A new wind research facility at Texas Tech University is a step closer to reality. Officials from Texas Tech, the Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories, Vestas and Group NIRE broke ground on the new Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWIFT) facility.
When operational later this fall, the facility, located at Reese Technology Center, will allow the partners to investigate turbine-to-turbine interactions and rotor technologies. Other areas for research include aero-acoustics and structural health monitoring of turbines using embedded sensor systems. The site will initially include two V27 research turbines deployed by Sandia and a third V27 turbine belonging to Vestas. The SWIFT facility could eventually expand to include seven or more wind turbines, which would allow researchers to further examine how individual turbines and entire wind farms can become better “citizens of the grid” and how to be more productive and collaborative.
When operational later this fall, the facility, located at Reese Technology Center, will allow the partners to investigate turbine-to-turbine interactions and rotor technologies. Other areas for research include aero-acoustics and structural health monitoring of turbines using embedded sensor systems. The site will initially include two V27 research turbines deployed by Sandia and a third V27 turbine belonging to Vestas. The SWIFT facility could eventually expand to include seven or more wind turbines, which would allow researchers to further examine how individual turbines and entire wind farms can become better “citizens of the grid” and how to be more productive and collaborative.
