UMass Dartmouth selected for inclusion in $11.9 million federal offshore wind research initiative
New England Council member, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, is among the national team of universities that have been chosen to create the Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW). This team, selected by the Department of Energy and includes the Dartmouth, Amherst, and Lowell UMass campuses, is an $11.9 million initiative led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
ARROW’s budget is set at $4.75 million each from the DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. There is also $1 million from the state of Maryland’s Energy Administration in conjunction with Johns Hopkins and Morgan State Universities and $1.4 million from various other partner universities.
According to UMass Dartmouth, the three main goals of the initiative are the expansion of educational opportunities in offshore wind, driving innovation on infrastructure, environmental conditions, and ecology, and developing a diverse array of stakeholders that will make offshore wind more equitable deployment and dependability. The initiative will include experienced educators and researchers of various marine backgrounds, and they hope to bring in a diverse range of perspectives on how to mitigate offshore wind energy’s environmental impact.
“We are excited to join forces with these other prestigious institutions to contribute to research and education that will not only enhance the reliability of offshore wind infrastructure but also seek to develop this in a manner that will ensure the sustainability of our marine resources and habitats and benefit our diverse coastal communities,” said Steve Lohrenz, a UMass Dartmouth professor and the university’s lead on the project, in a statement.
The New England Council congratulates UMass Dartmouth for being chosen for this important initiative.
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