By Ritesh Gupta

Biodiversity Research Institute of Gorham, Maine, will receive $1.1m to develop a stereo-optic camera system to detect and document bird and bat flight behaviour in the vicinity of wind turbines. The project will help researchers better understand potential environmental impacts of wind turbines.

Texas Tech University in Lubbock will receive $1.4m to develop a first-of-its-kind, radar-based prototype to measure the flow of wind through wind farms, which will increase data availability and lead to improved modeling.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will receive $500,000 to design and build a 30-kilowatt multistage magnetic gearbox, which will be validated for reliability, efficiency, and its potential to operate more quietly than currently available generators.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will receive $1.5m to develop an online health monitoring system that uses the electric current signals produced by a turbine’s generator in order to track the generator’s performance and help determine when it needs to be repaired.