Offshore wind energy in the Great Lakes

photo by: Ken JP Stuczynski

The project brings together a team of engineers, ecologists and policy experts to examine wind farm systems in terms of integrity, performance, ecological impacts and policy issues.

Specifically, the project will address:

Potential energy production from offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes.
The effect of underwater foundations on the integrity and performance of wind turbines.
The influence of turbine foundations on aquatic ecological communities.
Policy and governance that provide the context and constraints for leveraging wind energy potential in the Great Lakes.

The project’s principal investigator is M.V. Sivaselvan, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. Co-principal investigators are Kathryn Bryk Friedman, director of international research at UB’s Regional Institute and a research associate professor of law and policy in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning; Sarah Delavan, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering; Helen Domske, associate director of the Great Lakes Program at UB; and John Hall and Sonjoy Das, assistant professors in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

RENEW Focus Areas

Freshwater Coastal Ecosystems

6/21/16

In addition to the most basic need for safe drinking water, the availablity of good quality freshwater affects nearly every aspect of modern life, including energy resources, food production, transportation, manufacturing, and recreation, as well as supporting ecological well-being and the ecosystem services on which life depends.
Sustainable Urban Environments

6/17/16

The RENEW focus in Sustainable Urban Environments addresses the critical role of cities on the establishment of sustainable relationships between human society and the planet.
Environmental Exposures, Genomes, and Health

6/21/16

The Environmental Exposures, Genomes, and Health focus area will stimulate integrated, multidisciplinary research and education at UB to conduct innovative, cutting edge environmental research.
Climate Change and Socioeconomic Impacts

6/17/16

Climate change is the single most pressing global issue facing society today; one estimate suggests that a climate-induced global sea level rise of just one meter will cost 28 trillion US dollars to world economies.
Next-Generation Materials & Technologies for Energy, Environment, & Water Sustainability

6/17/16

Materials design and discovery hold a critical place in the 21 century economy, with broad impact that spans the transportation, health, microelectronic, and renewable energy industries.

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