UW Participates in Department of Energy’s Collegiate Wind Competition

The University of Wyoming is among 35 colleges and universities selected to participate in Phase 1 of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC).

This is the second year that UW has competed in the CWC.

UW's CWC application effort was led by senior mechanical engineering student Jacob Huerta, of Culter, Calif., with strong support from Michael Stoellinger, an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences' Department of Mechanical and Energy Systems Engineering.

The 2025 CWC focuses on the siting, outreach and development challenges associated with floating offshore wind energy projects. Student team members will come from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.

"When I received the news that the team was selected, I felt excited to be able to participate," Huerta says. "Being selected gives the university and the students involved the opportunity to demonstrate what we have been taught by our professors."

The CWC, which first launched in 2014, helps prepare the future wind energy workforce by inviting college students from a range of disciplines to represent their schools as they design, build and test a prototype wind turbine; develop a site plan and cost-of-energy analysis for a hypothetical wind farm; and conduct outreach with the wind energy industry, their communities and local media outlets.

During Phase 1, each team will develop a preliminary design and report for its prototype wind turbine and preliminary site design for its hypothetical offshore wind farm.

Phase 1 teams will receive $2,000, which they can use to design their technologies; create their wind energy project development plans; and conduct their outreach activities.

By early 2025, the competition organizers will use a performance-based selection process to narrow the Phase 1 teams to up to 12 final selections. These teams will be invited to participate in Phase 2 of the CWC during the second half of the school year and will be awarded an additional $15,000 to complete their projects, including building their prototype wind turbines.

The finalist teams also will be invited to test their model turbines in an on-site wind tunnel and present their work at the CWC final event at the CLEANPOWER 2025 Conference & Exhibition in Phoenix Monday-Thursday, May 19-22, where they will be eligible for prize funding from a $30,000 prize pool.

"I was super excited when I learned that Jacob's application had been accepted," Stoellinger says. "We will compete in all three contests: wind farm siting, wind turbine prototype and community outreach. Having students on the team from Engineering and the Haub School makes the contests a very realistic experience for the students, as both disciplines are required for successful wind project development. I hope that UW's unique expertise in interdisciplinary engagement will give us a competitive advantage."

The CWC is funded by DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office and managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

"I'm really looking forward to pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve, learning from other teams and taking our performance to the next level," Huerta says. "The competition brings out the best in all of us, and I can't wait to see how far we can go."

To learn more about the UW Department of Mechanical and Energy Systems Engineering, visit www.uwyo.edu/mechanical/.

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