A team of students from the University of Melbourne has scored top honours at an international offshore wind competition in France, becoming the first group from the southern hemisphere to participate in the event.
The six-member student team claimed first place in the ‘Report’ category and third place in the ‘Structure’ category at the Floating Wind Challenge. The competition encourages the next generation of engineers to pioneer innovative offshore clean energy solutions.
Developed over 12 months under the university’s Students in Renewable Energy (SiRE) club, the team built a floating support structure for a 500W wind turbine. Before transporting their prototype overseas, the students rigorously tested the design in local waters at Melbourne’s Elwood Beach.
The award-winning design incorporates a dual-power mechanism that captures both wave and wind energy.
“As waves rose and fell inside the oscillating water columns, they pushed air through a second turbine — an attempt to add extra power to the system,” team co-leader Olivia Perkins said.
“Building an offshore wind farm is a huge financial cost, so we wanted to design in extra renewable power to make it more commercially attractive.”
Co-leader Nick Kluckow noted that transporting the structure presented a unique logistical puzzle, requiring the team to pack the watertight assembly into four cabin-sized duffel bags.
Academic champion Associate Professor Shiaohuey Chow praised the hybrid wind-wave design, highlighting the hands-on expertise gained by the engineering students as vital for Australia’s developing offshore wind sector.
Supported by the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, the Melbourne Energy Institute, and the Australian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy, the team earned a €1,000 (AU$1,600) prize for innovative design alongside corporate sponsorship.