Wind Energy Center

04/20/2024

The mechanical engineering department is sending a student team to France to compete in an international floating wind turbine competition in July. They are receiving funds to fabricate the WTG, but their travel and accommodations are not covered.

The project is dedicated to UMass Amherst College of Engineering & Wind Energy Center alumni, Bryce Aquino. Please consider donating to Project BryceFloat, so the team can compete in France!

Thank you so much!

Help UMass Amherst Foundation raise $10,000 for the project: Floating Wind Challenge. Your gift will make a difference!

11/21/2023

Join a Panel Discussion next Monday at UMass Amherst:
Why We Are Waiting?

Monday, November 27
11-12:30 pm ET ​| UMass Amherst Campus center 168C

Sponsored by the Energy Transition Institute and ELEVATE program, four energy industry and government experts will discuss the major roadblocks to implementing green energy technology and the systemic changes that might reduce those roadblocks while supporting equity and environmental protection. They will dig into challenges with transmission, siting, NIMBYism and more.

Speakers:

Michael Judge, Massachusetts Undersecretary of Energy

Sarah Adams, State Policy Advisor with ISO New England

Eric Wilkinson, Government Affairs Lead at Ørsted

Kristina Karlsson, Senior Program Manager, Climate and Economic Transformation from the Roosevelt Institute in NYC

10/17/2023

Join the Wind Energy Fellows Program this Thursday, in partnership with the ELEVATE program, for the first Energy Fellows Seminar for Fall 2023:

Technology Trends in Renewable Energy (IN PERSON ONLY)
presented by Bryce B. Aquino, Principal Engineer - Renewable Energy at Axis Capital

Time: Thursday, Oct 19, Noon ET

Registration and more info:
https://www.umass.edu/windenergy/wind-energy-fellows-fall-2023-seminar-bryce-b-aquino

Location: *In Person Only*
Gunness Engineering Student Center, Marcus Hall Building, UMass Amherst

Speaker info: Bryce Aquino | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryce-aquino-78392935/

Abstract
For the last decade the focus of the renewable energy industry has been the reduction of cost to compete with other forms of energy. This focus has led to dramatic decreases in cost, but the last two years the industry has seen a rise in costs due to global inflation, increasingly severe weather patterns and weakness in global supply chains. With this in the mind the industry is starting to focus on new technologies to drive project feasibility & profitability, while still mitigating asset risk. For the US to expand its renewable energy capacity, it is essential to integrate innovative concepts, as well as implementing global practices for new and existing projects. This seminar will discuss the trends that the US renewable energy industry is seeing, such as high voltage DC transmission (HVDC), wind turbine RePower-ing, and the integration & risk mitigation of battery energy storage systems (BESS) to existing projects.

The Wind Energy Fellows Program, in partnership with the ELEVATE program, announces it's first Wind Energy Fellows Seminar for Fall 2023: Technology Trends in Renewable Energy presented by Bryce B. Aquino, Principal Engineer - Renewable Energy at Axis Capital BAquino.png Time: Oct 19, Noon ET Locati...

10/11/2023

Last week, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York and Holland Home of Wind Energy invited UMass Amherst and other institutions to participate in Boston for the American Clean Power Association (ACP) Conference round-table discussion, “Offshore Wind and Ecological Impact.” It is great to be a part of the NL-US knowledge partners, including Yorick Broekema of Deltares, sharing insights and best practices to identify goals for collaborative research to create clean energy together.

Special thanks to Carter Craft for connecting us with NL partners, and to Katie Kahl, PhD of UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station for participating in the discussion at the event. Katie is Extension faculty with the Department of Environmental Conservation at the College of Natural Resources School of Earth and Sustainability, based full time at the GMS. Her work focuses on bridging university capacity with sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience needs on the North Shore of Boston and beyond.

More about Katie’s work: https://eco.umass.edu/people/faculty/kahl-katherine/

More about the event: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nlinny_offshore-wind-impact-activity-7114706124855017472-_uG9

10/04/2023

Meet our Fall 2023 Wind Energy Graduate Students!

Maciej Mroczek has been working in the offshore wind industry for ten years. During this time, he contributed as a foundation design manager to the successful ex*****on of four design-build projects at DEME Offshore. These projects have a combined capacity of almost 1.5GW and are providing clean energy in Belgium and Germany. He has also been collaborating with Professor Sanjay Arwade and Professor Matt Lackner on recent research projects.

09/28/2023

Meet our Fall 2023 Wind Energy Graduate Students!

Marlou Dinkla is a visiting wind energy masters degree student. Marlou will be continuing her thesis journey at UMass through the spring. She is a passionate wind energy student and a dedicated seeker of sustainable solutions. She comes from the European Wind Energy Master's program, studying at TU Delft, NTNU, and DTU.

09/27/2023

Meet our Fall 2023 Wind Energy Graduate Students!

Ryan Cameron graduated with a B.S and M.S in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder, where he developed a knack for fluid mechanics. Growing up in the Denver metro area, he was interacting with NREL outreach programs from an early age and became interested in applying this passion for fluid dynamics to wind energy research. Ryan looks forward to the opportunity to follow his love for interdisciplinary work to help usher in renewable energy.

08/24/2023

A message from our UMass affiliate partner, ELEVATE:

The World University Network (WUN) and UMass ELEVATE are delighted to present the Equitable Energy Transition in Caribbean Islands Workshop (EECIW), to be held in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, October 27-29, 2023.
Link to EECIW website: www.energytransitionumass.org/eeciw-2023

We cordially invite professionals, faculty, postdocs, and students across all relevant disciplines to submit abstracts by September 1st, 2023. Presenters can choose between a flash talk and/or poster presentation.

