Green Revolution – Wind Power

Kathryn Johnson, an electrical engineer at the Colorado School of Mines, studies large utility-scale wind turbines. Kathryn’s research aims to make the turbines more efficient in order to capture as much of the wind’s energy as possible. We also visited NSF’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, where scientists are working with local utility companies to create an advanced wind energy prediction system. Using data from sensors mounted on each turbine, the system generates a forecast specific to each turbine on a wind farm. This helps the utility company provide as much energy as possible from clean sources.