The US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Siemens Energy Inc. have formally commissioned a new 2.3MW Siemens wind turbine at NREL's National Wind Technology Center.
The turbine is the centerpiece of a multi-year project to study the
performance and aerodynamics of a new class of large, land-based
machines. Under their Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
(CRADA), Siemens and NREL will test basic turbine characteristics and
verify new performance enhancing features of the pilot turbine over a
minimum of three years and potentially longer. Testing will include a
full range of real-world operating conditions, including severe
weather. Under the initial phase of the US$ 14 million research
program, Siemens will contribute US$ 9 million, NREL US$ 5 million.
