Who We Are
We are Cal Poly Wind Power, a group of wind-energy loving students representing California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo.
Our team prides itself in the diversity of our members coming from an array of different backgrounds and interests but united in their enthusiasm for wind energy and sustainable solutions. Having an interdisciplinary team allows us the ability to analyze issues and approach problem solving from multiple different perspectives. Furthermore, because our curriculum is anchored in very hands-on learning, many of our members are experienced and comfortable with the technical challenges confronted in this competition. Regardless of the challenge, our team is grounded with a strong-minded, dedicated, determined, and persistent attitude.
Collegiate Wind Competition
Our competition team originated out of a club started by a few mechanical engineering students who were passionate about wind energy and wanted to learn about the technology in an interactive and challenging way that enhances the typical college curriculum. This tiny club with just a few members grew to include a plethora of engineering students and others interested in project development, environmental management and protection, natural resources, construction management, architecture, and landscape architecture. Many of us were very interested in renewable energy before learning about this competition. We are excited to incorporate our knowledge gained from all of the classes we have taken, push ourselves to grow through this experience, and learn more about careers in this industry.
Our Goals
As a team and a club, we want to bring knowledge of wind energy and industry connections to our university. Although expanding, Cal Poly currently has a limited number of classes and opportunities to learn about renewables—even smaller for wind. We want to create a new space for students who are interested to get their hands dirty and dive right into wind energy via this competition and the wind power club. Our project combines members from the club and new students who are interested in doing their senior design projects for the competition. Cal Poly has a long-standing tradition of supporting student competition teams and stands by its motto of “Learn by Doing,” even during remote learning. Another goal we have is to get as many new members involved as possible to transfer knowledge through the generations of club members. We also want to show the other schools how great Cal Poly as new time competitors.
Our Subteams:
Read About Our Sub-teams:
Structures:
The structures team is responsible for designing and manufacturing the mechanical components of the competition turbine. This includes the foundation, tower, nacelle packaging, shaft, and pitching mechanism.
Blades:
The blades team focuses on designing the turbine blades through theoretical analysis and hands-on testing. We compare airfoils and use various methods, including CAE (computer-aided engineering) tools to develop a blade that gets as much energy from the wind as possible.
Power:
The power team will work to develop the electrical load storage system, identify an off-the-shelf generator, and create a safety shut-off system for the turbine. We utilize circuit modeling software (LTSPICE, PSPICE,...etc.) to test different electrical designs.
Business:
The business team will work with the siting team to create a project development plan for an offshore wind farm. We will conduct a cost of energy and cash flow analysis for the project, which will help determine how and where we develop the farm. Our financial analysis will look at the monetary projections for our site based on both the variable and fixed costs.
Siting:
The siting team will research, plan, and design a full-scale offshore wind farm in the Galveston, TX area in the Gulf Coast. First, we will research site characteristics such as environmental factors, permitting, wind resources and afterward draft an initial wind farm design using siting software such as ArcGIS and Furow.
Outreach:
The Outreach team facilitates contact with industry representatives by researching and planning industry spotlights for general meetings. We also organize events for the Cal Poly and SLO community to educate others and generate excitement about Wind Power. Additionally, we manage our club’s social media, website, and campus presence.
Sponsors:
Altium
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