The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) celebrated the installation of Chicago's first research-based advanced wind turbine at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday on the university's main campus.
The 8 kW Viryd turbine is a part of the IIT Wind Energy Consortium, a $9 million, two-year research project managed by the university's Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and private partners. The consortium says it is working to help reduce the cost of wind power so that the U.S. may reach its target of 20% wind energy by 2030.
The Viryd turbine is an advanced design that will serve as a test unit for optimization algorithms gained from stress testing on an identical unit installed in a university laboratory, according to IIT.
The consortium also conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its 1.5 MW GE wind turbine at a wind farm in Marseilles, Ill. This utility-scale research turbine is operated and maintained by Invenergy.
The turbine is outfitted with high-performance technology designed to increase output and reduce wear and tear on components, which ultimately will increase the life span and performance of the equipment, according to IIT.
The technology includes a set of add-on instrumentation, GE Intelligent Platforms and analytical techniques that can detect emerging wind turbine gearbox and other mechanical problems developed.
Other technology includes Catch the Wind's Vindicator Laser Wind Sensor, a laser unit that sits atop the nacelle and measures the wind in front of the turbine blades using laser Doppler velocimetry technology.
