Learn more about the 2017 Pennsylvania State University Collegiate Wind Competition team.
March 15, 2017
minute read time
Mitchell Proulx, Adam Proulx, Jason Cornelius, Milton Rahman, Patrick Nicodemus
TEAM NAME:
Penn State Collegiate Wind Competition Team
2017 UPDATE:
The Penn State team has been hard at work making improvements to their 2016 wind turbine entry while aiming to give new team members meaningful hand-on experiences with wind turbine technology to help lead future Penn State Wind Energy Club activities. They are making upgrades to their axial flux generator system design that they found success with in the 2016 competition. They have also been investigating a passive pitching system to replace the active system used in 2016 to both control and brake the turbine. The team has also been working on integrating a more sophisticated electronic control approach.
WHY WIND?
The Penn State team is participating to apply what they learn in class to a real-world project. They are eager to get to work hands on with new techniques, gain new knowledge in their respective fields, and experiment with burgeoning technologies such as 3-D printing and digital systems.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The team's primary goal is to provide off-grid, sustainable energy solutions through the use of wind energy. To achieve this goal, the team is designing and prototyping a small-scale wind turbine that can be easily deployed to provide power in very specific off-grid scenarios. In addition, the students aim to gain real-world experience through this project that will help them launch careers in the wind industry.