Renewable Energy: Wind and Wave
Research
With continuted development of offshore wind power in Europe and initial projects off the US east coast, large contributions of wind power from offshore appear to be on the horizon. Similarily wave energy converters are beginning initial full scale prototype testing at sea and limited commercial deployment. Development of both renewable energy sources in collocated sites may improve the electric power performance of a combined plant. While wave energy is primarily a wind driven phenomenon, at a particular location and time, the energy levels in the wind and waves may be different. This suggests a synergy where combining the two energy sources in a collocated offshore power plant reduces the variability in electrical generation. The variability and intermittency of electric power from renewable energy sources has been identified as a barrier to their large scale integration in the electric grid, but combining variable resources may mitigate this problem, producing smoother power output than either resource can separately.
Publications
Stoutenburg, E.D., Jacobson, M.Z., "Combining Wind and Wave Energy in Offshore Power Plants", American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 2008.
Stoutenburg, E.D., Jacobson, M.Z., "Combining Wind and Wave Energy in Offshore Power Plants", International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy Symposium, Ghent, 2009.
Education
Ph.D. in Atmosphere/Energy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, in progress
M.S. in Atmosphere/Energy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, 2008
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Systems, United States Military Academy, West Point, 2001
Wind Power Projects
Stanford Solar and Wind Energy Project: Salinas Valley Wind Resource Assessment, Project Manager
The Stanford Green Fund awarded SWEP a grant to site and install a 50 meter anemometer tower to measure the wind resource in the Salinas Valley. SWEP will record, process, and analyze wind measurements for at least one year to characterize the wind resource potential. If the wind resource is sufficient to develop a community scale wind farm, then SWEP will develop a project proposal for Stanford to build wind turbines to offset the electricity consumption at its Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey. The data and analysis will also be shared with the City of Soledad in support of its proposed wind power project at the Soledad Wastewater Treatment Plant.
California Condors and the Potential for Wind Power in Monterey County
As part of the wind power project planning, SWEP and the Ventana Wildlife Society co-authored a report on the risk wind turbines may pose to endangered California Condors in Monterey County and where wind turbines may be potentially sited outside Condor habitat in strong wind resource regions.
Contact Information
estout {AT} stanford {DOT} edu
Atmosphere/Energy Program
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Stanford University
Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building
MC 4020
473 Via Ortega, Room 390
Stanford, CA 94305