This story originally appeared in The Commons, the publication of The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Shh … do you hear that? It’s the sound of the wind.

And if you can hear the wind, that means the UW–Madison WiscWind team can taste the victory of another annual U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition.

Each year, students in this club work together to:

1. Design, build, and test a small-scale wind turbine
2. Develop a detailed project development plan for a large-scale wind farm
3. Conduct outreach to local communities and industry professionals

These three tasks guide the work of WiscWind’s subteam leads throughout the year, ultimately culminating in a nationwide competition against university teams from across the country. This May, WiscWind students will travel to California Polytechnic State University in hopes of bringing home another victory.

Watch now to learn how these students are blowing away the competition.