boulder>> A team of University of Colorado students took second place in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Collegiate Wind Competition after the university joined it just two years ago.

The CU students, now graduates, were one of 12 teams across the nation to compete in the 11th annual event that aims to prepare college students for jobs in the wind energy workforce. The team presented its real-world wind energy technology, project development and outreach experience from May 6 to May 9 in Minneapolis.

“We put in a lot of hours, and I think we collaborated really well and used our resources in a good way,” team member Elyse DeBarros said. “It feels really rewarding to have our work be shown in our accomplishment.”

The team tested its wind turbine prototype designs and presented its wind farm site designs.

A wind turbine converts the energy of the wind into electricity.

Students tested their prototype in a wind tunnel with a sea simulation tank that’s able to withstand the force of waves and continuous winds of up to 49 mph. This year, it was simulated to reflect similar conditions to Lake Superior or Lake Michigan. The graduates presented a site plan and full cost analysis for a hypothetical offshore wind farm and gave a presentation on wind energy careers, community engagement and outreach.

CU team member Megan Finnigan said “we’re thrilled” about placing second. “It was exciting to envision myself in a role in that industry, and see how I could potentially make a difference in my community and the world,” Finnigan said.

The competition is meant to encourage and inspire students to explore the wind energy sector.

“These challenges engaged students in innovation, planning, problem-solving and skill-building activities that translate to real-world experience for careers in the growing wind energy workforce,” Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said in a release.

“Their impressive achievements exemplify the bright future of renewable energy.”

CU has participated in the competition since 2022. It’s set up as a senior design project where each year a new team of seniors works on the same prototype to improve it and align it with that year’s competition rules.

“I think at CU they really try to make senior design be sort of a microcosm of what industry looks like, and for me it gave me some ideas of what I’m looking for in my post-grad life and what I want my career to look like,” Finnigan said.

Finnigan plans to pursue a master’s degree in technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. She wants to continue conducting renewable energy research and find her niche within the field.

“The whole weight of any one giant problem isn’t on one person,” Finnigan said.

“There’s a lot of people, and it’s a collective effort to make the world better. And it’s really cool to get to be around other people who are really passionate and hopeful and have the skills to make a difference. I’m really excited and empowered by the competition to continue that kind of work and getting to keep making cool things with awesome people.”

DeBarros is now working for solar energy startup Latimer Controls and later plans to pursue renewable energy in graduate school. Many of her teammates are pursuing higher education or getting jobs in renewable energy.

“(The competition) gave me an added bit of confidence that I do belong here and that I can create meaningful change,” she said.