school activities that help children get close to photovoltaic (PV) systems in their elementary school, named the “PV-familiarizing activity.” This activity is composed of the following two actions. First, children observe and touch PV panels at their school. Next, for a certain period, they in turn clean PV panels and record the amount of electricity generated by the PV system at their school. The PV-familiarizing activity was implemented in three elementary schools in Yokohama city, Japan. To examine the effect of the PV-familiarizing activity on the school children, questionnaire and interview surveys were conducted to measure changes in emotional affinity to PV system of their school, environmental concern, electricity-saving behavior and so on. The survey results reveal that the PV-familiarizing activity can assist the school children in feeling attachment to the PV system of their school and seeing it as a symbol of their school. In addition, the school children may more strongly feel the importance of electricity, and increase environmental concern and electricity-saving behavior after the PV-familiarizing activity. It is conjectured that the PV-familiarizing activity helps the school children consider global issues of energy and environment as their own problems.
