The Leading Edge: October 2024 Wind Energy Newsletter
In this issue, NREL highlights the legacy of Brian Smith, how climate change may impact renewable energy, and more.
Upwind: Featured News
Brian Smith Retires After Nearly Four Decades, Leaving a Legacy of Wind Energy Leadership
As the wind turbine blade flew over his head, Brian Smith wasn’t fazed. In the California desert in the mid-1980s, turbine mishaps were common. Wind energy technologies, and the nascent wind energy industry, had a lot of maturing to do.
“It wasn’t seen by a lot of people outside renewable energy as a serious profession—something that would last and have an impact,” Smith said.
Defying those odds, Smith’s career in wind energy lasted four decades. After more than 36 years with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the wind laboratory program manager retired on Oct. 4, 2024.
Smith graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with mechanical engineering degrees and a passion for wind energy. In 1988, he applied for a job and joined the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), which became NREL in 1991.
For his first 5.5 years at SERI, Smith worked with an industry partner in Palm Springs, California, where he conducted joint field experiments on technologies being developed by SERI.
“That was a real interesting time, being immersed in the wind industry and hands-on with wind turbines. It was a great transition from what I’d been doing, which was managing engineering, installation, operation, and maintenance of wind turbines and farms,” Smith said. “Coming to SERI gave me the opportunity to focus on science, engineering, and technology.”
Eventually, Smith’s work shifted from California to the National Wind Technology Center, which is housed in what is now called NREL’s Flatirons Campus near Boulder, Colorado. From the 1990s to early 2000s, he managed large wind research and technology innovation portfolios funded by the DOE and fostered collaborations between government and industry.
In 2002, Smith became NREL’s wind laboratory program manager, which gave him the opportunity to pay a key role in shaping national policies and strategies for wind energy development.
That same year, Smith represented the United States on the International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaboration Programme, an international cooperation that shares information and research to advanced wind energy research, development, and deployment in member countries. Smith called this a highlight of his career and characterized the group’s members as representing cooperation and collaboration at its best.
Over his career, Smith witnessed the wind industry’s coming of age. Throughout, he kept in mind the importance of wind energy and the possibility of a clean energy future. He also watched NREL mature during his decades at the laboratory.
“NREL’s culture has changed, growing from a few hundred employees to 4,000,” Smith said. “But the people are incredible. They’re innovative and intelligent. All of us are working toward a common mission. That’s what kept me there over the years. I had a great team to work with, and we were doing something that was important for the country and for the world.”
Study Analyzes How Climate Change and Solar Radiation Modification May Impact Renewable Energy
In a new study in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, NREL researchers examine the potential impacts of both climate change and solar radiation modification—a climate intervention technique that could decrease the amount of solar radiation and cool surface temperatures—on renewable energy generation, including wind energy. The authors report that, even though studies on solar radiation modification are limited, current literature shows that climate change will likely have varying impacts on renewable energy generation, and solar radiation modification could also impact generation, if applied. However, it may not necessarily reverse the impacts caused by climate change. The team’s analysis also identifies potential research gaps and opportunities to address them.
Behind the Blades
Behind the Blades: How Paula Pérez Engineers Equitable Wind Energy Solutions
NREL researcher Paula Pérez combines her passions for engineering and social equity to address real-world challenges. Her journey spans continents and cultures: From working with indigenous communities on water access projects in her home country of Colombia to designing solar microgrids in Argentina, Pérez's work is rooted in serving communities. At NREL, she focuses on wind energy equity and techno-economic analysis to ensure the clean energy transition benefits everyone—including rural and underserved populations. Read the full interview to learn more about her innovative projects and inspiring vision for a fairer energy future.
On the Radar: Project Updates
Better Monitoring of the Distributed Wind Energy Fleet of Turbines
A new NREL technical report outlines best practices for monitoring distributed wind energy. Although utility-scale wind farms are often well-monitored, the entire U.S. fleet of distributed wind turbines is not. This data gap could potentially impede the industry’s ability to grow, attract investors, and increase credibility in turbine reliability and performance. To help correct this gap, the new report offers guidance on how the industry could generate more standardized, accessible monitoring data.
