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News

UH finalist for wind energy research complex

Engineering dean says that research facility would be one of the largest projects ever at the university

by MUBARAKA SAIFEE
The Daily Cougar

A UH-affiliated program has been selected as a finalist for a Department of Energy wind energy research complex. 

The Lone Star Wind Alliance -- an organization of universities and government agencies lead by UH -- is eligible alongside Massachusetts for the turbine construction project.

"Texas, Houston particularly, is considered the energy capital of the world," Ray Flumerfelt, dean of the Cullen College of Engineering, said. "But Texas also, most people don't realize, is now the No. 1 wind state. We produce more wind power than any other state."

Flumerfelt said the program is working on windmills with blades up to 70 meters long.

"The blade is as big as a football field," Flumerfelt said. "In these kinds of systems … each one of these will produce power for … 2,500 homes, that's each turbine. If you've got 200 of them, you have a lot of power. These are called wind farms. These wind farms can be quite large and quite a large part of the energy production, and offshore represents a great opportunity for us."

Flumerfelt estimated that wind energy could generate up to 20 percent of global energy, and with the increasing cost of fossil fuels, wind energy provides a viable alternative energy source. 

"It gives us the opportunity to set up a national wind research test facility tied to the University that'll be bringing in the order of perhaps $10 million, $15 million a year in research funding," he said. "It'll provide support for numbers of undergraduate and graduate students to work in this facility, work on this research, so it'll have a big impact. In fact, it'll be one of the largest projects on our campus, ever."

Another proposal will be submitted in July, and a decision could be made by mid-August.

"We've got, I think, good state support, and we're working with the Legislature to see if they can provide some funding in this legislative cycle to help us attract this facility here," Flumerfelt said.

Flumerfelt said that having a wind facility would open doors for undergraduate research, internships opportunities and graduate fellowships.

"It would be good for students -- a real opportunity for them to get their hands onto a real energy system like wind," Flumerfelt said. "In engineering, something like this makes the education of the students much more relevant. We teach them the theory and the design in class … but (if we have a facility), they're able to have the opportunity to see some of these systems and work with them."

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