A $500,000 research program is to be carried out at the University of Delaware that could lead to the testing of offshore wind turbines off the Delaware Coast.

The university is to work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on the five-year program.

Federal and state agencies will also be involved as the partners work to identify and establish offshore test sites.

As part of the program, the university and the National Laboratory intend to test wind turbines in onshore sites to determine how they stand up to the area’s harsh marine conditions.

This will include monitoring how turbines cope with salt water and mist, wind gusts and weather events like northeasters.

Training

The partners said any test turbines would also serve as “valuable classrooms” to train future wind energy engineers and scientists.

Walt Musial, senior project lead at the NREL’s National Wind Technology Center, said: “By combining the University’s educational expertise with NREL’s wind technology expertise, we can train future wind energy professionals to provide a skilled workforce for the offshore wind industry.”

The University’s Lewes campus is already home to a 2-megawatt Gamesa wind turbine (see this BrighterEnergy.org story), and the offshore wind program will complement the research afforded by the turbine.
Jobs

In the long run, it aims to help provide information to improve the performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness of offshore wind power, as part of the effort to create testing facilities offshore.

Hopes are that this will translate into increased offshore wind deployment and an increase in US manufacturing jobs.

Nancy Targett, dean of the univeristy’s College of Easth, Ocean and Enviroment, said: “We are excited to partner with NREL on technology that will be part of tomorrow’s economy.”