Vision for a Clean Energy Future
WiscWind’s vision for the future is an energy economy that is representative of many different forms of clean technology such as wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal, and biomass. Coupled with hydrogen, these technologies can decarbonize nearly every industry, reducing emissions and consequently, climate change. Not only is the goal to reduce emissions, but it is also to positively impact the environment by promoting energy efficiency and sustainable use of natural resources. Clean energy projects should consider their environmental impact at every stage of development and decommissioning. This includes sustainable use of the land that renewable projects are built on, and sustainable management or reuse of any waste created during the project life-cycle. Renewable energy also has the potential to promote social justice by breaking down the inequitable decision-making structures of the fossil fuel era. WiscWind’s vision for a clean energy future not only includes implementation of renewable technologies, but holistic consideration of all communities and interests affected by the clean energy transition.
Strengths and Strategies
WiscWind aims to succeed in meeting the Collegiate Wind Competition objectives by continually working and improving on the various contest elements we develop through an iterative process of design-build-test-learn. We emphasize elevated levels of communication and teamwork, with a focus on testing early and testing often. This ensures a more refined version of our final deliverables and presentations and strengthens the problem-solving skills we will use in our careers onward.
Team Structure:
WiscWind is a student organization with several capstone projects built into it. The
organization has two senior design capstone projects for this year. One senior capstone team is
focused on the mechanical structure’s components and the second senior capstone team is
focused on the aerodynamic components of the turbine. In prior years there have also been senior
capstone projects connected to the electrical and project development teams, but there are no
capstone projects associated with those teams currently.
Within the student organization there are various student leadership roles, including an
overall team lead and various sub-team leads. The different leads for sub-teams are Mechanical:
Structures lead, Mechanical: Aerodynamics lead, Electrical lead, Project Development lead, and
Connection Creation lead. Each of these sub-teams has one or more team members designated as
sub-team lead to help organize and carry out the various duties assigned within each team.
Collegiate Wind Competition 2024:
The Collegiate Wind Competition allows WiscWind students an opportunity to gain
hands-on, practical experience in the wind industry and encourage our community to embrace
renewable energy and focus on environmental sustainability. This year the team is most excited
to be able to showcase innovative solutions based on lessons learned from previous competitions
to industry experts. WiscWind is also excited to be able to connect with both the community and
industry leaders in renewable energy to learn and gain experience in the energy sector.