The University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to establish and lead the Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW).
Led by the university with approximately 40 partners, ARROW will receive $4.75 million over five years from the DoE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and has received a matching commitment of $4.75 million from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. The state of Maryland is contributing $1 million from the Maryland Energy Administration. Other universities are contributing $1.4 million for a total budget of $11.9 million.
“We at UMass Amherst and the Wind Energy Center are honored to be recognized by DoE with this award,” says Sanjay Arwade, professor of civil engineering at UMass Amherst and director of the new center. “With the entire, extraordinary ARROW team we’re excited to build upon 50 years of achievement in wind energy research and education and move the nation towards a clean and renewable energy future.”
ARROW comprises eight universities, three national laboratories, two state-level energy offices and many industry and stakeholder groups in other areas of Massachusetts as well as Illinois, Maryland, Washington, South Carolina and Puerto Rico.
This consortium includes Clemson University, Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University, Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Argonne National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Maryland Energy Administration.
More than 20 other organizations, including developers, conservation organizations, offshore wind manufacturers, a grid operator, community representatives, trade associations and standards organizations are also anticipated to serve as partners.
