Testing center for bigger wind turbines to get $ 25 million; offshore wind eyed
Not just yet in the US: A wind farm in Sweden.Photo courtesy of Siemens. Saying that the lack of testing centers in the US for very large wind turbines puts its manufacturers at a disadvantage with European companies, the Department of Energy (DOE) said that it intends to award Massachusetts with $25 million for what would be the country’s first wind turbine testing facility.
Once built, the Massachusetts Wind Technology Testing Center will also quicken the creation of large-scale offshore wind facilities, the Energy department said. The DOE said it will also be the first commercial large-blade test facility in the US.
The testing center will be built to test wind turbine blades, which are 50 meters in length or more. It is planned to be located at the Boston Autoport in Boston Harbor.
Aside from testing commercial-sized wind turbines with larger blades, the center will also test next-generation wind turbine blades that seek to reduce costs and eventually speed up deployment.
The US currently still does not have a single offshore wind farm, like those found in Europe, although several projects are planned, especially around the states of Massachusetts, New York, and Michigan.
US Pres. Barack Obama has also approved a framework for offshore wind and other projects in the Outer Continental Shelf.
The location of the testing center provides a viable site featuring proximity to substantial offshore wind resources, truck access, a rail spur, and a 1,200-foot dock for transporting blades from oceangoing vessels, the DOE said.
Massachusetts was chosen to be the facility’s site in June 2007, with the DOE then pledging $2 million for the project. Since then, the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust has committed $13.2 million in grants and loans for design and initial development expenses, working capital, and first-year operating expenses.
With the new planned $25-million funding, construction of the facility is expected to begin in September and be completed by the end of 2010.
Massachusetts is currently concluding the testing center’s final design, and the DOE is completing the environmental review and public consultation process.
“This is part of President Obama’s broad agenda to make sure that our country leads the world in capturing the clean energy jobs of the future,” Energy Sec. Steven Chu said, adding that “the test blade facility will help make sure that the best, most efficient wind turbines are built right here in America” as the world’s wind power capacity expands.
“The clean energy technology sector is taking root and growing in Massachusetts, and hosting a national wind technology testing center will be a big boost,” said Governor Patrick. “Testing the next generation of wind turbines here will make Massachusetts a hub for the fastest-growing energy source in the world.”
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Eric Dorente
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