The Institute of Energy Research at Shantou University was established in 1993. It primarily conducts research in the following areas: aerodynamics, structural strength, and structural dynamics of large-scale wind turbines; computer-aided design and software development for wind turbines; modeling, simulation, and control of wind turbines; and wind-solar hybrid desalination as well as energy conservation and environmental protection technologies. The institute has a well-structured research team with a high level of academic education. It occupies an area of 500 m² and houses a CAD/CAM research office and a control research office. The institute is equipped with a range of advanced experimental testing instruments, which can largely meet the needs for dynamic experimental measurements of wind turbines.
The wind tunnel laboratory features a low-speed return-flow wind tunnel with dimensions of 3 m × 2 m × 20 m. Its main test section is suitable for airfoil blowing tests, while the return-flow section is suitable for experimental research on the dynamic performance of full wind turbine models. The institute has purchased internationally renowned wind turbine system analysis software, including GH Bladed, FOCUS, ANSYS, and FE-SAFE, enabling dynamic load simulation capabilities for wind turbine systems. It has also independently developed a full-system load analysis and optimization design software for large-scale wind turbines, named HAWT Design, which provides a solid research foundation and design support for aerodynamic and structural design of wind turbines.
In recent years, members of the institute have attended international conferences on wind energy abroad each year and have conducted site visits, gaining an in-depth understanding of the global development level of wind turbine technology. The institute has established good scientific and technological exchanges and collaborative research relationships with major international wind turbine research institutions. Through international cooperation and research surveys, it has accumulated a large amount of technical documentation on wind turbine research, forming a strong technical information reserve. The institute has received various awards, including one Third Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Ministry of Machinery and Electronics Industry, one Third Prize for Natural Science from Provincial Higher Education, one Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from Guangdong Province, and two Third Prizes for Scientific and Technological Progress from Guangdong Province.
Partial Interfaces of the HAWT Design Software
Structural Analysis of Wind Turbine Hub and Blades
The FD70 and FD77 1.5 MW wind turbines whose load analysis was conducted by Shantou University
