By Trish Svoboda
Today, January 31st, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the 12 champions of Phase 2 in the 2024 Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC). This annual contest aims to equip college students with work skills for the wind energy sector, including technology, project development, and outreach. Representing colleges and universities nationwide, the Phase 2 winners will each receive a cash prize of up to $15,000 per team and will move on to Phase 3—the final stage of the competition. Their work will be presented at the CWC 2024 event from May 5–9, hosted at the American Clean Power Association’s CLEANPOWER Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis.
The Phase 2 champions were chosen from among 32 Phase 1 awardees through a thorough assessment of the deliverables crafted by Phase 1 winners during the preceding fall. These submissions included a report and video detailing the team’s turbine prototype fabrication and testing, a preliminary design report for a hypothetical offshore wind farm site, and a comprehensive account of the team’s narrative and outreach strategy targeting local communities, students, and the wind industry.
In Phase 3, concluding at the final in-person competition in May, Phase 2 champions will finalize their wind turbine prototype and wind farm site designs. In addition they will construct and test their prototypes while further building connections with both the wind energy industry and their local communities.
Teams that weren’t chosen as Phase 2 winners still have the opportunity to engage in Phase 3 as learn-along teams. Although they won’t qualify for awards, they can participate in the competition, showcase their work to industry reviewers, and gain feedback on their projects.
The CWC 2024 Phase 2 winners are:
· California Maritime Academy
· California Polytechnic University
· City College of New York
· Johns Hopkins University
· Kansas State University
· Rice University
· Texas Tech University with South Plains College
· The Pennsylvania State University
· University of Colorado Boulder
· University of Texas at Dallas
· University of Wisconsin
· Virginia Tech University with James Madison University
