PFI: Commercialization of Advanced Composites in Offshore Wind Energy

这个创新伙伴关系（PFI）项目-缅因大学（UMaine）， NSF PFI毕业受资助者（0125343）和缅因州海事学院之间的III型（a:C）合作伙伴关系，缅因海事学院是PFI计划的新机构（定义为从未成为PFI受资助者的机构），在这种情况下，也是NSF的新机构？寻求加速缅因州的发展？通过采用一种创新模式，利用来自不同来源的知识和技术，美国深水海上风能资源。拟议的研究解决了关键知识的发展，实验验证了气弹性/水动力组合载荷的数值模型；以及快速成形复合材料结构（RFCS）技术。目前，深水海上风力涡轮机的知识和技术都不存在，而这两者对海上风能的发展至关重要。缅因大学为合作伙伴带来了RFCS技术，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，这需要新的战略和创新。与浮动平台开发商和复合材料制造商合作，海上浮动涡轮机平台将由缅因州大学的先进结构和复合材料中心（为了响应其研究任务的发展而新更名）开发。因此，该项目为实现以与现有技术具有竞争力的成本交付风电装机容量的目标提供了一个机会。浮动海上风力平台技术有以下好处：1)减少对外国能源的依赖；2)开发可再生、无碳能源；3)创造国内制造业和服务业的就业机会，重点是海上风能。项目启动时的合作伙伴是学术机构：缅因大学（牵头机构）和缅因海事学院；联邦实验室：国家可再生能源实验室（NREL）；私营部门组织：Cianbro公司和缅因州复合材料联盟；州政府组织：州长？美国海洋能源特别工作组和缅因州技术研究所（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).