Team Name:
WiscWind
University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
Why this Competition?
The U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition provides an opportunity to engage in a hands-on, real-world application of wind energy outside of the classroom. Participating in this competition allows team members from various fields of knowledge to work together, solve problems, and learn more about renewable energy. The competition is also a practical way to network within the renewable energy industry.
Game Plan
WiscWind is focused on completing the competition tasks while also educating K-12 students about wind energy through presentations and virtual interactive activities. Our goals are to both learn more and educate others about wind energy to encourage our community to embrace renewable energy and environmental sustainability.
WiscWind
The team has four subteams: mechanical, electrical, project development/siting, and outreach; each focuses on the various competition components.
The mechanical team will design, fabricate, and test different turbine blades, nacelles, towers, generators, yaw and pitch controls, breaking mechanisms, and rotor design.
The electrical team will design and incorporate the systems that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, including the load, energy storage, safety and control systems, and generator.
The project development team researched the western South Dakota counties to narrow down four potential sites, focusing on considerations such as access to transmission lines and roads, wind resource, site availability, prevalence of endangered species, zoning laws, and topography. In the spring semester, the team will choose the site, create a final site design using Continuum 2.0, and conduct a thorough financial analysis.
The outreach team will contact sponsors, organize outreach events, and handle communications. The team partnered with the Wisconsin Energy Institute to hold a virtual, interactive wind energy session that included a turbine siting activity and featured a wind industry guest speaker.
Team Strengths
Several WiscWind members participated in past Collegiate Wind Competitions. This is not only an asset to the team in the form of in-depth knowledge about the competition and resources available, but it also allows new members to receive reliable guidance from their teammates.
WiscWind has also been able to connect with alumni and industry experts throughout the multiple years of participation in the competition.
Team Hurdles
The greatest challenge has been the shift to an online format due to the coronavirus pandemic, along with the regularly changing rules regarding our team’s access to buildings. It has been challenging to manage the competition tasks among students who have varying schedules during such an unpredictable time.
Competition Objectives
WiscWind aims to meet the competition objectives by improving on the various contest elements we develop through an iterative process of design-build-test-learn. This ensures a more refined version of our final products and presentations and strengthens the problem-solving skills that our members will utilize in their future careers.
Follow Us
Facebook: @wiscWind | @UWMadison
Instagram: @wisc.wind | @uwmadison
LinkedIn: University of Wisconsin – Madison
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UWMadison
This content was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by the team.