Offshore Renewable Energy Systems Optimization: The Pacific Perspective

Offshore renewable energy has the capability to dramatically shift electricity generation in North America, by capitalizing on abundant renewable resources, close proximity to electricity consumers, and an inherent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However, these systems face significant technical, economic, and political barriers that have all but prohibited their integration into the US grid. In this talk, I’ll discuss engineering design and systems design approaches that consider multiple, competing objectives in the development of offshore energy systems, thus helping to overcome these barriers. Given my affiliation with Oregon State University and the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, I’ll use examples of specific offshore technologies relevant on the Pacific coast of the United States, such as floating offshore wind, wave energy converter arrays, and hybrid offshore energy systems. 

Dr. Bryony DuPont is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University. She is one of seven full-time faculty working in the Design Engineering Laboratory, one of the largest academic mechanical design groups in the US. Bryony’s students work in design automation for renewable energy systems and sustainability, research areas that are exciting and relevant and have nothing to do with the fact that she was born on Earth Day. Bryony completed her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University, spent some time as a research intern at the National Wind Technology Center, and is currently affiliated with NNMREC: The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center. Bryony’s path to an academic position was motivated by an unnatural curiosity of computer-aided design, the inability to work only eight hours a day, and a flair for showmanship (she is a classically trained vocalist). She gesticulates wildly when discussing women in engineering, engineering education for young students, the immense influence of the arts in science and engineering, musicals, and her twin girl cats. Find her on Twitter @BryonyDuPont, or Instagram @dr.dupont.

 

Date: 
Thursday, September 21, 2017 - 3:30pm
Location: 
Gunness Student Center Conference Room
Year: 
2017
Semester: