the partners

• Denmark
  • University of Denmark, DTU
  • DHI Water & Environment
  • Aalborg University
• Germany
  • ISET
  • University of Hannover
  • University of Kassel
  • University of Magdeburg
  • Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
  • University of Stuttgart
• Greece
  • University of Patras
  • CRES
  • National Technical University of Athens
• Netherlands
  • Delft University of Technology
  • ECN
• Norway
  • SINTEF, IFE and NTNU - Centre for Renewable Energy (SFFE)
• Spain
  • CENER
  • Instituto de Investigación de Energías Renovables (IIER)
  • Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)
  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • Universidad Pública de Navarra
• United Kingdom
  • CREST
  • Durham University
  • Imperial College London
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
  • University of Manchester
  • The ICC at the University of Strathclyde
  • University of Surrey
  • Queen Mary

CREST

Contact Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology – CREST Angela Marmont Renewable Energy Laboratory Loughborough University Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK phone: +44 1509 635300 fax: +44 1509 635301 e-mail: s.j.watson@lboro.ac.uk web: www.crestuk.org

CREST was established in 1993 with the remit to advance renewable energy technology so as to provide substantial and benign energy options for present and future generations.
Specifically:

CREST:

• contributes to the development and implementation of renewable energy systems through high quality research and demonstration
• works with research institutions, industry and related organisations at home and abroad to promote renewable energy
• provides training and education in both theoretical and practical aspects of renewable energy systems technology. CREST's research is principally focused on the technologies for generating electricity with renewable energy, and the integration of these technologies into electricity supply systems. The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, of which CREST is part, provides an ideal environment for such research

The Wind and Water research team at CREST has built up significant expertise through domestic and international research projects, including wind resource assessment on and offshore, condition monitoring, small wind turbine modelling and design and wind power integration.

Research groups involved

Wind power research at CREST is carried out within the Wind and Water team which consists of one academic, two post-doctoral researchers and four PhD students.
Research within this team covers:

• Wind forecasting and integration of wind energy
• Energy storage technology
• Wind resource modelling
• Condition monitoring of wind turbines
• Control and system integration of wind turbines
• Structural dynamics of wind turbines
• Wind turbine aerodynamics and design
• Building mounted wind turbines

CREST is looking at the benefits of remote condition monitoring which will become increasingly important as offshore wind power is developed, and an EU project is assessing advanced techniques for the monitoring of offshore wind farms. CREST is also part of a nine-partner SUPERGEN programme in order to extend work in this very important research field.

There is increasing pressure to develop wind power offshore, in areas of complex terrain onshore and within the built environment. CREST is in the forefront of this research using computational models to asses wind speeds in these areas. As wind turbines become ever larger, active control systems become more important. Research within CREST is ongoing on the development of an active drive-train damper control system for a large wind turbine to relieve structural forces.

Facilities & Advanced Research Tools

Desalination rig	Rig for developing optimum control system for wind-powered desalination.
Roof-top testing	Performance testing of small building-mounted wind turbines; assessment of wind resource in the urban environment.
Wind turbine	2.2kW experimental wind turbine.
Wind tunnel	Active section 1.8m × 1.3m (within the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering).
Software	CFD software for wind resource estimation, software for modelling turbine performance.

R&D Strategy

	TERM
	short	medium	long
Wind resource estimation in the built environment)
Wind profile characterisation offshore
Wind resource methodologies for offshore and near forests
Availability assessment for wind turbines
Techniques for effective condition monitoring of wind turbines
Small wind turbine design
Energy storage development and modelling
Wind power integration
Wind turbine control

Education and training activities

Since 1994, CREST has delivered the now world-renowned MSc in Renewable Energy Systems Technology. This provides a technical, theoretical and practical overview of all of renewable energy generation technologies including wind power and has provided many graduates to the renewable energy industry. CREST is also a core provider to the EUREC European Masters in Renewable Energy. In addition, the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering teaches an undergraduate MEng in Electrical and Renewable Energy Systems. For industrial training, CREST provides a yearly summer school in Wind Energy. In terms of postgraduate research, CREST supports a number of PhD students to underwrite the Centre’s research programme. Some of these are funded through research grants and some through departmental scholarships. European cooperation is facilitated through the Erasmus-Socrates programme and CREST takes an active part with strong links with the University of Malta and the University of Zaragoza in Spain.