Four young scientists have won £1,500 for their school by coming up with an idea to help solve the world’s energy crisis.

The pupils, from St Clement Danes School in Chorleywood, beat hundreds of other schools to win the East of England section in an annual schools’ science competition called The Bright Ideas Challenge.

The year seven and nine pupils, who are are Khushnaz Italia, Saresh Italia, Alexander Brett and Nick Lake, came up with a "fresh-thinking" idea for thermo-electric plates on the surfaces of buildings. The plates create electricity from the heat difference between cold night air and the heat generated from the inside of the building, which is then used to power the building.

St Clements science teacher Mandy Quinton said the competition had taken the students’ enthusiasm for learning “to a new level.”

She said: “For some it’s been a real light bulb moment – the moment they make the connection between the skills they’re learning in the classroom and their application in the wider world.

“The whole school is really proud of the team’s achievement and we are having a school vote to decide what to spend the prize money on.”

The group are now in the running to be crowned national champions of the competition, being staged by global oil and gas company Shell, and could win a further £5,000 for their school.

The announcement will be made at the Make the Future Live event at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, on July 6, where the group will be special guests and will be treated to hands-on science shows and be shown the latest VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) experiences.

Marcus-Alexander Neil, Shell UK education manager, said: “The team from St Clement Danes School really impressed the judging panel with their fresh thinking.

“Our hope is that participating in The Bright Ideas Challenge will encourage many of our talented winners to put their skills to good use as the much needed scientists and engineers of tomorrow.”