Building a better turbine
Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 07:40
in Physics & Chemistry
Imagine a world in which half of our electricity is generated renewably by offshore wind farms. Now imagine a powerful hurricane hitting the coast where that farm is located. If developers, engineers and policy makers haven't prepared for this event the coast could face major consequences such as blackouts and brownouts. This is a scenario that Sanjay R. Arwade, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UMass Amherst, is working to guard against as offshore wind becomes more prominent in the U.S. market.