News
Ryse E-20 at University of Illinois Wind Research Facility
Savoy, Illinois, USA: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has opened the Illinois Wind Turbine Research Facility, a field site where engineers test new wind energy technology on a working turbine. Ryse Energy supplied the turbine, an E-20, and provides technical support to the university’s engineering team.
A working turbine for research
The facility sits at the university’s Monticello Road Field Station in Savoy, Illinois. The turbine was installed in 2025 and commissioned in 2026, and the facility opened with a ribbon cutting on September 11, 2026.
A 20 kW turbine is large enough to show the aerodynamic, mechanical, electrical and control behavior of a working wind turbine, and small enough for hands-on work. Researchers can design a change, test it in the lab, fit it to the turbine, collect data and redesign.
The turbine records more than 100 operating parameters. A hydraulic lowering system brings the nacelle and rotor to ground level for inspection, repair and sensor installation, and a research trailer and control room on site handle monitoring and data collection.
The research program
The work is led by Associate Professor Arijit Banerjee of the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It grew from a 2019 ARPA-E award for generator research, followed by US Department of Energy funding in 2024 to take the technology to turbine testing. The site will also support studies of wildlife interaction and land use, and gives students experience of permitting, utility interconnection and environmental review.
“Ryse Energy is pleased and excited to be involved with such an innovative program that will help further develop the viability of distributed wind technology. Ryse Energy is working closely with the University’s engineering team to provide support and increase both parties’ knowledge base,” said Richard Caldow, Group Chief Operating Officer, Ryse Energy.
About the E-20
The E-20 is a horizontal axis wind turbine with a permanent magnet generator, 20 kW maximum power, 18 kW rated power, a 9.8 m rotor and active pitch control. It is built for commercial, agricultural and remote industrial sites, on its own or in a wind and solar hybrid system. See the E-20 20 kW wind turbine.
Read the University of Illinois announcement: From a cornfield to a living laboratory.
Key facts
Facility: Illinois Wind Turbine Research Facility, Monticello Road Field Station, Savoy, Illinois
Owner: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Grainger College of Engineering
Turbine: Ryse Energy E-20, 20 kW maximum power
Opened: September 11, 2026
Data: more than 100 operating parameters recorded
Funding: ARPA-E (2019) and US Department of Energy (2024) research awards
