Field Testing: Independent, Accredited Testing and Validation for the Wind Industry (Fact Sheet)

This fact sheet describes the field testing capabilities at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). NREL's specialized facilities and personnel at the NWTC provide the U.S. wind industry with scientific and engineering support that has proven critical to the development of wind energy for U.S. energy needs. The NWTC's specialized field-testing capabilities have evolved over 30 years of continuous support by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program and long standing industry partnerships. The NWTC provides wind industry manufacturers, developers, and operators with turbine and component testing all in one convenient location. Although industry utilizes sophisticated modeling tools to design and optimize turbine configurations, there are always limitations in modeling capabilities, and testing is a necessity to ensure performance and reliability. Designs require validation and testing is the only way to determine if there are flaws. Prototype testing is especially important in capturing manufacturing flaws that might require fleet-wide retrofits. The NWTC works with its industry partners to verify the performance and reliability of wind turbines that range in size from 400 Watts to 3 megawatts. Engineers conduct tests on components and full-scale turbines in laboratory environments and in the field. Test data produced from these tests can be used to validate turbine design codes and simulations that further advance turbine designs