This workshop aims to develop a dynamic network of academics and professionals and encourage lasting collaborations in addressing the challenges of energy equity and the energy transition in the Caribbean region.

The Workshop will be grounded on the thematic areas:

1. Energy resilience in the face of climate change
2. Applicability of renewable energy technologies under extreme weather events
3. Strategies to leverage local capabilities in the energy transition
The event will be held in person at the University of the Virgin Islands. Registration is free, but airfare and lodging are not covered.

EECIW will be collocated with the 2nd annual Energy Fair, creating opportunities to learn from and share our research with community members and energy practitioners in the Virgin Islands.

Here is a link to last year’s successful event:
https://cgtc-usvi.org/blog/uvi-caribbean-green-technology-center-and-vi-energy-office-hosts-energy-and-sustainability-fair-on-both-st-thomas-and-st-croix-during-energy-awareness-month

Join this collaborative effort that aims to connect communities and create foundations for future partnerships. Come experience the energy future and local culture of Saint Thomas!

For any questions, please email Dr. Zoe Getman-Pickering ([email protected])

EECIW 2023 Equitable Energy Transition in Caribbean Islands Workshop October 27-29, 2023"Our long-term goal is to develop a global, interdisciplinary network of researchers, 'The Energy Transition in a Changing Climate Network', with training opportunities grounded by the needs of climate-vulnerable...

07/06/2023

Last week, UMass Amherst College of Engineering Dean Sanjay Raman shared the news that the UMass Amherst Board of Trustees has appointed Professor Matthew Lackner of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) Department to the Endowed Chair in Renewable Energy. View announcement: https://www.umass.edu/windenergy/lackner-appointed-endowed-chair-renewable-energy

The Endowed Chair in Renewable Energy was established in 2014 with $2.5 million in funding from the state’s Department of Energy Resources, with the goal of supporting preeminent scholars in the field to provide leadership in positioning both the university and the Commonwealth to take advantage of opportunities in emerging areas of renewable energy. The previous holder of this chair was Krish Thiagarajan Sharman, Professor of MIE, who held it from 2018 to 2022 and will continue on as Emeritus Chair in Renewable Energy.

06/20/2023

Here's a taste of our 10+ Hour self-paced, pre-recorded Intro to Wind Turbine Rotor Aerodynamics workshop with UMass Amherst Professor Matthew Lackner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LCeTqoJ4hY

Learn more & Register for this 10+ Hour Workshop: http://bit.ly/umass-aero

Who should take this workshop:
It is designed for scientists and engineers with an interest in wind energy, wind turbine technology, and aerodynamics. Those seeking professional continuing education credits (CEUs) towards license renewal, career growth, and practical knowledge will benefit.

In this workshop, you will...
- Understand the basic fluid dynamic model of a wind turbine rotor​
- Understand 2D airfoil behavior
- Specify blade element momentum theory equations
- Design a wind turbine rotor using BEM equations and analyze the rotor performance

View all UMass Amherst Wind Energy Center Workshops: https://www.umass.edu/windenergy/workshops

UMass Amherst Introduction to Wind Turbine Rotor AerodynamicsLearn more & Register for this 10+ Hour Workshop: http://bit.ly/umass-aeroThis workshop -- prese...

06/08/2023

Here's a taste of our self-paced, no expiration, pre-recorded wind energy workshops which offer career growth with 1 optional CEU towards engineering licensure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6RasQbzHqU&list=PL_UF2Gez0MTCAT4X6dKDHTA8RyCyUDp6s

Online Wind Energy Workshop: Modeling Wind Turbines with OpenFAST Code

Learn more & Register for this 8+ Hour Workshop:
http://bit.ly/umass-openfast

This workshop provides an in-depth knowledge of the OpenFAST tool for simulating the coupled dynamic response of wind turbines.

Who should take this workshop:
It is designed for anyone, particularly scientists and engineers with an interest in modeling wind turbines with the most well-known open source turbine modeling software, OpenFAST, developed through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Those seeking professional continuing education credits (CEUs) towards license renewal, career growth, and practical knowledge will benefit.

In this workshop, you will...
- Learn how the OpenFAST framework is organized
- Understand how to manipulate the individual modules in OpenFAST (and FASTv8) to suit your simulation needs (including ElastoDyn, SubDyn, HydroDyn, MoorDyn, MAP++, InflowWind, TurbSim and AeroDyn)
- Learn how to debug and postprocess simulation results to get the most out of the software

View all UMass Amherst Wind Energy Center Workshops:
https://www.umass.edu/windenergy/workshops

Online Wind Energy Workshop: Modeling Wind Turbines with OpenFAST CodeLearn more & Register for this 8+ Hour Workshop: http://bit.ly/umass-openfastThis works...

06/06/2023

Make sure to take advantage of this free one-day offshore wind supply training, presented by the Business Network for Offshore Wind and Vineyard Wind. Offshore Wind Ready is open to Massachusetts-based businesses owned by underrepresented groups, including women, veterans, minorities, tribes, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals. This training will provide an overview of the expanding offshore wind industry and offer insight into how participating businesses can enter the supply chain. Offshore Wind Ready will be held on June 20 at the University of Massachusetts – Springfield. Details:
https://OSWReadyVineyardSpringfield.eventbrite.com

Attend a one-day offshore wind training designed for diverse Massachusetts businesses and organizations.