Today (May 9), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of the 11th annual Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC). The California State University Maritime Academy team secured first place overall out of a total 12 teams in this competition preparing college students for careers in the wind energy and renewable energy sectors. They demonstrated excellence in fulfilling the competition's challenges, including building and testing turbine prototypes, proposing hypothetical offshore wind farm site designs, and crafting impactful community outreach strategies. The United States wind energy industry is expected to grow significantly in coming decades, which creates a need for a qualified wind energy workforce. The CWC gives students valuable skills, insights, and connections while helping to support workforce needs in this rapidly growing field.
"These challenges engaged students in innovation, planning, problem-solving and skill-building activities that translate to real-world experience for careers in the growing wind energy workforce," said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Their impressive achievements exemplify the bright future of renewable energy. Congratulations to the 2024 winners!"
The 2024 CWC tasked participants with focusing on offshore wind energy, specifically examining its role in a diverse power system. Students were asked to propose solutions for integrating offshore wind energy into hybrid systems, identify options for offshore wind energy's utilization, and engage with industry and stakeholders to share insights on the benefits of wind energy in the broader power grid.
The competition culminated at the American Clean Power Association's CLEANPOWER Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis, where the 12 finalist teams tested their prototype wind turbines and presented their work to panels of wind energy experts. The finalist teams represented colleges and universities throughout the United States and included six minority-serving institutions three of which were Hispanic-serving institutions and four of which were Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions. Additionally, two schools made their debut, participating in the CWC for the first time.
The winning 2024 Collegiate Wind Competition team from California State University Maritime Academy.
The winning teams are:
- Overall First Place: California State University Maritime Academy
- Overall Second Place: University of Colorado Boulder
- Overall Third Place: Kansas State University
- Connection Creation Contest: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Project Development Contest: University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Turbine Prototype Contest: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Turbine Testing Contest: California State University Maritime Academy.
Since 2014, the CWC has offered college students an opportunity to prepare for jobs in the wind and renewable energy industries through real-world wind energy technology, project development, and outreach experience.
DOE is now accepting applications for CWC 2025. Interested teams should study the CWC 2025 Phase 1 Rules document and submit applications by June 13, 2024.
The CWC is managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on behalf of DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office.
To find more opportunities for students to gain renewable energy experience while still in school, visit DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Student Competitions and Prizes page. For updates on DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office activities, subscribe to the Catch the Wind newsletter.
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