CNIC: U.S.-Denmark Project Development in Wind Energy Systems Research and Engineering Education

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This catalytic project development visit led by principal investigator, Kevin Todd Lowe, will initiate new collaboration between researchers at the Center for Renewable Energy and Aerodynamic Testing (CREATe) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and counterparts in the Department of Wind Energy at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Scientists at both institutions have well-established expertise and share common interests in basic and applied research on wind energy systems. Their ongoing activities and existing facilities are fully complementary for addressing component scale wind energy testing (Virginia Tech) with full scale wind turbine research (DTU). A balanced, mutually beneficial match of strengths would position this U.S.-Danish team to make significant future contributions in renewable energy. For broader impact, four U.S. graduate students will participate in the Virginia Tech planning visit to gain valuable early career experience through exposure to the full-scale testing capabilities at DTU. To fully realize plans for follow-on cooperation and proposal preparation, the U.S. and Danish researchers and students will anchor their visit, during September 26-October 4, 2015, with a core planning meeting at the DTU Risø campus where the Department of Wind Energy facilities are located. The primary goal is to jointly outline the next steps for addressing critical needs for research, including education as well as technological development, for wind energy advancement in areas such as noise reduction on wind tunnel blades. These U.S. and Danish partners have significant and complementary capabilities in wind energy engineering research and education. The DTU team offers world class facilities such as full-scale wind turbine testing up to the 10 megawatt scale and an extensive catalog of courses geared specifically toward the details of wind energy science and technology. Virginia Tech hosts a leading U.S. academic facility for research on wind turbine blade aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, the Stability Wind Tunnel, while offering courses on several fundamental topics in aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, computational fluid dynamics and instrumentation. The partners envision extensive opportunities for research cooperation and collaboration using the unique strengths of both sides. Initial success is expected to produce the data required for validating planned hybrid resolved/modeled turbulence simulations from wind tunnel developments to turbine-scale and farm-scale. Furthermore, integrated graduate student research visits in both directions are to be organized to provide the broad perspective needed by the next generation of scientists and engineers who must tackle important problems in renewable energy. For broader impact, the partners envision incorporating a course exchange and possibly research semesters abroad to more fully build the intended long-term U.S.-Danish collaboration in research and education.