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My name is Curran Crawford I'm a prof at UVic, in mechanical engineering, and I
study sustainable energy systems. I work on wind turbines, tidal turbines, and
things like plug-in electric vehicles and how they all work together on the
electrical grid.
My research in wind turbines is aimed at making wind turbines operate more
efficiently and more cost-effectively. It's important because reducing the cost
of wind energy makes it a viable alternative energy source.
The most important aspect of our research is that we're creating computer models of
the turbines that haven't existed in the past that allow us to design them better,
and better predict their performance over time.
Here at UVic in my lab we're also working on something called demand side
management, that basically allows a customer to decide when to use
say their water heater or their space heating
and better time their usage of electricity with renewable generations
like wind, that are fluctuating over time.