A team of pupils from Glenrothes High School in Fife will be representing Scotland at the Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) World Finals on 9th to 12th September in Anaheim, California. H2GP is a STEM initiative which challenges student teams to design, engineer, build and race their own hydrogen-powered radio control cars.
The largest hydrogen outreach and STEM competition in the world takes place at RE+ 24 in California. Students from four continents and 60 teams will make the journey to California to compete in an ‘endurance race’ which tests which student-built hydrogen-powered car completes the most laps in six hours. Glenrothes High School (overall Scotland winner) and Prince Henry’s Grammar School, Otley, Leeds (overall England winner) are representing the UK at the world finals in California.
Students from Glenrothes High School in Fife competed in June with other teams from across the UK in a four-hour endurance race around an indoor track. The two overall winning teams on the day, Glenrothes High School (overall Scotland winner) and Prince Henry’s Grammar School, Otley, Leeds (overall England winner), have been invited to represent the UK at the world finals in California.
Hydrogen Scotland member Fife College hosted the first UK final of the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP), an international STEM-based educational programme for high school students where they design, construct and race hydrogen-powered remote-controlled cars. The UK H2GP Finals took place at Fife College on 19th June and saw pupils from around the UK compete in the largest hydrogen competition in the world, showcasing their engineering prowess.
The UK finals featured ten teams, including six from Fife, two from the Isle of Wight, and two from the Midlands, all competing in a four-hour endurance race with prizes also awarded for design, innovation and teamwork. The race is the culmination of the programme which sees students develop creativity, ingenuity and real-world problem-solving skills needed to tackle tomorrow’s energy challenges.
Other participating schools from Fife included Levenmouth Academy, St. Andrew RC High School, Bell Baxter High School, Auchmuty High School and Waid Academy. Cameron McMillan, who was part of the winning team from Glenrothes High School, said: “I’ve always been interested in engineering but I’ve never really looked at the eco-friendly side of things. This has definitely got me interested in hydrogen engines and hydrogen cell technology.”
Jenni Doonan, Head of Projects at Fife College, said: “Fife College is committed to helping fill the STEM skills gap by encouraging young people to become interested in these subjects from an early age. We were therefore thrilled to host the first UK final of the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix which promotes sustainable energy solutions and provides students with invaluable skills in engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving. We are proud of all the team’s performances, they all showed great inventiveness and enthusiasm. Congratulations to all, especially the two overall winning teams who have been invited to compete in the world finals in California later this year.”
The H2GP World Finals take place at Anaheim Convention Centre, where the 20th RE+ renewable energy event takes place. This is the largest clean energy event in North America, focusing on the business of solar, energy storage, hydrogen, wind, microgrids, and electric vehicles. The event will be attended by exhibitors and delegates from US and across the world.
Competing in the H2GP World Finals will allow the Glenrothes High School team to mix with other H2GP teams from around the world. The opportunities and experiences this offers the team from Fife cannot be overestimated, along with recognition for the school, the Kingdom of Fife, and the level of hydrogen activity in Scotland which is leading the UK in many areas including outreach and public awareness.
Read more here: https://www.fife.ac.uk/news/fife-college-hosts-first-uk-final-of-horizon-hydrogen-grand-prix/
