Orono, Maine — The University of Maine Department of Mechanical Engineering is offering a new course in Spring 2023 titled MEE 491/591: Offshore Wind Farm Engineering with Dr. Amrit Verma, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. This course will introduce the basics of offshore wind farm engineering, including offshore climate, turbine selection criteria, substructure design, installation processes, operation, maintenance, electrical infrastructure, environmental impacts, and decommissioning. The curriculum will address state-of-the-art industrial practices and future technologies driving offshore wind farm development. 

This course is offered in the context of rapid growth in the offshore wind industry; the federal government announced a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Verma notes that meeting this target “will require world-class mechanical engineering graduates in the near future.” 

The University of Maine remains a global leader in floating offshore wind turbine technology development. The Advanced Structures and Composites Center developed the first grid-connected floating offshore wind turbine in the United States, and is now leading efforts on a floating offshore wind demonstration project off the coast of Maine. 

Two other courses offered at the University of Maine that cover different aspects of wind energy projects are: MEE480 Wind Energy Engineering and MEE489/565 Floating
Offshore System Design. The course MEE491/591 will be the first class at UMaine to focus on offshore wind farm engineering. 

The course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and will be offered for the Spring 2023 semester. Graduate students interested in pursuing a career in offshore wind can declare a concentration in Offshore Wind Energy through the Mechanical Engineering Department. For more information on the course, please contact Dr. Amrit Verma, amrit.verma@maine.edu.

Contact: Taylor Ward, Taylor.Ward@maine.edu