Collegiate Wind Competition

California State University Maritime Academy is one of  12 universities selected for the final round of the 2023-2024 US Department of Energy (DOE) Collegiate Wind Competition, which will be held at the Cleanpower Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis, MN during the week of May 6-9. The 12 teams were downselected from am initial field of 32 university teama based on reports and videos submitted during the fall 2023 semester.  The Collegiate Wind Competition is facilitated and funded by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  It challenges the undergraduate teams of students to:

• Design and build a model wind turbine and test it against a set of rigorous performance criteria in a wind tunnel
• Develop a wind project plan based on wind energy market and siting considerations
• Engage with the university, wind industry professionals, and local community to learn about and promote the wind industry

This year's contest has a focus on offshore wind, including the design of a shallow water foundation to support the test turbine, as well an offshore project development plan in the Great Lakes.  The Cal Maritime Wind Team is comprised of students from the several programs - Mechanical Engineering,  International Business and Logistics, International Strategy and Security, and Marine Transportation. 

Cal Maritime has been participating in the Collegiate Wind Competition since 2014, and over 100 students have participated.  The team placed 1st overall in 2018, 2nd in 2015, 3rd in 2019, and 4th in 2017 and 2022.  In 2020, the Competition took place virtually and the team placed 1st in Turbine Design and 3rd in Project Development.