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Regional Test Centers

Although NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) has facilities sufficient for testing up to eight small wind turbines per year, this is not enough to satisfy testing requests from consumers, manufacturers, and state and utility incentive programs. NREL and the U.S. Department of Energy are currently defining its Regional Test Centers project and how NREL will assist in establishing Regional Test Centers.

In 2006, small wind stakeholders were surveyed about small wind turbine certification (PDF 317 KB) Download Adobe Reader.

  • Eighty-nine percent of the manufacturers who responded said that certification is important to their business.
  • The survey results indicated that applications to certify 30-70 small turbines will likely be submitted in the first few years.
  • Fifteen state and utility incentive programs will likely require small wind turbine certification.

With this foreseeable demand, additional testing organizations must be established.

In September 2008, NREL hosted a Small Wind Testing Workshop. More than 50 people attended the workshop, including representatives of existing and proposed test centers. Workshop presentations focused on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for testing wind turbines, how to apply them to small wind turbines, the formation of the American Wind Energy Association standard, the purpose of the Small Wind Certification Council, the need for increased independent testers (aka Regional Test Centers), and how NREL's NWTC can support those Regional Test Centers.

For more information about the Regional Test Centers, contact Tony Jimenez.