Practical week for online students "Wind Energy Systems

"With the practical week, we want to give our students the opportunity to get to know each other personally and to exchange ideas in an analogous way, both professionally and in terms of content" says study program coordinator and project manager Dr. André Bisevic. "This week offers students the rare opportunity to network with researchers at various Fraunhofer Institutes and companies in the wind energy industry" adds Prof. Dr. Detlef Kuhl, who heads the study program and the Department of Construction Mechanics and Dynamics at the University of Kassel.

In addition to the practical week, the participants also had the opportunity to complete an internship in Germany and get to know various German research and industrial sites in the wind energy sector. During the practical week, the students jointly visited the laboratory facilities of various wes.online lecturers at the University of Kassel as well as the research laboratories for grid integration of wind energy of the Kassel-based Fraunhofer IEE. At the Söhrewald wind farm in the Kassel region, the students first visited a wind tower. During their subsequent visit to the 200-meter-high measuring mast in Wolfhagen-Nothfelden, they learned details from Fraunhofer IEE researchers about the special features of wind farms in uneven terrain.

At Germany's largest manufacturer of wind turbines Enercon in Aurich, the students were informed about their career opportunities in the company and were given an exclusive tour of the rotor blade production hall. At the Fraunhofer IWES research site in Bremerhaven, the students visited the modern offshore wind turbine of the Spanish manufacturer ADWEN as well as the rotor blade test center, where whole-blade fatigue tests are carried out. The participants of the practical week also gained insight into the dynamic nacelle test laboratory DyNaLab of IWES. A visit to the interactive museum Klimahaus in Bremerhaven was also part of the program and informed the students about weather, climate zones, and the causes and consequences of climate change.

The practical week concluded at the Recruiting Day of the national wind fair in Husum. Every two years, companies along the entire value chain and life cycle of wind turbines present themselves at Husum Wind. The trade fair thus offers its visitors the opportunity to network further and find out about professional prospects and career opportunities.

Participating students rated the practical week as an enriching and rewarding addition to their online studies. "I traveled from Buenos Aires to Kassel for the WES study trip and would do it again. I believe that the possibility to meet your fellow students and professors is very enriching for the online study program. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to meet the professionals and visit the laboratories that are at the vanguard of the wind energy industry. This combination of technical and social aspects makes the study trip really motivating for the people who are passionate about wind energy and technology. I would definitely recommend everyone to participate", is the résumé of Pedro Grasso from Argentina.

Iranian Anahita Rahmanian says: "The study trip was a good opportunity not only to meet some professors and students of the program, but also to learn some facts about the manufacturing, testing and validation process of wind turbines and related subjects in the wind industry. Many thanks for the organization!"

The online M.Sc. Wind Energy Systems is the result of a cooperation between the University of Kassel, Fraunhofer IEE and IWES as well as various representatives of the wind industry. The pool of lecturers is composed of all three areas. The practical week was sponsored by the Stifterverband and the Fraunhofer Academy.

Press contact:

Markus Zens
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de