OWAP Webinar: Making History with VolturnUS

Thursday, July 11, 2013 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

The DeepWind Consortium, led by the University of Maine, made history on May 31 when it launched the first U.S. grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine, a 65-foot-high unit on a concrete-composite platform prototype called VolturnUS.

At 1:8th the scale of a commercial installation, this project will collect data to validate and improve floating wind turbine designs, while helping to address technical barriers to greater offshore wind cost reductions. The design uses advanced materials that help reduce the overall cost of the system while ensuring high performance and efficiency.

This webinar, presented by CEG/CESA’s Offshore Wind Accelerator Project (OWAP), features guest speaker Dr. Habib Dagher, founding director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. Dr. Dagher discussed VolturnUS platform prototype, its launch and progress to date, and how the project is supporting and growing the U.S. offshore wind industry through technological innovation. Dr. Dagher’s presentation was followed by an audience Q&A.