The University of Maine began construction in December of 2009 on the $17.4 million Advanced Nanocomposites in Renewable Energy Lab (ARNEL) in Orono, Maine. The 30,000-sf project is being built as an addition to the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and will support materials and engineering research to develop components for the deepwater offshore wind energy industry. The project was awarded $12.4 million in stimulus funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in January of 2010. The ANREL addition is designed to develop durable advanced composites materials suitable for the harsh offshore environment, which must withstand both high wind stresses and a corrosive environment. It will include a nanocomposites laboratory, prototyping space for large composite structures, a large structural testing laboratory with a test stand capable of supporting prototype 70-meter wind blades, and mechanical and environmental testing labs. Completion is expected in spring of 2011. The building was designed and engineered by WBRC Architects-Engineers of Bangor and is being built by Cianbro Corp. of Pittsfield.
