Our Sub-Teams
The Collegiate Wind Competition is divided into three main areas: Turbine Design, Project Development, and Connection Creation. HSWET members are assigned to different sub-teams within these areas, each responsible for a different aspect of the yearly project.
Turbine Design Sub-teams
Structure
The structures subteam is responsible for designing the tower, base, nacelle, yaw system, and (new this year!) offshore foundation. This year, a large focus will be on the foundation structure and anchorage since the team must design an offshore, fixed-bottom wind turbine. Structures components support the other subsystems. They must be stable but lightweight.
Aerodynamics
The aerodynamics subteam is responsible for designing the blades of the wind turbine. The blades are an important part of the turbine since they directly interact with the wind to collect energy. Therefore, the team's goal is to come up with an aerodynamically optimal blade design that allows efficient energy harvest. The blade design process consists of blade geometry optimization, computational simulations, manufacturing, and wind tunnel testing.
Electronics and Controls
The electronics sub-team is responsible for managing the power generated by the turbine and ensuring that it can shut down safely under conditions specified the competition. Our main goals for this year include minimizing the power consumption of our components, optimizing the performance at different wind speeds, as well as ensuring the reliable operation of a complete system to be ready for next year’s competition
Generator
The Generator subteam is in charge of converting the mechanical energy from the wind into electrical energy for the turbine. The team works to research and design the best transmission systems between the driveshaft and generator as well as decide on the best possible DC motor that can act as the main generator. This year, the team will look into the possibilities of custom-made components that can improve the performance of the generator while being adaptable to different wind speeds.
Project Development Sub-teams
Finance
The finance team works on producing a financial model for the wind farm, analyzing initial capital costs, debt vs equity structure, operating expenses, the cost of energy, market prices and energy production, tax credits, risks, and other regional and national incentives/policies. This team works closely with the siting team in deciding creating a project development report and determining a site for the farm based on its environmental, political, and financial viability.
Siting
The siting subteam works on the project development side of the competition, crafting a plan for a proposed offshore wind farm. This includes selecting the location for the the farm using data on wind resources, water depths, transmission access, and environmental factors. The subteam also selects the types of turbine and foundation that will be used as well as the location of each turbine.
Connection Creation Sub-teams
Outreach
The outreach subteam is responsible for forming connections with the industry, university, and local community to increase both technical and general understanding of the wind industry. Past connection creation events include speaker panels on the future of sustainability, visits to high school STEM classes, and resume workshops for HSWET members.
Marketing & Social Media
The marketing and social media subteam is responsible for creating engaging branding tools and social media posts on behalf of HSWET. These materials, such as poster boards, stickers, flyers, and more help grow awareness of both HSWET and the wind energy industry. Additionally, this subteam is in charge of the @jhu_hswet Instagram account!