New NREL Facility Tests Wind Turbine Performance
Just how hard are the winds blowing? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is trying to find out with their new facility.
The National Wind Technology Center is using a new $16 million dynamometer to test how wind turbines perform. The 5-megawatt dynamometer test facility is the newest addition at the center.
The new facility is an upgrade from a 2.5-megawatt dynamometer at the center.
"As wind turbines have gotten bigger and bigger, we needed a bigger test facility," said center director Fort Felker.
The facility was financed through a U.S. Department of Energy grant. Using a variety of gears and drive shafts, and a 6-megawatt motor, the machine can simulate various wind conditions and drive the turbine at top speeds for long periods — a key manufacturing test.
Source: The Denver Post
What Our Clients are Saying
