Aberdeen Science Centre is seeking ideas on how to reuse decommissioned oil platforms from school pupils as part of a new competition.
The Platforms of Tomorrow Challenge challenges children from the North-east of Scotland and Norway to find new and sustainable purposes for old offshore assets and a chance to win £1,000.
Working alone or in groups, the pupils are invited to build models from LEGO, or similar building materials, showcasing their ideas, and can submit these for the competition using drawings or videos.
They can choose to redesign an entire platform for a new use, or just a single aspect of it, with the only requirement being that the platforms be self-sufficient in their energy use.
Senior vice-president for upstream at Equinor UK Arne Gurtner said: “This is a really exciting pilot project which Aberdeen Science Centre has embarked upon with Vitenfabriken in Norway, and we are proud to be able to play our part in the collaborative efforts between the two centres.
“Encouraging and challenging young people to invent ways to reuse decommissioned oil platforms is a creative way to engage young minds into thinking sustainably about the energy industry and its future.
“As we journey to net zero, nurturing young people’s interest in STEM subjects – alongside exposure to new technology and innovation – will be crucial as we develop solutions to decarbonise the economy.”
Over 500 P5-P7 and S1-S3 pupils from schools in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, as well as Rogoland, Norway, will take part in the initiative.
The pupils will then go on to present their designs to a panel of judges in the hopes of winning the grand prize of £1,000 for a green initiative in their school or local area.
The challenge is held as part of Aberdeen Science Centre’s North Sea Collaboration Project with Norway’s Vitenfabrikken (The Science Factory).
Last month, Aberdeen Science Centre called for volunteers to create a two-day engineering skills academy where young people were challenged to solve problems using fairy tales.
And non-profit organisation OffshoreWind4Kids recently created a series of floating offshore wind turbine models made of Lego to inspire the next generation of renewable energy engineers.
Schools engagement co-ordinator at Aberdeen Science Centre Fiona Dobie said: “Creativity will be such an important part of how we meet net zero targets and coming up with solutions for how we can recycle retired oil platforms for a new, environmentally friendly purpose will hopefully get pupils thinking about how they can contribute to the energy transition in the future.
“Young people will truly be the driving force behind our decarbonisation efforts, and we want to play our part in inspiring that initial spark of curiosity towards both energy and sustainability.”
The competition will be open for entries until Friday, 11 October, with the judges’ presentations taking place at Aberdeen Science Centre and Vitenfabrikken during early November.
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