The University of Maine (UMaine) has received a $12.4 million grant from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for construction of its new deepwater offshore wind energy research and testing facility.
The 30,000 square-foot addition to UMaine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center will include complete development capabilities for designing, prototyping and testing large structural hybrid composite and nanocomposite components for the deepwater offshore wind energy industry.
The new Advanced Nanocomposites in Renewable Energy Laboratory (ANREL) will support a materials and engineering research program designed to capitalize on two of the state's key resources, wind energy and wood.
‘The University of Maine is in a unique position with the research and technology capabilities already in place, to ensure that offshore wind development become a success along the East Coast,’ says Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.
Maine has an estimated 149 GW of offshore wind energy within 50 nautical miles of its shoreline, according to figures from UMaine. Experts estimate that developing 5 GW of offshore wind in Maine would create 15,000 jobs and bring $20 billion to the state.
The ANREL addition is designed to develop durable advanced composites materials suitable for the harsh offshore environment, which must withstand both high wind stresses and a corrosive environment. It will include a nanocomposites laboratory, prototyping space for large composite structures, a large structural testing laboratory with a test stand capable of supporting prototype 70-meter wind blades, and mechanical and environmental testing labs.
Funding for UMaine's new facility is being distributed to Maine through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In addition to UMaine, NIST grant awards totaling $123 million were announced to support the construction of new scientific research facilities at 10 other universities nationwide.
SOURCE: University of Maine
