This project tasks us with creating and modifying 3-phase PMSG’s to be used in the CWC by the
Energy Club here at NAU. It is referred to as the 3D Printed CWC-scale Generators project, but the 3D
printed portion is a bit of a misnomer. It means these generators are small scale to be used in the CWC.
NAU has experimented with custom generators in the past but has commonly ended up using drone
motors that were later modified for the CWC. These generators have performed poorly and lead to
problems with lead times and designing around commercially available products rather than custom ones
built for the sole purpose of wind competition. To solve these problems, we will first test existing
generators with the Energy Club’s dynamometer to characterize their performance. Then we will simulate
the generators in Ansys Maxwell and MotorCAD, make modifications to current generator designs, and
design our own generators to meet the specific design requirements.
The client of the project is NAU Professor David Willy who advises clubs like BAJA and the
Energy Club and has over 20 years in the field of renewable energy. He is providing us with $500 to
complete this project, which will be divided amongst the future tasks of testing, modifying, and making
generators. We are also tasked by the Capstone professor, Carson Pete, with fundraising at least $300 to
further fund our project. Through a combination of physical and monetary donations through family,
friends, and a GoFundMe page, this $300 goal has already been achieved. Further fundraising will
continue to help our need for parts and sensors as the project progresses.
This project is important because it revolves around the renewable wind energy field. Wind
energy is a fast-growing industry as it has over doubled the energy provided across the US from 4% in
2014 to 10% in 2023 [1]. The CWC helps students across the country get firsthand experience with this
industry and the technology within it. Providing job experience and monetary support to continue
succeeding in college and beyond. Producing the generators will help our NAU team perform better in the
CWC, providing a greater chance of success in the competition. Helping the NAU team succeed helps
NAU succeed. NAU’s success will bring more opportunities to future engineering students, providing
more resources and opportunities to help up and coming engineers in whatever field they pursue.
[1] Climate Central, “A Decade of Growth in Solar and Wind Power: Trends Across the U.S. | Climate
Central,” www.climatecentral.org, Apr. 03, 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/solar-and-wind-power-2024