MONTHLY NEWS
September 2002

Kids Make Solar-Powered Bicycles

This summer, fourth graders at Jozan Elementary School worked on a special project. They turned old, battered bicycles into bicycles driven by solar power - the power of the sun. 95 kids from three classes proved that even children can achieve something great if they work together.

Jozan Elementary School is located in Anjo City, in Aichi Prefecture in mid-western Japan. "In 2005 Aichi will host the World Exposition (EXPO 2005) on the theme of nature's wisdom. So children here have an extra interest in environmental issues," explains Yoko Inagaki, one of the fourth grade teachers.

"It all began when the kids were still in third grade, when the theme of their general studies class was 'pursuing your dreams,'" she says. At the time, many kids were pessimistic, and didn't believe dreams could come true, so the teachers set out to prove them wrong. Since then, various individuals have been invited to the school to speak to students about how they realized their dreams against all odds. One of them was Hirotaka Oyabu, a champion solar-car racer who happened to be the father of one of the students. When Mr. Oyabu visited the school in March, he brought a solar-powered bicycle with him.

In May the children visited a garbage processing plant. When they learned that people often abandon their old bicycles on the streets, they decided to do something about it. Luckily, Tatsuo Kamimoto, who runs a bicycle shop nearby, offered the kids three broken bicycles, one for each class.

So the children set to work, brushing off the rust and painting the old bicycles, one gold, one silver, and one light blue and silver. From there, Mr. Oyabu gave detailed instructions. First, the kids took the pedals off. Then they mounted a small motor on the frame and attached solar panels measuring 90 by 73 centimeters behind the seats. Finally they connected the solar panels and wheels to the motor.

"Mounting the solar panel was hard. It was heavy. It took six of us to do it together," says Sayaka Izumoto. In fact, the whole job was so difficult that it required close teamwork, and by the end kids who had not been friends with each other before became good buddies, laughs Ms. Inamoto.

July 16 was the day of the bike's test drive. Everyone took turns riding one of the shiny bicycles. The sunlight falling on the solar panels generates about 60 watts of electricity, which moves the bicycles at 8 kilometers per hour (5 miles per hour) without having to pedal. "It felt great to ride a solar bicycle that we made ourselves!" says Ryoko Tsuzuki. "I was very happy that we'd done something nobody else had. Now I'm interested in how other countries are dealing with environmental issues," says Kosuke Tabata. And it wasn't only the kids who had fun. That day, after the children had gone home, the teachers took turns test-riding the solar bicycles, too!

"It was very difficult to make them, but it felt good when we finally did it," says Miyuki Tojo. "What I'd like to do next is to work with everyone to make others' dreams come true." And the next dream of the fourth graders at Jozan Elementary School is to make solar bicycles that elderly people at a neighboring nursing home can ride.

Photos: (Top) Kids from Jozan Elementary with one of the bikes they made; (middle) Test-riding the solar bike; (bottom) Another rider gets a chance to test-ride the bike. (Jozan Elementary School)