Consortium receiving $8M in federal funding for wind energy research
A consortium led by the University of Minnesota will receive up to $8 million in federal funding for wind energy research and education, university officials announced Tuesday.
The funds from the Department of Energy will be used for a wind turbine research project. As part of the project, researchers plan to install a 2.3 megawatt wind turbine at the University's Outreach Research and Education Park, a 5,000-acre site in Rosemount.
University officials say the turbine will be significantly more powerful than the 1.65 megawatt turbine owned by Carleton College in Northfield. That turbine produces enough electricity to power 600 average households.
Researchers at UMore Park will use the turbines to study mechanical power transmission and electric generator systems. The university also plans to develop courses about wind and renewable energies.
The consortium that received the funding includes Dakota County Technical College, Syracuse University, and several industrial partners.
Two smaller wind turbines will be installed on Dakota County Technical College's campus. The University of Minnesota will also install one turbine on its Morris campus.
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