A wind tunnel is a piece of equipment that produces constant air speed within a contained space. The wind speed will be set to 5m/s on competition day. The following link shows a video of the School of Engineering’s wind tunnel.

 

What if I sign up for the competition and the team fails to compete?

Institutions whose teams fail to participate after signing up will not be permitted to participate in future competitions. Please ensure that students who wish to participate are serious.

 

Can I have equipment running from inside the wind tunnel to the outside?

You will not be able to have equipment running from the inside of the wind tunnel to the outside.  The wind tunnel is self contained once the windmill is setup inside and testing commences. 

 

Can I come to the University of Guelph and see the wind tunnel before the competition?

In order to keep the competition fair, no one will be permitted to visit the wind tunnel before the competition.

 

How many teams are allowed to enter from a school?

A maximum number of 2 teams can be sent from any individual school, however we will officially be taking 1 team per school depending on the total amount of entrants. You will be notified whether your school will be allowed the entry of 2 teams. Preference will be given to schools in order of date registered.

 

How many students can be on one team?

There is no limit as to how many students are allowed per team, however there must be at least 2 members in a team.

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Can we bring spectators from our school?

We welcome anyone to the School of Engineering to view the competition. There will be a seperate viewing room with live video feed of the wind tunnel.

 

What is included in our kit and what must we use from it?


- (1) DC motor with wires - You MUST use the provided DC motor as the sole power generator for your windmil
- (1) Digital Multimeter
- (1) ABS WindENG hub printed by Cimetrix on the 3D printer
- (1) 10 ohm resistor

 

I am looking for information on any careers involving work with wind turbines and wind energy, what can you tell me?

There are a lot of career possibilities in wind energy spanning a full range of possibilities. In engineering, the design and manufacturing of wind turbines is a growing industry. Most of the companies involved are fairly large since there are economies of scale. In North America, GE and Clipper are two manufacturers, in Europe there are more including Vestas, Siemens, Enercon, etc. Other engineering areas include the design of wind farms, siting of wind turbines and wind resource assessment: these things are often done by smaller consulting firms like Garrad-Hassan, Truewind, Helimax, Zephyrnorth, etc. There are also specialized consulting companies that deal with legal and financing aspects of wind energy who need people with those skills, and there is a growing need for technians to maintain turbines and operate the wind farms...In all of North America, there are a few colleges that offer wind energy technician programs. (The closest to us might be St. Lawrence College, but I'm not sure of the status of their program right now...) At the moment, it is not possible to get a university degree in "wind energy", but I'd suggest a degree in Environmental, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (depending on which aspects most interest you) would be a very good start, especially if you arrange co-op (or summer) jobs related to the field of wind energy. Getting your foot in the door might take some work, because most of the companies involved don't sell things to the public, and therefore aren't quite as easy to contact, but there is a need for workers in wind energy at all levels, so a bit of work making contacts should pay off.

For more information please contact William David Lubitz, Assistant Professor at the School of Engineering or read about his research. Also read the following article from msnbc Green jobs growing at twice national average.

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Do I have to bring a lunch?

A lunch voucher will be provided to registered participants.

 

If my school had a team that entered last year do we automatically get a spot in the next competition?

The teams who entered in previous competitions will be sent a notice for early registration. Facebook members will also be notified. Please remember that there are limited spaces and teams will be taken in on a first come first served basis.


What is the maximum speed (RPM) at which the generator can operate at optimum efficiency?

You will receive a motor after final registration. At that point you will have to test it yourselves to measure the max speed. Should you burn out the motor, we will send you a replacement.



Are we allowed to work with an outside source such as a bearings company?

You are allowed to work with an outside source as an advisor but the team will have to design the turbine. Please keep in mind that a portion of your marks are from the judging panel in which Engineers will ask you questions about your design that you should be able to answer.



To what extent is the windmill required to be disassembled?

We are asking that you are able to disassemble the windmill so that it can fit through the wind tunnel doors (see dimensions). We also ask that you are able to remove your motor for inspection as you are required to use the motor which we provide.

 

Is this competition free or do we have to pay a registration fee?

WindENG is free to enter. You will be responsible for your transportation and for the supplies to make your turbine but we will send you a starter kit.

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Are teacher advisors obligated to attend the competition?

Only the students are required to attend on the day of competition however, please note that we will not be providing or be responsible for supervision of the students.

Teachers may want to take advantage of the Teacher Workshop which will be held during the competition at the University of Guelph.

 

How do I conceptualise wind speed?

Please see the Resource page see examples of various wind speeds generated by household items.

 

Can you tell me when the day starts and when it ends?

The competition will run from 8:30am to 4:00pm. The final schedule will be listed on the Resources page once we have finalized teams. You will be required to show up 30 minutes before your heat to register your team.

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