Small Wind Turbine Testing Pads
The National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) has eight small wind testing pads. Before NREL receives a small wind turbine for testing, staff identifies a specific test site at the NWTC, begins the procurement of the needed software or instrumentation to conduct tests, and prepares the site for the selected turbine.
Each testing site has its own plot of land, an access road, a data shed, and a meteorological tower. Data sheds and the paths to the meteorological towers are outfitted with conduit to allow for easy removal and installation of new data and power cables. Meteorological tower locations remain constant, and turbine locations vary based on rotor diameter.
Conduit getting laid in a trench from a data shed to a meteorological tower.
A typical DAS setup for one turbine. Each turbine has its own data acquisition box (shown above the computer monitor) and computer.
Data Collection
National Instruments' CompactDAQ hardware is used to measure the turbine and meteorological signals and interface with the computer. Data acquisition software (DAS) was written in LabVIEW for duration, power performance, and safety and function tests. Each turbine has a dedicated CompactDAQ with modules and a dedicated computer running LabVIEW data acquisition software.
Equipment
The NWTC owns two aerial work platforms that allow for access to the turbine nacelle for inspections and maintenance. The NWTC also owns a boom truck and winches for smaller installations.
