About The Project
The Department of Energy Wind Program is committed to developing a portfolio of innovative technologies for clean, domestic power generation to support an ever-growing industry. Wind resources for electric power generation help the nation secure renewable energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as well as other air pollutants. Increased use of the abundant wind resources will help support the clean energy economy and reduce environmental impacts of power generation.
As a response to the increased interest in renewable wind energy, the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) teamed up to create the Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC). This competition gives undergraduates the opportunity to design, build, and test a wind turbine against a set of requirements and compete against teams from other universities. The first CWC was held in 2014 and competitions are held each year. Northern Arizona University (NAU) has competed in the competition each year since, and has been invited to compete in the 2017 CWC..
Completion of this project will give the NAU CWC Team experience designing a small scale wind turbine and adhering to competition constraints.