17.06.2009

Well-attended PhD summer school at Risø DTU

There were 27 participants, 10 nationalities, people from industry and PhD students from various technical universities. The summer course 'Remote sensing for wind energy', held in week 24, has been a huge success since it was first established in 2008. Last year there even was a waiting list. The course combines theory and practice in the best possible way.

”What is unique about this course – and what I think attracts so many, is that you learn about putting techniques into practice. One thing is to deal with theory; it is quite different to work with live-data here at Risø DTU. It allows you to see the real challenges and learn what to expect from the results you get,” says Senior Scientist Charlotte Hasager from Risø DTU’s Wind Energy Division. This division has organised the course.

Popular with the industry
Many of the techniques taught at the course are already known and implemented, but only in fragments. Therefore the course attracts much attention from the industry that sees advantages in gathering this knowledge in one big package.

”Last year the course was actually so popular with the industry that we have had to make guidelines for course admission this year. We have had to prioritize, so that at least one half of the participants are PhD students. Besides, it is required from students that they participate in summer schools like this,” Charlotte explains.

The interdisciplinary character of the course reflects Risø’s Wind Energy Division. The division has great expertise in measuring techniques and it has also a large number of theorists in atmospheric physics.

”In these courses we see that the young attendees prefer to solve real problems. And they are good at finding solutions,” says Charlotte.



A good start in the industry
Alan Coulsen is ’Wind Ressource Engineer’ from England where he works for wind farm developer ‘Vattenfall’. Together with two of his colleagues from Vattenfall he attends this year’s PhD summer school at Risø DTU.

"I am relatively new in the wind industry, and so are both my colleagues. This course is excellent for getting a broad insight into hands-on-management of data as well as into some of the newer techniques for remote sensing. It gives you a unique experience, having participants from different 'wind' enterprises who share their knowledge of various old and new techniques, and at the same time having people from non-profit research institutes like Risø DTU. And of course also from other technical universities," says Alan Coulsen.

This year the course has attracted slightly more men than women. There were 11 women out of 27 participants.



Participants of the Summer School 2009 in the entrance hall to the auditoriums at Risø DTU. Charlotte
Hasager wears a red blouse. On her right side is Alan Coulsen.
Photo: Katrine Krogh-Jeppesen.

Page updated  by   17.06.2009


Charlotte Bay Hasager
Senior Scientist
Wind Energy (VEA)
Dir tel+45 46775014