Go With the (Atmospheric) Flow: A Former NREL Wind Energy Intern Comes Full Circle
Kelly Huang, a Kalsi assistant professor at the University of Houston, reflects on
her transformative journey from NREL wind energy intern to educator, inspiring the
next generation of engineers with real-world research opportunities. Photo from Kelly Huang, University of Houston
Former NREL intern Kelly Huang has come full circle in her career, from her participation in NREL’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) to her current role as Kalsi assistant professor at the University of Houston. Through her time in the SULI program, Huang gained hands-on research experience in wind energy, developed new skills, and forged lasting professional connections. Now, she’s paying it forward as a mentor and educator. Huang recently participated in NREL’s Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences program, which gave her a new opportunity to collaborate with NREL researchers and enhance her research skills. She integrated open-source data from NREL into her curriculum, inspiring students to pursue real-world research in clean energy and environmental fluid dynamics. Huang's journey highlights the power of mentorship and giving back.
Downwind: In Case You Missed It
Webinar Reviews History, Impact, and Future of Wind Energy Incentives
In a recent recorded webinar on WINDExchange, experts presented an overview of key incentives that support investment in U.S. wind energy deployment and manufacturing. The presenters, who came from the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center and NREL, also explained how the Inflation Reduction Act is helping to guide such investments, which include the production tax credit and investment tax credit. This webinar was hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s WINDExchange initiative.
Webinar Unveils New Distributed Wind Modeling Tools
As part of the Distributed Wind Aeroelastic Modeling project, NREL and Sandia National Laboratories researchers held a webinar Sept. 26, 2024, to share new distributed wind aeroelastic tools with the modeling community. By simulating airflow and wind turbine behavior, aeroelastic models help turbine designers understand how a turbine will function when subjected to winds over its lifetime. Through the Distributed Wind Aeroelastic Modeling project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office, researchers developed aeroelastic models for small- and medium-sized wind turbines that provide on-site power for farms, houses, and communities. Watch the webinar recording on YouTube.
Upcoming Events, News Mentions, Recent Publications
Upcoming Events
Wind energy-environmental Research and Engagement Network Webinar: Wind Turbine Design
and Bats
Nov. 6, 2024, Virtual
International Energy Agency Wind Task 59 is hosting a webinar featuring two NREL researchers that will present findings on how turbine size and wake relate to bat interactions.
Wind Wildlife Research Meeting
Nov. 12–ؘ15, 2024, Corpus Christi, Texas
This biennial event hosted by the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute brings together academics, researchers, and thought leaders to discuss themes around wind and wildlife.
National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium 2024
Dec. 10–11, 2024, Washington, D.C.
This conference hosted by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium will highlight advancements and cutting-edge research in offshore wind energy and will include panel sessions by NREL experts.
Floating Wind Solutions Conference 2025
Jan. 15–17, 2025, Houston, Texas
The Floating Wind Solutions Conference and Exhibition will unite key stakeholders within wind and offshore industries to help accelerate the adoption of floating wind energy internationally.
News Mentions
Updating Offshore Turbine Designs To Reflect Storms’ Complexity Is Key, EurekAlert!, Oct. 15, 2024
WindEconomics Snapshot: Offshore Wind Price Trends, Windpower Monthly, Oct. 11, 2024
Colorado Wind Turbine Company Vestas Hiring 400 New Employees in Expansion, Denver 7, Oct. 2, 2024
Recent Publications
Influences of Lidar Scanning Parameters on Wind Turbine Wake Retrievals in Complex Terrain, Journal of Wind Energy Science (2024)
WTK-LED: The WIND Toolkit Long-Term Ensemble Dataset, NREL Technical Report (2024)
Control of Floating Offshore Wind Energy Systems: An Introduction to the Special Issue, Institue of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Control Systems (2024)
A Solution Method for the Filtered Lifting Line Theory, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Journal of Fluids Engineering (2024)
Evaluation of the Turbine Integrated Mortality Reduction (TIMR) Technology as a Smart Curtailment Approach, Electric Power Research Institute Technical Report (2024)
Distributed Wind Energy Monitoring Best Practices, NREL Technical Report (2024)
Investigating the Interactions Between Wakes and Floating Wind Turbines Using FAST.Farm, Journal of Wind Energy Science (2024)
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