View from atop the wind turbines off Block Island

URI senior lives to tell the tale

Nicholas Phillips 

On clear days, standing on the bluffs of Block Island, Rhode Island, wind turbines jut out of the blue-green ocean. They sit perfectly still in the swaying of the ocean current.

Sitting 15 nautical miles offshore, the wind is a constant companion for the turbines that generate renewable energy for thousands of homes. Anyone who’s spent time on the open water knows the wind is always there, waiting.

Wind energy has its supporters and detractors. Some see the construction of offshore projects as a disruption to marine habitats and navigational routes. Others see it as a necessary step toward a sustainable energy future.

Samantha Kipper, a senior at the University of Rhode Island in the College of Engineering, views the turbines through a different prism.

URI senior Sam Kipper says one of her favorite memories was on top of one of the wind turbines.

Kipper grew up near the ocean surfing the waters of the Pacific near Huntington Beach, California—a place she describes as very energy focused. There the focus was less on sustainable energy and more on fossil fuels. Her middle school mascot was the Oilers, and in high school it was the Chargers.

“When you drive around, you see oil rigs and oil drills still there,” says Kipper. “I think I related to energy in that way so when deciding on what I wanted to study, I thought renewable energy seemed like the way to go.”

This past summer, Kipper found herself in a position few students, and even fewer women, ever do; standing inside one of those turbines she once viewed from shore not once, but twice—up close and personal.

URI senior Sam Kipper was able to go into the Block Island Wind Farm turbines not once but twice.

Her voyage to the wind farm was part of a 10-week internship she completed with Ørsted, the Danish energy firm. 

Kipper secured her internship thanks in part to Chris Baxter, the department chair for civil and environmental engineering, and URI graduate Julie-Ann Knight ’17. Kipper does research for Baxter—where a lot of his work focuses on renewable energy. Kipper also says Knight spoke to her freshman ocean engineering class. The two stayed in touch ever since.

Over the course of 10 weeks, Kipper not only studied the science behind offshore wind but experienced it firsthand. She interned in the offshore asset management department, focusing on offshore projects. 

“You just see the turbines from the outside, but when you’re in it, you’re like, ‘oh, I’m in a power plant right now,’” says Kipper. “It’s really a mini power plant in the ocean; it was an experience so far from anything I had ever had before.”

The turbines are massive and boarding one is no small feat. The only way up is a series of ladders bolted to the foundation that you step onto as the boat that took you there rocks back and forth on the waves.

For Kipper, visiting the Block Island Wind Farm and entering one of its turbines was unforgettable. She vividly recalls her first time climbing aboard.

“They’re quite tall and the boat is also moving, so it’s like a little bit of a jump onto a ladder,” says Kipper. “Someone told me you have to commit because if you hesitate you can get hurt if the boat comes up with a swell.”

Kipper says the physical challenge was real, but so was the mental one. Ørsted provides training for those who work on the turbines every day and for those who are on them sporadically. Because of this Kipper did a week’s worth of intensive training.

“All of a sudden you have a ton of people watching you and you think, if I only use two points of contact, they’re going to know,” says Kipper.

OSHA recommends a three-point contact when on a ladder–two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand.

Once on the foundation Kipper was able to explore the inside of the turbine. 

Her favorite memory was her second time going out to the wind farm. By then, she had found her sea legs and mastered the ladder climb. What stood out most for her wasn’t the climb, but the view from the top.

She described the moment as unexpectedly tranquil, suspended more than a hundred feet above the sea.

“It’s incredibly peaceful to watch the water,” says Kipper. “There are a ton of fish around the turbines, and it was cool to see the recreational fishing boats. Then you look off and see Block Island. It’s beautiful.”

Kipper finished her internship with Ørsted in early August. Though she has her senior year ahead, she’s already contemplating her next steps. A return to Ørsted is on the table, if they’re hiring. However, this senior also understands the dynamics going on in the real world with wind farms in the Northeast.

Recently a stop work on the nearly complete Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island’s coast was sent to Ørsted from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Kipper is taking memories of world-class views and an up-close look at the energy sector with her. Kipper is passionate about the ocean, sustainable energy and the science and engineering that supports both.

“I worked really hard and feel privileged and lucky to be a woman in this industry and to achieve the certifications I’ve been able to,” says Kipper. “I hope the field continues to expand and provide new opportunities —and that I can inspire other women to feel like they can succeed in this industry as well.”