Huntsville, Ala. (Apr. 10, 2015) -- When Bill Pannell was considering how to redesign a windmill used for military operations in Afghanistan, he never thought his idea would start a statewide competition among high school and collegiate students.
Pannell, oversees the energy lab at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center within the System Simulation and Development Directorate.
"I have a small Army windmill that puts out about 300 watts of electricity in high winds, but not much in low winds. So, the idea is to have students design and build better windmill blades, to create more electricity in low winds," Parnell said. "I call it Switchblade because the students will switch out the Army windmill blades with their blades, then compete in a wind tunnel test. We will measure who produces the most power/energy within three minutes."
Part of the competition requires that blades be no more than one pound each and only a few inches longer than the existing blades. Students are encouraged to use materials of their choosing in the creation, design, and manufacturing of the blade.
Five teams are competing in the first annual Switchblade Competition to be held at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Students from Alabama A&M University, Columbia High School, Hartselle High School and two teams from the University of Alabama at Huntsville received a $500 stipend to fund their project.
Blade testing will take place over three testing session in the wind tunnel. During each session, each team's blades will be tested at 13 miles per hour for three minutes. At the end of the all three sessions, the winning team will be the one with the most efficient blades tested in Alabama wind conditions.
Competition sponsors include the Alabama Center for Sustainable Energy, Avion Solutions, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center.
The Switch Blade Competition will be held on Earth Day April 22, at the UAH Shelby Center for Science and Technology from noon to 3:00pm. This event is free and open to the public.
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