Phase II IUCRC at University of Massachusetts Lowell: Center for Wind Energy Science, Technology and Research (WindSTAR)

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The objective of this project is to establish a multi-university, Phase II I-UCRC for wind energy research, education, and outreach. The effort is based on the successful operation during Phase I that was led by two university sites (UMass Lowell and the University of Texas at Dallas). Together these two universities have conducted wind energy research, established long-term partnerships within the wind industry, trained undergraduate and graduate students to perform state-of-the-art industry relevant research, and engaged in outreach to K-12 students. The Center will contribute to the nation’s research infrastructure and enhance the intellectual capacity of the renewable energy workforce. A diverse group of scientists, engineers, and practitioners will execute a program of research and education focused on the design, operation, and maintenance of land-based and offshore wind energy systems for electricity production. The Center will be aimed at: (a) enhancing national excellence in wind energy research and development that has direct relevance to industry, and (b) developing a cadre of diverse undergraduate and graduate students with world-class training who will support and eventually lead in the analysis, design, manufacture, and successful operation of wind energy systems.The proposed Phase II I-UCRC will integrate engineering with fundamental research to support the development of low-cost energy and high availability wind energy systems. The partners will engage in cooperative research and education in the following key thrust areas: (a) Composites Blade and Rotor Design & Manufacturing, (b) Structural Health Monitoring and Non-Destructive Inspection, (c) Wind Plant Modeling and Measurements, (d) Control Systems Wind Turbines and Wind Plants, (e) Energy Storage and Grid Integration, (f) Foundation and Towers, and (g) Environmental Impacts. Examples of industrially relevant research led by the UML site are expected to result in: (1) a better understanding of how wind turbine blade acoustic transmission loss is affected by structural damage and environmental operating conditions; (2) identification of the correlation between composites resin degree of cure at the microscale and blade stiffness/strength at the macroscale; and (3) the improvement of soil-foundation models to better understand how wind turbine motion is directly correlated to degradation of foundations. Other topics will serve as the basis for conducting fundamental research including: offshore wind energy systems, electrical grid integration, energy storage, manufacturing of larger blades/towers, advancements in material technologies, understanding how wind turbines impact wildlife, and improving coupled turbine-turbine performance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.