Kensa recently took part in a live stream event with Exeter Science Centre, giving A-level students at Callywith College and Truro & Penwith College a virtual tour of our manufacturing facility to learn more about the ground source heat pumps we make.
Exeter Science Centre’s (ESC’s) ongoing project, ‘ESC Live’ provides out-of-the-classroom events virtually connecting young people with engineers via a live, interactive documentary-style experience.
Students were given a tour of Kensa Heat Pump’s manufacturing facility by Managing Director, Paul Eveleigh, and shown how ground source heat pumps are made and how they work. The business is scaling up to meet the increasing demand for heat pump technology, with the factory recently breaking production records by doubling its output in the past 18 months.
A teacher from Callywith College commented:
Great session, very informative, thank you.
Paul Eveleigh said:
Low carbon heating technologies like ground source heat pumps are the future of heating in the UK and have a vital role to play in tackling climate change. We were delighted to take part in the ESC Live event and have a chance to showcase our technology to local students, many of whom would not have seen inside a manufacturing facility like ours.
Achieving our net zero targets is a challenging journey that is going to take the combined efforts of people all over the country. We hope that inspiring young engineers to want to pursue a career in renewable energy, we can ensure a brighter future for all.
Dr. Natalie Whitehead, Founder & Director of Exeter Science Centre, said:
Our aim is to enable students to virtually ‘meet’ inspiring engineers and experience interesting ‘fossil-fuel-free’ energy generation locations around the South West that demonstrate the huge variety of engineering applications and careers.
Ground source heat pumps are an exciting technology, with some really clever engineering involved – and most people, particularly young people, don’t understand how they work. Our colleague Prof Adam Feldman from the University of Exeter recommended that we visit Kensa’s factory, and it was a fantastic experience. Thanks very much Kensa for helping us make such an inspiring event!
The full-length event livestream and the teaching resources will be provided on the ESC website: https://exetersciencecentre.org/resources/learning/esc-live-resources/. (https://exetersciencecentre.org/resources/esc-live-resources/)
The project is funded by the Engineering Education Grant Scheme, which is run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The grant aims to engage young people aged 4-19 in learning about engineering and to develop the professional skills of those involved in supporting Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning and careers awareness.
Meet some of the Kensa staff who took part
Supporting the event with their engineering knowledge and also taking part in a live Careers Q&A with the students were the following Kensa employees:
Dr Ben Thorpe, Senior R&D Engineer
Ben’s education centred around the aerospace industry and his passion for fluid mechanics and heat transfer lead him to pursue a PhD in these disciplines. During his time at Kensa, Ben has become involved in a variety of projects aiding the development of future heat pumps and their control systems, working his way up to Senior R&D Engineer.
Ollie Sanders: Senior Test Engineer
Having joined Kensa working on final testing on the production line and progressed to an R&D Test Engineer, Ollie now leads the test department and is tasked with growing a skilled team. His work includes building and testing new prototypes, accredited testing of products, supporting product development and running the laboratory, supporting with health and safety and calibration processes.
Darren Veal: Technical Support & Commissioning Manager
Prior to joining Kensa in 2014, Darren was a heating engineer for over 30 years. Providing valuable technical support with his extensive knowledge to both the sales team and our installers, Darren is responsible for heat pump commissioning, MCS compliance and installer training.
Watch the latest ESC Live video featuring the fantastic Kensa Heat Pumps (https://www.facebook.com/kensaheatpumps?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZUp0Lqw3zWgejM8C7EpCl3i6ZP9k8JrH4vGMOE92b592gVt61c-F4c_s1kaUATisXSfNIvNdMqAGMRkGdjERJprx86YtQmg4XaOmcV45cQdWdnGEZD4k6bbciJPAC3Q1LFKTd0nO9wBS1aNRPdLBDrV&__tn__=-%5dK-R) factory in Cornwall! See how ground source heat pumps are being engineered here in the South West & learn more about how they work.
