Media report on award to design concrete floating offshore wind turbine

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

September 24, 2019 Advanced Materials for Infrastructure and Energy, Research, Signature and Emerging Areas, UMaine in the News

Mainebiz and Offshore WIND announced the U.S. Department of Energy had awarded the University of Maine $1.4 million to design a concrete floating offshore wind turbine. The grant — one of 13 made nationwide totaling $26 million — is part of the federal agency’s Aerodynamic Turbines, Lighter and Afloat, with Nautical Technologies and Integrated Servo-control (ATLANTIS) program. The goal is to develop new technologies for floating offshore wind turbines in three development areas — new designs, computer tools and experiments. UMaine will design an ultra-lightweight, corrosion-resistant, concrete floating offshore wind turbine equipped with motion mitigation technology originally developed by NASA to reduce vibrations in rockets. Harnessing just 3% of the Gulf of Maine offshore wind resource is enough to heat every home in Maine and convert every car to electricity, according to Mainebiz. “With this funding, we plan to further stabilize our floating wind turbine hull technology in extreme storms by integrating NASA rocket vibration suppression technology into the design,” Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Composites Center, told Offshore WIND. Recharge also reported on the award. Windfair posted the UMaine release.