The Iowa Alliance for Wind Innovation and Novel Development (IAWIND), a collaborative project led by the University of Iowa (UI) College of Engineering, has received a $3 million, three-year grant from the Iowa Power Fund, a part of the Iowa Office of Energy Independence.
This grant will allow IAWIND to continue to help the state to attract wind energy companies.
‘The Iowa Power Fund grant is a critical infusion into the state's initiative for further developing wind energy and keeping our industry edge,’ says UI College of Engineering Dean P. Barry Butler. ‘IAWIND is a unique tool available for those companies interested in investing in or expanding to Iowa. It is a strategic, 'virtual' partnership designed to help firms that are core to wind energy production and transmission, as well as those that are part of a sophisticated supply chain in manufacturing.’
The $3 million grant was approved for IAWIND by the Iowa Power Fund to implement research, education and evaluation of testing needs expressed by numerous wind energy companies. Some elements of the grant have an industry match, while all of the elements will serve to further stimulate wind industry development in Iowa.
The fund will be used for close coordination among community colleges and universities in the state through course development, teaching laboratories with both curriculum and equipment, continuing education for the industry and valuable internships at wind energy-related firms.
In addition, the grant will enable the IAWIND alliance to explore such critical manufacturing areas as gearbox certification, testing of new designs and failure assessment of current designs.
SOURCE: University of Iowa
