For long, Denmark has been a leading country within energy production using sustainable sources like wind and solar which will play a significant role in the future energy supply. Among other innovations, floating wind turbines have gained considerable attention since they became technical and economic feasible as they allow wind farms to be expanded into deeper and more remote sea areas.

Students have explored this potential in a LeadENG project initiated in 2022 which has involved students from various programs at the Department of Energy, the Department of Materials and Production, and the Department of the Built Environment.

• Construction engineers have worked on the design and construction of the floating foundation and conducted prototype testing in the large wave tank at the Department of the Built Environment. They also carried out calculations to assess whether the components performed as intended.
• Engineering Students within mechanical and production programs were responsible for the construction, including the design and production of the blade module. They worked on the design and dimensioning of various components such as the rotor, generator, gearbox, and shafts, and modeled the load on the blades based on the blade design and wind.
• Energy students have focused on the blades, the blade profiles, the number of blades, and modeling. Additionally, they worked on the wind turbine’s electricity generation and storage which provided the students with experience in hydrogen production units.

Through this LeadENG project, students across different programs succeeded in constructing a modular wind turbine which could be observed for a time in the university lake outside of Fibigerstræde 15. Subsequently, more students have continued with this LeadENG project. New structures have been developed and possible optimizations of existing modules including the wind turbine blades has been examined.

The aim of the LeadENG project is not only to develop the students’ academic abilities but also to pave the way for interests and competencies they can use in their future studies and professional careers. LeadENG projects focus on interdisciplinarity and are based on a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. This gives students a unique opportunity to work in interdisciplinary teams, providing them with insight into how different fields can collaborate to solve a concrete problem. The project contributes to the continued education of some of Europe’s best engineers in sustainability and the green transition.