Research Award Highlight: Project AWAKEN

January 21, 2021 |  

John L. Schroeder, Brian Hirth, and Jerry Guynes received a $2.6 million award from the Department of Energy - National Renewable Energy Laboratory for Project AWAKEN. Below, Schroeder explains the project and his interest in the subject.

This project flows naturally from our historical work. The objective of the new research project is to prepare a dual-doppler radar system, and then deploy the system to make long-term measurements of intra- and inter-wind plant flow fields. The project will leverage an existing X-band prototype radar currently located at Texas Tech University and pair it with a new radar developed using the award. Together, the radars will be deployed for an upcoming US Department of Energy planned research project called the American Wake Experiment (AWAKEN). AWAKEN is a landmark collaborative international wake observation and validation campaign that will occur in the coming years. So, TTU will also participate in the AWAKEN experiment (install and maintain the radars, collect measurements, and perform analysis of the collected data) as part of this project. Here is some background on AWAKEN.

I'm interested in this subject, because it's a real-world example of how we can use technology to make atmospheric measurements that impact the future operations of an industry. This isn't just about writing a publication that people will (or will not) read, rather the information has the potential to really help an industry advance, and that's exciting.

tags: NWI, Research Award Highlights, renewable energy