Wind Energy: Today, Tomorrow

PNWAIAA Event hosted with our University of Washington Student Chapter.

Join us on Wednesday, October 16th to welcome our guest, Dr. C.P. “Case” van Dam.

Can emerging load-alleviation technologies in wind energy apply to other areas, including aerospace?  Come and learn about current state and possible future developments in wind energy and participate in the discussion after Dr van Dam’s presentation.

ABSTRACT

The recent growth in wind energy can be in large part attributed to its competitive cost of energy in comparison to traditional energy sources. Wind energy is consistently cited as being competitive with the cost of electric power generation by fossil fuel, with none of the cost volatility associated.  Modern utility-scale wind power started with relatively small and expensive turbines in the 1980s; since then, the cost of wind energy has dramatically decreased and wind turbines have increased markedly in size.

The larger turbines benefit from increased wind power capture through a much larger rotor and from increased wind speeds at the higher hub height. However, the benefits of larger diameter rotors potentially come with increasing wind turbine cost and, hence, cost of energy.

To keep cost of energy down, mass and stress increases must be carefully managed as rotor diameters grow. Technologies – such as active load alleviation using small robust flaps or tabs – allowing wind turbine rotors to achieve higher performance to mass ratios are a focus of this presentation.

GUEST SPEAKER BIO

Dr. Van Dam is the Warren and Leta Giedt Endowed Professor and Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California at Davis.  He is also the head of the California Wind Energy Collaborative – a partnership between the University of California and the California Energy Commission (http://cwec.ucdavis.edu/).

Dr van Dam was previously employed as a National Research Council (NRC) post-doctoral researcher at the NASA Langley Research Center and as a research engineer at Vigyan Research Associates in Hampton, Virginia and joined UC Davis in 1985.  Van Dam’s current research includes wind energy engineering, aerodynamic drag prediction and reduction, high-lift aerodynamics, and active control of aerodynamic loads. He has extensive experience in computational aerodynamics, wind-tunnel experimentation and flight testing; teaches industry short courses on aircraft aerodynamic performance and wind energy; has consulted for aircraft, wind energy, and sailing yacht manufacturers; and has served on review committees for various government agencies and research organizations.

Register Now!                                   PIZZA & BEVERAGES INCLUDED!