The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has awarded East Greenwich-based Aquanis, Inc. $3.5 million in funding.
The grant will help "develop a segmented active load control system that will allow wind turbines to react more quickly to changes in the wind," a release on the move stated. This will be developed via a project with researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas, Sandia National Laboratory and Warren-based TPI Composites, Inc., the largest independent blade manufacturer.
It's a move that fits with Aquanis' mission, which is "to reduce the cost of wind energy by improving the aerodynamic performance of wind turbines." It does this via its "blade-mounted plasma actuators," which in turn "extend the turbine’s service life and enable the design of larger, more efficient turbines, by countering unsteady aerodynamic forces."
Said funding was met with excitement from the Aquanis team.
“We are thrilled to have been chosen for this highly competitive ARPA-E award,” said Aquanis Founder and CEO Neal Fine. “Aquanis is committed to helping the wind industry continue the historic improvement in turbine technology, which is key to reducing the cost of wind energy and increasing wind penetration in the grid energy market. Our selection by ARPA-E confirms that we are working with a great team on an important and challenging problem.”
Thorne Sparkman, managing director of Slater Technology Fund (which was responsible for Aquanis' seed funding), also weighed in on the move.
“The proliferation of wind power has been a bright spot on the energy landscape, but we have a long way to go,” he said. “Slater is proud to be supporting Aquanis in its quest to enable the next generation of turbine designs.”
