Wind Power
Collage of wind turbine and wind tunnel pictures

Wind energy has emerged as one of the most competitive renewable energy sources in recent decades. SAFL's state-of-the-art 2.5 MW wind energy research station in Rosemount, Minnesota, along with our Atmospheric Boundary Layer wind tunnel and sophisticated large-eddy simulation tools comprise a powerful research framework that enables us to tackle a broad range of wind energy problems. We are working in close collaboration with academic, industry, and government laboratory partners to understand various turbulence-related aspects of wind power generation. Eolos researchers are highly specialized and open to projects of all sizes.

Learn more about:
Eolos Wind Energy Research Station (and related publications)
SAFL Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (and related publications)

Affiliated Faculty
Michele Guala 
Jiarong Hong 
Lian Shen 

SAFL Researchers
Christopher Feist
Matthew Lueker
Jeffrey Marr
Christopher Milliren

Read more about SAFL wind energy projects:
(filter "Wind Power" if needed)

Photo of acoustic recording equipment
Wind Energy Projects

Wind Turbine Generated Sound

Posted

As the wind energy sector grows, environmental impacts and public perception become increasingly important. One common public concern about wind energy farms is wind turbine-generated noise.A major component of this project project was to provide technically defensible data characterizing wind turbine-generated noise and the human response to wind turbine-generated noise.

A 3D rendering of the spread footing foundation of the University of Minnesota Eolos wind turbine.
Wind Energy Projects

Development of tower and foundation assessment tools for utility-scale wind turbines

Posted

Wind turbine operators must asses turbine foundation structural health after extreme weather events, or before repower projects. SAFL engineers worked with Barr Engineering to design an inexpensive, noninvasive, and portable system for assessing wind turbine foundation health.

Photo of Ed Walsh looking at a golden eagle sitting on a perch at eye level.
Wind Energy Projects

Detection and Perception of Sound by Eagles and Surrogate Raptors

Posted

Could acoustic deterrents be used to prevent eagle and raptor collisions with wind turbines? Researchers from a wide range of backgrounds and institutions worked together on this project to begin acoustic deterrent research for the Department of Energy. This project mapped the hearing range of raptors, collected and categorized eagle calls and vocalizations, and evaluated bald eagle response to various synthetic and natural sounds.