German power engineering firm Siemens Energy has announced that it will establish its US wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder, Colorado.
This facility is expected to focus on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics, wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.
Siemens and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) intend to enter into a co-operative research and development agreement (CRADA) for the installation of a Siemens 2.3MW pilot wind turbine with a 101m rotor at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) location south of Boulder, Colorado.
The company will test basic wind turbine characteristics and verify new performance-enhancing features and turbine reliability under severe weather conditions over a minimum period of three years. Siemens has established core competence centers for wind turbine R&D in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and the UK.
In the US, Boulder was chosen to leverage potential collaboration efforts with other institutions that are actively engaged in atmospheric research, and wind turbine and associated systems R&D, including NREL, the NWTC, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaborative.
This new facility will also enable technology transfer with other Siemens wind turbine R&D centers in Europe.