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Tufts University students make impact in offshore wind efforts

04/10/2020

Students in the engineering class, Power Systems and Markets taught by Professors Barbara Kates-Garnick and Eric Hines, submit comments to Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources and Clean Energy Center on offshore wind transmission. ​

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On April 10, 2020, five students from the School of Engineering and Fletcher filed their second response to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources request for comments on offshore wind transmission. Professor Kates-Garnick, Professor Stankovic, and Professor Hines have been mentoring these students all semester in the course: Power Systems and Markets.

In February 2020, the Power Systems and Markets class filed their first submission to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)’s Request for Comments on Offshore Wind Transmission. This filing, which is now publicly available, serves as an excellent example of cross pollination of policy and engineering and demonstrates possibilities for further collaboration. On March 3, 2020, the class then attended the DOER/MassCEC Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Conference, which was held after the solicitation of written comment to gather data on whether and/or how a solicitation for independent transmission should occur and, if warranted, to issue a separate contingent solicitation for independent transmission prior to additional solicitations for offshore wind. ​

In the process of developing the submission, the group created a four-page brochure to solicit feedback from over a dozen public- and private-sector industry players, many of whom are leaders in their organizations. The response was overwhelmingly positive, indicating tremendous potential for further similar activities that make an impact on the climate and energy conversation. This work is both original on a scholarly level, and timely with respect to the energy transition. Tufts is recognized throughout the industry for our thoughtful approach to systems-level issues and the depth and clarity of our analysis.The Tufts offshore wind program is in the process of submitting multiple research proposals to further advance this work.