Fenceviewer, the community news and information website for Hancock County, Maine, recently published the article titled “Developers hoping for big impact from first offshore wind energy turbine in U.S.” The article is about VolturnUS, the turbine developed by the University of Maine-led DeepCwind Consortium, and how investors hope it will positively affect how electricity is produced.
Archive for the ‘Engineering’ Category
Fenceviewer Article Focuses on Offshore Wind Turbine Impact
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013Sheaff Talks to Press Herald About Project to Help Drivers Avoid Hitting Moose
Monday, June 17th, 2013The Portland Press Herald reported researchers and students in the University of Maine Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are developing computerized street lights designed to help drivers avoid hitting moose on rural roads that don’t have street lights. Andrew Sheaff, a UMaine lecturer who is overseeing the project, told the Press Herald the solar-powered lights will only turn on when a vehicle is present.
Media Cover Connection of Turbine to Grid
Friday, June 14th, 2013Renewable Energy News, North American Windpower, MPBN, Bangor Daily News, WLBZ (Channel 2) and WVII (Channel 7) were among several news organizations to cover an event in Castine on Thursday recognizing the connection of the VolturnUS offshore wind turbine to the electric grid. The turbine, created under the direction of the University of Maine-led DeepCwind consortium, is the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in North America.
Connected
Thursday, June 13th, 2013VolturnUS 1:8, a 65-foot-tall offshore wind turbine prototype, will be connected to the Central Maine Power Company on June 13, making it the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in North America.
The turbine is 1:8th the scale of a 6-megawatt (MW), 423-foot rotor diameter design. It is sited off the coast of Castine, Maine.
“Today will constitute a historic moment for offshore wind in the Americas,” says Habib Dagher, director of the Advanced Structure and Composites Center at the University of Maine and leader of the DeepCwind Consortium. Dagher was joined at the event by Peter Vigue, president and CEO of Cianbro Corp.; Jake Ward, UMaine vice president for innovation and economic development; and William Brennan, president of Maine Maritime Academy.
The VolturnUS technology is the culmination of more than five years of collaborative research and development conducted by the University of Maine-led DeepCwind Consortium. The DeepCwind research program is a unique public-private partnership funded by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation-Partners for Innovation, Maine Technology Institute, the state of Maine, the University of Maine and more than 30 industry partners.
Jose Zayas, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Power Technologies Office who was in Brewer, Maine for the turbine’s May 31 launch, says the Castine offshore wind project represents “a critical investment ensure America leads in this fast-growing industry, to bring tremendous untapped energy resources to market and create new jobs across the country.”
Data acquired during the 2013 deployments off Castine will be used to optimize the design of UMaine’s patent-pending VolturnUS system. The program goal is to reduce the cost of offshore wind to compete with other forms of electricity generation without subsidies.
The UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center has partnered with industry leaders to invest in a 12-MW, $96-million pilot farm. The deployments this summer will de-risk UMaine’s VolturnUS technology in preparation for connecting the first full-scale unit to the grid in 2016.
Maine has 156 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity within 50 miles of its shores and a plan to deploy 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The 5 GW plan could potentially attract $20 billion of private investment to the state, creating thousands of jobs.
Contact: Elizabeth Viselli, 207.581.2831
Media Report on Turbine Being Connected to Grid
Thursday, June 13th, 2013The Portland Press Herald, WLBZ (Channel 2) and WABI (Channel 5) were among several news organizations to carry an Associated Press report on the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center connecting its offshore wind turbine to the electric grid in Castine on Thursday. VolturnUS is the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in North America. Renewable Energy News also carried a report.
StateImpact Reports on UMaine Wind Project, Wonders if Texas is Next
Tuesday, June 11th, 2013StateImpact Texas, a reporting project of NPR member stations, recently published the article “As offshore wind turbine launches in Maine, is Texas next?” The article states researchers in Texas are racing to catch up to offshore wind advances made by the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center.
Caccese’s Work with Wintrhop Company Mentioned in Mainebiz Article
Monday, June 10th, 2013Vincent Caccese, mechanical engineering professor at the University of Maine, has been working with James Ferguson, founder of Alba-Technic in Winthrop, to create a helmet aimed at preventing traumatic brain injury, according to a Mainebiz article. The company’s helmet has been tested in UMaine’s Advanced Biomechanics Laboratory for Injury Reduction and Rehabilitation.
Legislature Passes Energy Bill Despite LePage’s Call for Support of UMaine Project, MPBN Reports
Monday, June 10th, 2013The Maine Public Broadcasting Network reported the Maine Legislature passed a comprehensive energy bill despite Gov. Paul LePage’s veto. LePage says he wants the University of Maine, rather than the Norwegian company Statoil, to have a chance to secure support from electric ratepayers for its offshore wind energy pilot project before he supports the bill.
U.S. Department of Energy Recognizes UMaine Offshore Wind Turbine
Friday, June 7th, 2013The U.S. Department of Energy recently issued a press release recognizing the nation’s first grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Castine. The turbine was created by the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and its partners.
Senate Passes Energy Bill Despite LePage’s Call for Support of UMaine Project, BDN Reports
Friday, June 7th, 2013The Bangor Daily News reported the Maine Senate passed a comprehensive energy bill despite Gov. Paul LePage’s veto. LePage says he wants the University of Maine, rather than the Norwegian company Statoil, to have a chance to secure support from electric ratepayers for its offshore wind energy pilot project before he supports the bill.
