Team Name:

WiscWind

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

Why this Competition?

WiscWind team members are excited about the prospects of renewable energy contributing to a more sustainable future. The U.S. Department of Energy’s 2020 Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC) provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about wind energy while developing valuable problem-solving skills. The competition could also lead to careers in the renewable energy industry.

Project Description

The WiscWind team will research, design, and build a prototype wind turbine for deployment in the high wind environment of Eastern Colorado.

In addition to fulfilling the competition tasks, the team strives to educate K-12 students and community members about wind energy through volunteering and presenting at outreach events such as the KidWind Challenge and the Engineering EXPO.

Game Plan

Learning from past experiences, WiscWind will test early, allowing ample time to resolve problems, anticipate issues that may occur during the competition, and identify potential solutions.

The mechanical team will design, fabricate, and test different turbine blades, rotor hubs, drivetrains, braking mechanisms, yaw and pitch controls, and mounting structures. In addition, the team designed and tested a dynamometer that is coupled with a generator to control the drivetrain at various speeds. The team intends to use this dynamometer to test the electrical system when the university’s wind tunnel is not available for use, a problem WiscWind encountered during the 2019 CWC. The team hopes this will afford them more opportunities to test successive iterations of the electrical system, leading to a more complete, functional end product.

The electrical team will design and implement all systems involved in converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, as well as ensure the safe operation of the turbine at high wind speeds. The largest project the electrical team has undertaken is rebuilding the generator used in the 2019 competition, which had significant performance issues.

The project development team has narrowed down potential sites based on attributes such as wind speed and variability, proximity to infrastructure, and number of land parcels. Data for site selection were gathered from several sources and plotted on a map using an online geographical information system.

Finally, this spring, the team’s CWC project will be integrated into a civil engineering capstone course where a final site design and financial analysis will be developed.

Team Strengths

WiscWind has several years of experience participating in the Collegiate Wind Competition and, because of this, has retained knowledge of resources and experts who can help the team in all aspects of the competition. Several team members have also returned from last year, helping to share lessons learned from prior competitions.

Team Hurdles

One of the biggest challenges is managing the competition tasks and meeting times among busy and varied student schedules, especially for team members who are not working on competition tasks as part of a formal course.

Competition Objectives

The team aims to not just succeed in the competition, but to also prepare themselves and their communities to embrace renewable energy and engage in conversations about environmental sustainability.

Follow Us

Facebook: @wiscwind

Instagram: @wiscwind

This content was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by the team.