Global Seminars: Wind Energy in Northern Europe CE 4011

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Wind Energy in Northern Europe CE 4011

May 15 - June 3, 2012
Seminar Description:


Professors Henryk Stolarski and Sonia Mogilevskaya (both from the Department of Civil Engineering) are leading this global seminar that will explore northern European cultures, the intersection of economic development and energy production, and the structural aspects of wind energy production. Participants will visit Denmark, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia--some of the most picturesque countries of the Baltic Sea region. The cities visited will include: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Riga, and Tallinn.
May 15 - June 3, 2012
Seminar Description:


Professors Henryk Stolarski and Sonia Mogilevskaya (both from the Department of Civil Engineering) are leading this global seminar that will explore northern European cultures, the intersection of economic development and energy production, and the structural aspects of wind energy production. Participants will visit Denmark, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia--some of the most picturesque countries of the Baltic Sea region. The cities visited will include: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Riga, and Tallinn.


Students will examine the development, manufacturing, and construction of wind turbines in the Baltic Sea States. The overall operation of turbines will be reviewed, and a brief description of their components will be provided. Emphasis will be placed on the theories, and methods used in the design of turbines' foundations, towers, and blades. Properties of the relevant materials, operating conditions and analysis methods will be discussed.


Manufacturing and construction sites in the selected countries will be visited to give the students a sense of significance that countries with various backgrounds attach to wind energy. In addition to becoming familiar with the fundamentals of wind energy engineering, the students will become aware of how the attitudes towards wind energy are affected by histories and cultures of the countries, and how the people of the region view the effect of the wind farms on their lives.