James Manwell, director of the Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is the next speaker in the “Leading Voices in Energy, Sustainability, and Security,” series
Every year, the summer series accompanies a course for sophomores, who spend the term at Dartmouth. The class meets with the speakers prior to the lecture. This year, the course is taught by Andrew Friedland, the Richard and Jane Pearl Professor in Environmental Studies.
“Everybody loves wind-generated electricity in theory, but when it is proposed for a site close to home, some people are less enthusiastic,” says Friedland. “Our class is very interested in hearing from Professor Manwell about the Cape Wind project proposed for Cape Cod and other wind installations in New England.”
Manwell will give a talk entitled “Wind Energy and Resistance in New England and Beyond,” at 4 p.m. on July 25 in Moore Hall’s Filene Auditorium.
“Professor Manwell has the special ability of being equally adept at discussing the mechanics of how wind turbines work, and why they don’t work from a societal perspective,” says Friedland.
The recipient of many awards for his research on wind energy, Manwell serves as the U.S. representative to the International Electrotechnical Commission program to develop design standards for offshore wind turbines. He is a member of the International Science Panel on Renewable Energy and has authored the textbook Wind Energy Explained: Theory, Design, and Application.
In 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Manwell the Wind/Diesel Systems Pioneer Award. In 2004, the department honored him with the Wind Energy Regional Advocacy Award.
The “Leading Voices” series started in 2011. The first season, “Leading Voices in Politics and Policy,” brought national political figures, presidential candidates, and policymakers to campus. Last summer’s “Leading Voices in U.S. Foreign Policy” included talks with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a former Defense Department official, and a retired Navy admiral. The “Leading Voices in Higher Education” series, part of the strategic planning process, featured visits from prominent figures in higher education and concluded this spring.
