Be sure to check out the inaugural DOE Collegiate Wind Competition at WINDPOWER 2014

Guest blog by the Wind Energy Foundation's Emily Jorgensen

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a challenge to undergraduate students from around the country to test their wind power skills in a competition designed to help the nation's future scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs continue to advance the wind industry.

The DOE Collegiate Wind Competition 2014 will kick off next Monday, May 5 at AWEA’S WINDPOWER 2014 Conference and Exhibition at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

The competition will run May 5-7 in Shorelines A hall and features ten teams of interdisciplinary undergraduate students from universities across the country. The teams have been challenged to design and construct a lightweight, transportable wind turbine that can be used to power small electronic devices. Visitors at the event in Las Vegas will get to see the teams test their wind turbine prototypes in a wind tunnel and deliver presentations demonstrating their knowledge of key market drivers and deployment acceleration opportunities.

To follow the event online, use the hashtag #windcompetition on Twitter to learn the latest about the event throughout WINDPOWER.

The schedule looks like this:

• The competition welcomes teams and guests on the evening of Monday, May 5 with a reception that includes speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy, GE Energy, and the Wind Energy Foundation.
• The turbine performance testing in the wind tunnels will run on Tuesday, May 6.
• The teams will make their business plan pitches and presentations on Wednesday, May 7. The competition will close out with an awards ceremony on Wednesday evening featuring keynote speaker Susan Reilly, incoming chair of AWEA.

See the full detailed schedule here.

Visitors and WINDPOWER 2014 attendees will also have the opportunity to test their building skills at the Wind Lab sponsored by Vestas! The Wind Lab will challenge visitors to build a renewable energy village using Legos, KidWind kits, and other STEM materials. 

The 10 Student Teams:

• Boise State University
• California Maritime Academy
• Colorado School of Mines
• James Madison University (Virginia)
• Kansas State University
• Northern Arizona University
• Pennsylvania State University
• University of Alaska Fairbanks
• University of Kansas
• University of Massachusetts Lowell

Sponsors of the DOE Collegiate Wind Competition

DOE Collegiate Wind Competition – www.wind.energy.gov/windcompetition

Wind Energy Foundation – www.windenergyfoundation.org

WINDPOWER® Exhibition and Conference 2014 – www.windpowerexpo.org