Recognition

Jim ManwellThe Wind Energy Center and its Director, Dr. James F. Manwell, have received a number of honors over the years:

  • The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) awarded Dr. Manwell the Academic Achievement Award in 1994 for the program’s contribution to graduate-level wind energy education in the United States.
  • Both the Wind Energy Center (then the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory) and Dr. Manwell were awarded the Academic Achievement Award in 2006.
  • The U. S. Department of Energy awarded Dr. Manwell the Wind/Diesel Systems Pioneer Award in 2002 and the Wind Energy Regional Advocacy Award in 2004.

From 2006 to 2008, Dr. Manwell was a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Committee developing offshore wind turbine international design standards. Prepared by IEC Technical Committee 88, Wind Turbines, the first edition of IEC 61400-3. Design Requirements for Offshore Wind Turbines is scheduled for publication at the end of 2009.

In 2006 Dr. Manwell was appointed to the International Council for Science Panel on Renewable Energies (ISPRE). ISPRE was created under the auspices of the International Council for Science (ICSU), a non-governmental organization representing a global membership, including both national and international scientific unions. ISPRE’s mission is to assess the scientific, technical, and socio-economic global status related to the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies and to serve as a bridge from research and development results to policymaking. The ICSU has assembled the top experts in the key renewable energy disciplines, including solar electric (photovoltaic), solar thermal, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind energy, and policy. The ultimate goal is to bolster policy development for the rapid expansion of renewable energies in developing and industrialized economies.

In spring 2007 WEC Director Professor James F. Manwell received a Distinguished Academic Outreach Award from the University for his work in supporting the Town of Hull, Massachusetts’s efforts to develop wind energy. The Wind Energy Center has provided key technical support to the Town over the past ten years in installing community-owned wind power systems. Partly as a result of these efforts, the town of Hull has been consistently in the lead in installing commercial-scale wind power in Massachusetts.