Renewable Energy Trip to Morris!

Hi everyone,
Even though my REU is winding to a close, I wanted to post really quick about an awesome trip my research team went on since my last post. (Fear not - there will be one final post showing my results from the summer, which I'm currently working around the clock to finish polishing).

About a week and a half ago, a few professors, grad students, Jose, and I drove to the U of M Morris campus to learn about their renewable energy and agriculture research there. We learned about their solar systems (both photovoltaic for electricity and thermal for water and heating), biomass gassification system, their hydrogen/ammonia production, and their renewable agriculture practices.

Wind turbines at Morris, courtesy of Jose!

The highlight though was definitely getting to see their two wind turbines up close. It was super
windy, so walking up to the base of the turbine was a little scary - all you can think about is these giant blades whooshing towards your head! We could also hear the tower (the tall support structure) groaning in the wind, which wasn't very reassuring. We even got to step inside the base of the tower, although it was too dangerous to climb to the top where the gearbox (which relates most closely to my research this summer) is kept.

All in all, the trip was probably one of my favorite experiences during my REU. I'm seriously considering focusing on renewable energy for my career, so it was great to see some of the current technology in-person (especially the solar and wind systems). Morris is also a center for agriculture research, which reminded me of home - it was nice to see the familiar sights of farming again after two months in the Twin Cities. I'm really glad I got to have this experience - extra thanks to Alyssa for organizing it!