PFI: Commercialization of Advanced Composites in Offshore Wind Energy

该创新伙伴关系项目是缅因州大学与缅因州海事学院之间的第三类(A：C)合作项目，缅因州大学是缅因州创新伙伴关系项目的毕业获得者(0125343)，缅因州海事学院是创新伙伴关系项目的新成员(定义为从未获得创新伙伴关系资助的机构)，在这种情况下，缅因州创新伙伴关系项目也是新机构？旨在通过采用创新模式来加速缅因州S深水海上风能资源的开发，该创新模式将借鉴不同来源的知识和技术。这项拟议的研究涉及开发关键知识、经实验验证的气动/水动力组合载荷的数值模型，以及一项使能技术--快速成形复合材料结构(RFC)。目前深水海上风力涡轮机的知识和技术都不存在，两者都对海上风能的发展至关重要。缅因州大学将RFC技术带入合作伙伴关系，该技术消除并将显著降低平台建设和部署成本。该项目解决了缅因州和美国面临的能源危机，需要新的战略和创新。与浮式平台开发商和复合材料制造商合作，海上浮式涡轮机平台将由缅因州大学先进结构和复合材料中心(根据其研究任务的演变而新更名)开发。因此，该项目为实现以与现有技术具有竞争力的成本提供风电装机容量的目标提供了机会。海上浮动风能平台技术有以下好处：1)减少对国外能源的依赖，(2)开发可再生、无碳能源，以及3)创造专注于海上风能的国内制造和服务工作岗位。项目开始时的合作伙伴是学术机构：缅因州大学(牵头机构)和缅因州海事学院；联邦实验室：国家可再生能源实验室；私营部门组织：Cianbro Corporation和缅因州复合材料联盟；以及国家组织：州长？S海洋能源工作组和缅因州技术学院(MTI)。

This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project--a Type III (A:C) partnership between the University of Maine (UMaine), an NSF PFI graduated grantee (0125343), and Maine Maritime Academy, an institution new to the PFI Program (defined as one that has never been a PFI grantee) and, in this case, new to NSF as well?seeks to enable the acceleration of the development of Maine?s deepwater offshore wind energy resource by employing an innovation model that will draw upon knowledge and technology from diverse sources. The proposed research addresses the development of key knowledge, experimentally-validated numerical models for combined aerolastic/hydrodynamic loadings; and an enabling technology, Rapid-Formed Composite Structures (RFCS). Neither the knowledge nor the technology currently exists for deepwater offshore wind turbines and both are critical to the development of offshore wind energy. The University of Maine brings to the partnership RFCS technology, which eliminates and will significantly reduce, platform construction and deployment costs..The project addresses the energy crisis facing Maine and the US which requires new strategies and innovations. Working with floating platform developers and composites manufacturers, platforms for offshore floating turbines will be developed by the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (newly renamed in response to the evolution of its research mission) at the University of Maine. Thus, this project presents an opportunity to progress toward the goal of delivering installed wind power capacity at a cost that is competitive with existing technology. Floating offshore wind platform technology offers the following benefits: 1) reduction of reliance on foreign energy sources, (2) development of a renewable, carbon-free energy, and 3) creation of domestic manufacturing and service jobs focused on offshore wind energy.Partners at the inception of the project are Academic Institutions: University of Maine (lead institution) and Maine Maritime Academy; Federal Laboratory: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Private Sector Organizations: Cianbro Corporation and Maine Composites Alliance; and State Organizations: Governor?s Ocean Energy Task Force and Maine Technology Institute (MTI).