2014 Collegiate Wind Competition Photos

1/19 First place team Penn State with their trophy
Pennsylvania State University was selected as the first place overall winner and People’s Choice winner of the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-07 18:17
2/19 The Collegiate Wind Competition trophies
Collegiate Wind Competition 2014 awarded trophies for the top three overall finishers, first place teams in three contests, and a People’s Choice winner. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-07 17:18
3/19 Preparing for competition
Teammates make adjustments to their wind turbine during the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-05 12:20
4/19 Readying a turbine in the wind tunnel
Teammates prepare their turbine for testing in the wind tunnel during the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-05 14:05
5/19 A student getting their turbine components ready for competition
A member of the NAU team makes adjustments to his team’s small wind turbine prototype during the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-05 13:52
6/19 Attendees inspect a wind turbine prototype
A PSU student demonstrates the function of her team’s small wind turbine at the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-07 09:54
7/19 David Danielson talks with a student competitor
A student on the University of Alaska Fairbanks team explains his team’s small wind turbine to Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, David Danielson. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-07 11:32
8/19 Students prepping their wind turbine in the wind tunnel
Students reach into the official Collegiate Wind Competition wind tunnel in preparation for the Turbine Testing subcontest, in which each team’s wind turbine was tested for 5 seconds at 1 m/s interval wind speeds from 5–14 m/s. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-05 14:06
9/19 Boise State University team photo
The Boise State University team designed and constructed a small-scale wind turbine for the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 11:09
10/19 California Maritime Academy team photo
For the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014, California Maritime Academy developed a small-scale wind turbine to provide power for cell phones and LED light bulbs in rural areas of Africa. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 13:54
11/19 Colorado School of Mines team photo
Team Zephyrus from the Colorado School of Mines sought to minimize weight and cost while maximizing efficiency with the wind turbine it designed for the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 10:11
12/19 James Madison University team photo
The James Madison University team offered a solution for charging electronic devices in energy-impoverished communities with the wind turbine it designed for the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 12:43
13/19 Kansas State University team photo
Students from Kansas State University designed and built a small wind turbine for the Collegiate Wind Competition. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 13:18
14/19 Northern Arizona State University team photo
The Northern Arizona State University team proposed a solution for providing power after a natural disaster with the wind turbine it designed for the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 10:00
15/19 Pennsylvania State University team photo
The Pennsylvania State University team prototyped a small-scale wind turbine, which was designed to provide power in emergency and/or remote power situations, for the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 15:47
16/19 University of Alaska Fairbanks team photo
For the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014, the University of Alaska Fairbanks built a wind-powered energy generation system for researchers and explorers who use small devices for extended periods of time in remote field locations. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 14:30
17/19 University of Kansas team photo
The University of Kansas designed and built a small-scale wind turbine to compete the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014, finishing in second place overall. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 12:17
18/19 University of Massachusetts team photo
The University of Massachusetts Lowell developed a transportable wind turbine that charges portable electronic devices to compete the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-06 15:13
19/19 David Danielson watching a student demonstrate how his wind turbine prototype functions
A student from Kansas State University demonstrates his team’s small wind turbine for Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson at the Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. Photo from U.S. Department of Energy.
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Date taken: 2014-05-07 11:34

Ten collegiate teams from around the United States took part in the inaugural U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition 2014, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, with more than 150 students across the country worked to design, test, and build a lightweight, transportable wind turbine that could be used to power small electronic devices. 

Final Results

Over the course of three intense days at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference, the teams put their wind turbines through rigorous performance testing, developed carefully-crafted business plans, and pitched wind industry leaders on the market opportunities for their turbine designs. Pennsylvania State University earned the highest cumulative score to become the overall winner of the inaugural competition. The team's winning turbine received the honor of being displayed at Energy Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Rounding out the top three finishers were the University of Kansas, in second place, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in third. In addition, the following schools were recognized as top finishers in the following categories:

  • Market Issue Presentation: Pennsylvania State University
  • Business Plan Development: University of Kansas
  • Turbine Design and Testing: University of Kansas

Pennsylvania State was also selected as the People's Choice winner—the audience's pick for the best business pitch presentation.

WINDExchange hosted a webinar during which Dr. David Willis, Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Karin Wadsack, Institute for Sustainable Energy Solutions, Northern Arizona University shared their experience participating in the 2014 event.

In 2015, seven of the original ten teams reunited to compete at the National Wind Technology Center to participate in an additional engineering competition. Returning teams included the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Colorado School of Mines, Pennsylvania State University, California Maritime Academy, Boise State University, Northern Arizona University, and Kansas State University.

This year, Boise State University was named the winner of the competition. Cal Maritime placed second and Penn State, last year's champion, finished third and also won the surprise challenge.

Collegiate Wind Competition Teams 2014

The following 10 university-led student teams were selected through a competitive process to compete in the inaugural U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Collegiate Wind Competition:

Collegiate Wind Competition Judges 2014

The following is a list of the participating judges in the U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition 2014. 

Engineering Design Review

  • Ben Polito, President and Co-Founder of Pika Energy
  • Charles Newcomb, Director of Technical Strategy at Endurance Wind Power
  • Trudy Forsyth, Managing Director of Wind Advisors Team

Business Plan

  • Justin Kaster, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Cleantech Open, Midwest Division
  • Bruce Eastman, Chief Operating Officer of Inovus Solar
  • Ralf Sigrist, Attorney-at-Law/Consultant

Market Issues

  • Fara Courtney, Founding CEO, U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative
  • Larry Flowers , Consultant, G4Wind LLC (retired Deputy Director, AWEA Distributed and Community Wind)
  • Rich Vander Veen, President of Mackinaw Power LLC

Business Pitch

  • Haley Estes Roberto, President of Harvest the World Network
  • Troy Patten, President and CEO of Northern Power Systems
  • Mike Derby, Wind Energy Research and Development Program Manager at U.S. Department of Energy
  • Keith Longtin, General Manager of Wind Products at General Electric

2014 Event Sponsors

The U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition is grateful for the generosity of the 2014 sponsors to support a successful event and a positive experience for teams. Thank you to our 2014 sponsors!

The recognition of sponsor organizations does not constitute or imply any endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of their messages, missions, activities, products, or programs. The U.S. Department of Energy does not monitor, control, or directly fund the activities of the identified organizations.