Turbine design and testing

Turbine Design and Testing is one of two scored contests in the Collegiate Wind Competition. We design a scale wind turbine, machine and wire it ourselves, and run it in a wind tunnel in front of judges from the wind industry.

Nothing is built yet. The first hardware milestone is controlled DC power from a generator on a bench, due 21 December 2026, followed by a wind-driven rotor demonstration due 26 February 2027. This page will carry our own measurements and photographs as they exist.

The 4 Subsystems:

The turbine splits into four areas of ownership. Rotor covers blade shape, structure and manufacture. Electrical covers the generator, rectification and the load. Controls covers sensing, power regulation, shutdown and restart. Safety covers the mechanical and electrical requirements that technical inspection checks before the turbine is allowed to run.

How It Gets Tested:

Two dated demonstrations come before the competition itself, both submitted on video. In December, controlled DC power from the generator with no rotor attached. In February, the full chain: wind to rotor to generator to power electronics to controlled DC power. Both are pass or fail.