International Research Collaboratives
NREL's National Wind Technology Center's (NWTC) researchers leverage U.S. research dollars by participating in multi-lateral research collaborations with many international organizations. NWTC collaborates with several of the world's most respe cted institutions, including the national research institutions of other countries. NREL also works through international agencies dedicated to the common interests of energy research and applications such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Underwriters Laboratory, and the International Measuring Network of Wind Energy Institutes (MEASNET).
International Energy Agency
NREL supports international research efforts through its participation in activities conducted under the International Energy Agency's Wind Implementing Agreement. This collaborative effort provides U.S. researchers the opportunity to exchange recent technical and market information and gain valuable feedback for the U.S. industry. NREL manages or co-manages many of these high-profile international activities leading to important technical insights and publications. NWTC's Brian Smith chaired the agreement in 2009 and 2010.
International Wind Standards
NREL is a leader in the development of international standards related to wind energy applications. NWTC researchers and field testing personnel are members of standards committees for the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Underwriters Laboratory (UL), and the International Measuring Network of Wind Energy Institutes (MEASNET). Efficient quality control processes performed by the NWTC produce reliable test results in accordance with the following international standards:
- Acoustic Noise: IEC 61400-11, MEASNET, AWEA, and BWEA
- Power Performance: IEC 61400-12-1 , MEASNET, AWEA, and BWEA Mechanical Loads — IEC 61400-13
- Power Quality: IEC 61400-21 and MEASNET
- Duration Testing: IEC 61400-2, AWEA, and BWEA
- Safety and Function: IEC 61400-1, IEC 61400-2, AWEA, and BWEA
| Standard | Description | NWTC Participant |
|---|---|---|
| IEC 61400-1 | Wind turbines — Part 1: Design Requirements | Paul Veers, Pat Moriarty |
| IEC 61400-2 | Wind turbines — Part 2: Design Requirements for Small Wind Turbines | Jeroen van Dam, Trudy Forsyth (secretary) |
| IEC 61400-3 | Wind turbines — Part 3: Design Requirements for offshore wind turbines | Jason Jonkman |
| IEC 61400-5 | Wind turbines — Part 5: Rotor blades. | Derek Berry (secretary) |
| IEC 61400-11 | Wind turbines — Part 11: Wind turbine generator systems | Arlinda Huskey (secretary); Jeroen van Dam |
| IEC 61400-12-1 | Wind turbines — Part 12-1: Power performance measurements of electricity producing wind turbines | Arlinda Huskey |
| IEC 61400-13 | Wind turbine generator systems — Part 13: Measurement of mechanical loads. | Rick Santos (convener); Jeroen van Dam |
| IEC 61400-14 | Wind turbines — Part 14: Declaration of apparent sound power level and tonality values | Arlinda Huskey (secretary); Jeroen van Dam |
| IEC 61400-21 | Wind turbine generator systems — Part 21: Measurement and assessment of power quality characteristics of grid connected wind turbines | Vahan Gevorgian, Ismael Mendoza |
| IEC 61400-23 | Wind turbine generator systems — Part 23: Full-cale structural testing of rotor blades | Derek Berry (secretary); Jeroen van Dam |
| UL6141 | Proposed Standard for Wind turbine converter products and assemblies | Jeroen van Dam |
| UL6142 | Proposed Standard for Safety for Wind Turbine Generating Systems - Small | Ismael Mendoza |
| UL6741 | Proposed Standard for Safety for Wind Turbine Converters and Interconnection Systems Equipment | Ismael Mendoza |
| IEEE 1547 | Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems | Jim Green |
| Measnet PP | Power Performance Measurement | Arlinda Huskey |
| Measnet AC | Acoustic Noise Measurement | Arlinda Huskey |
| Measnet PQ | Power Quality Measurement | Ismael Mendoza |
| Measnet Loads | Loads Measurement | Jeroen van Vam |
International Collaborations
NWTC collaborates with many international organizations, including:
BWEC — Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative: NWTC and BWEC conduct collaborative research on risk assessment and mitigation methods for bat and wind turbine interactions.
CENER-CIEMAT: Spain's National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER) specializes in applied research, and the development and promotion of renewable energies, and along with CIEMET, Spain's center for energy, environment, and technological research, collaborate with NWTC in test facility and code development.
DeepWind: DeepWind is a European Union-funded research project investigating the feasibility of a novel vertical axis offshore wind turbine.
Frauhofer IWES (Germany): This German institution partners with NWTC in a co-leadership role leading IEA Annex 30.
Garrad Hassan & Partners, Ltd. (United Kingdom): Gerrad Hassan collaborate with NWTC on UpWind controls testing.
NaREC: National Renewable Energy Centre Ltd. (United Kingdom) — the UK's national centre dedicated to accelerating the deployment and grid integration of renewable energy and low carbon generation technologies. NaREC and the NWTC share resources and experiences in the development of future wind energy test facilities.
NOWITECH: NWTC collaborates in a Norwegian-funded project researching topics related to the development of deep water offshore wind. NWTC sits on the NOWITECH scientific advisory committee.
ORECCA Offshore Renewable Energy Conversion Platforms — Coordination Action: NWTC is participating as project member of this European Union collaborative to create a roadmap for development of offshore renewables, with interest in synergistic activities between Offshore Wind and Ocean Energy.
Risø (Denmark): NWTC and Risø collaborate on a variety of wind energy technology areas including both land-based and offshore applications.
Technical University of Delft (The Netherlands): NWTC and the Technical University Delft collaborate in research, development, and testing of advanced wind turbine controls and wind turbine system identification.
