Wind
What is wind energy?
Wind energy is the process by which the wind can be harvested to rotate turbines, converting kinetic energy into mechanical power or electricity.
Why is it important?
The UK is committed to producing 20% of our energy from renewable sources.
We are already the world’s biggest generator of electricity from offshore wind - at 3.8GW we produce more than the rest of the world combined.
Technological developments - such as new designs for bigger wind turbines - could further drive down the costs of offshore wind and increase deployment.
Our expertise and activities
- We host Siemens' Wind Power Research Centre - developing reliable, innovative and efficient wind turbines.
- Working with Ricardo, we are combining our unique sensor technology with our experience and understanding of friction and wear problems to improve the reliability of wind turbine gearboxes.
- Our work with Vestas has seen improvements in the performance of their wind turbine control systems.
Detailed research areas
- Technology, architecture and design of onshore and offshore wind turbine generators.
- Generator design to maximise power conversion.
- Wind turbine design and blade aerodynamics modelling.
- Wind resources prediction for turbines in urban and built environments.
- Wind turbine wakes and wind farm power output prediction.
- Construction of wind turbines and field testing.
Key people (A-Z)
Dr Kais Atallah
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Dr Julian Dean
Lecturer in Materials Science, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Professor Rob Dwyer-Joyce
Professor of Lubrication Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Professor Derek Ingham
Professor of Applied Mathematics, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr Bryn Jones
Lecturer, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering
Dr Adrian Leyland
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Dr Hui Long
Reader in Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Professor Lin Ma
Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Energy), Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr Matthew Marshall
Senior Lecturer in Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr Simon A Pope
Lecturer, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering
Professor W Mark Rainforth
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Dr John Rossiter
Reader, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering
Professor Jiabin Wang
Professor of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Professor Zi-Qiang Zhu
Head of Electrical Machines and Drives Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
For more information please contact Professor Lin Ma.