Siemens Energy (NYSE: SI) announced it will establish a wind turbine research and development center in Boulder, Colorado. The facility will focus on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics, wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.
Siemens and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), located in Golden, Colorado, also intend to enter into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for the installation of a Siemens 2.3-megawatt (MW) pilot wind turbine with a 101-meter-rotor at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) location south of Boulder.
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.
"We are very pleased to establish our first wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder. The proximity of important institutions such as NREL and the NWTC, as well as the support received from the State of Colorado and the City of Boulder, make Boulder the perfect location for a R&D center in the U.S.," said Randy Zwirn, head of Siemens’ Energy Sector in the U.S.
Presently, Siemens has established core competence centers for wind turbine R&D in Copenhagen (Denmark), Aachen (Germany), Delft (Netherlands) and Keele (United Kingdom). In the U.S., 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, a state-funded program including the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines.
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said, "This is another great testament to Colorado’s growing New Energy economy. The arrival of the Siemens U.S. wind turbine research center draws particular attention to the creative and groundbreaking work being done in energy R&D in Colorado right now."
Siemens competitor in the wind industry, Vestas Wind Systems (VWS.DE) opened it first U.S. factory in Colorado last march and announced plans to build the world’s largest wind tower plant there in 2010.
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