Wind Energy Proposal Earns Campus Sustainability Grant

Wind Energy Proposal Earns Campus Sustainability Grant

Wind Energy Proposal Earns Campus Sustainability Grant

In an effort to expand the Maryland Educational Solar Array (MESA), Project Director and ECE staff member Bryan Quinn was awarded a $12,500 Sustainability Fund grant for his proposed Sustainable Energy Teaching Initiatives Lab (SETIL) to develop wind-based power generation. The grant will allow Quinn to add two vertical axis wind turbines to the existing MESA lab. The facility’s goal is to provide students with hands-on experience in the design and use of alternative energy generation and utilization.

A collaboration between the members of the Honors Program, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering serve as a foundation for this effort. Two cross-disciplinary courses are being developed and experiments are being designed that will exhibit how to maximize efficiency, estimate power consumption and predict the performance of differing power systems. Additionally, the facility is being used to train members of the University of Maryland chapter of Engineers Without Borders and Maryland Sustainability Engineering on photovoltaic systems operations and installation.

The University Sustainability Fund is supported by the campus student sustainability fee and provides funding for projects that promote social, economic and environmental sustainability and positively impact the student experience at UMD. The Fund supports projects that increase the share of renewable energy produced on campus, increase the energy efficiency of our facilities, reduce the amount of waste created and material resources used on campus, encourage sustainable behaviors, and integrate sustainability into teaching, research, and service at UMD.

Related Articles:
Giving back: New solar panels support a local urban farm
How Hot is Solar Energy?
Powering a Greener Future
Electrified Plastic Recycling Toward A Sustainable Future
UMD Scientists Develop Wood-MOF for Greater Sustainability
A Greener Alternative for Food Disposal
Thin Wood Film Amplifies Speaker Technology
New Report Recommends a Path for the Future of Maryland’s Clean Energy Economy
The Future of Cool: Additive Manufacturing and Ni-Ti Metal Bolster Cooling Technology
A Greener Alternative to Hot-Mix Asphalt

March 5, 2012


Prev   Next

Current Headlines

UMD, Partners Receive $31M for Semiconductor Research

Goulias Tapped to Develop Renewable Construction Materials

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month

Brick by Brick: The Clark School Celebrates LGBTQ+ Engineers

UMD Part of $10 Million DOE Hydrogen Grant

UMD Ranks #10 in Public Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Programs

Firefighter Exoskeleton Built by UMD Students Wins Second Place at ASTM International Games

DOE Ups Its Investment in UMD to Develop Eco-Friendly Heat Pumps

News Resources

Return to Newsroom

Search News

Archived News

Events Resources

Events Calendar