NREL’s wind energy research and development efforts at 

the National WInd Technology Center (NWTC) have 

contributed to numerous successes for the wind industry. 

In addition to helping its industry partners develop commercially 

successful wind turbines, NREL has developed award-winning 

components and modeling software. The Laboratory also 

engages in deployment activities that help schools, communities, 

and utilities understand the benefits of wind energy and how it 

can be successfully integrated into our nation’s electrical system 

to provide for a cleaner, more secure energy future. 

NREL’s successes in wind energy research, development, and 

deployment have:

• Reduced the cost of large and small wind turbine technologies

• Increased wind energy system reliability and operability

• Lowered risk by validating performance and design

• Increased the understanding of the true impacts of wind 

energy on the U.S. electrical infrastructure

• Expanded wind energy markets. 

Utility-Scale Wind Turbines

General Electric (GE) Wind Energy—The design of GE’s 1.5-MW 

wind turbine, which claims the largest percentage of the U.S. large 

wind turbine market today, was based on work conducted in 

partnership with NREL. We 

were involved in testing 

components such as blades, 

generators, and control 

systems from the first 

prototype developed more 

than a decade ago to the 

turbine’s successful commercialization today.

Clipper Windpower—NREL 

helped Clipper produce a 

prototype of its 2.5-MW 

Liberty wind turbine after 

only three years of R&D in a 

technology development 

partnership. The Liberty 

turbine features a new 

National Wind Technolo gy Center

light-weight, enlarged rotor that 

increases power production and 

a revolutionary generator design 

that improves reliability. Its 

design sets a new standard for 

turbine size for future turbines in 

the United States and Europe.

Small Wind Turbines

Southwest Windpower—NREL 

worked with Southwest 

Windpower to develop the 

Skystream 1.8-kW wind generator, sometimes referred to as the 

first “plug-and-play” wind 

turbine. It is easier to install, 

operate, and maintain and was 

designed as a renewable energy 

appliance for the residential 

market. Southwest received the 

2006 “Best of What’s New” Award from Popular Science for the 

Skystream and was recognized by Time Magazine for “Best 

Inventions in 2006.”

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Innovation for Our Energy Future

NREL’s Wind R&D Success Stories

GE Wind Energy 1.5-MW wind turbines at a wind 

plant in Hagerman, Idaho. PIX14336.

Clipper Windpower 2.5-MW wind turbine 

installed at a wind plant near Medicine Bow, 

Wyoming. PIX14645.

A Skystream 3.7 residential wind turbine located in Flagstaff, Arizona. PIX15030

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Windward Engineering—We worked with Windward 

Engineering to produce a 4.25-kW machine called “the Endurance,” 

which was commercialized in 2008.

Northern Power Systems—Northern Power and NREL received 

an R&D 100 award in 2000 for the development of the NorthWind 

100/20 wind turbine. The NorthWind was originally designed for 
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3305 • 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

NREL/FS-500-46635 • January 2010

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 10% post consumer waste.

Association, and Black & Veatch in 2007 to create a detailed, 

technical document that describes the impacts, costs, and benefits 

of producing 20% of the nation’s projected electricity demand 

from wind technology. The collaboration included input from wind 

industry leaders, utility sector leaders, national laboratories, and 

nongovernmental organizations. Analytical results support the 

primary conclusion that producing 20% of the nation’s electricity 

from wind technology is technically feasible and offers many 

benefits to the nation.

Grid Integration

Grid Integration of Wind Technologies—As more wind was 

installed across the United States through the early years of this 

decade, the integration of large amounts of wind into the nation’s 

electric system became a key concern for utility system operators. 

NREL worked with other national laboratories, university researchers, independent system operators, regional transmission organizations, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and DOE’s Office 

of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability on several high-penetration utility wind integration studies that demonstrate that 

significant wind energy generation can be integrated cost effectively into electric grid systems with minimal opperational impact. 

Utility Wind Integration Group—In 1998, NREL helped DOE form 

the Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG), an organization of 

utilities dedicated to accelerate the development and application 

of good wind engineering and operational practices. UWIG was a 

hallmark in changing the understanding of utilities regarding the 

implementation of wind technologies in the United States. 

Siting and Environment

NREL also works with organizations such as the National Wind 

Coordinating Collaborative, American Wind Energy Association, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, 

and Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative to resolve 

environmental issues affecting the deployment of wind energy 

technologies. NREL’s efforts supported the formation of the 

American Wind Wildlife Institute that focuses on the responsible 

development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife 

habitat. The Laboratory has also supported numerous studies on 

wind wildlife interaction and has contributed to dozens of reports, 

which led to the creation of the Wind-Wildlife Impacts Literature 

Database (WILD) at http://www.nrel.gov/wind/wild.html. WILD is a 

searchable bibliographic database that contains more than 1,000 

citations of publications from around the world regarding the 

impacts of wind projects on wildlife.

operation in remote, cold-climate areas but has since been 

reconfigured for use in a variety of applications. 

Award-Winning Components

Advanced Airfoils—NREL received an R&D 100 award in 1991 

from R&D Magazine for the development of advanced wind 

turbine blades. The new blade designs produce up to 30% more 

electricity than previous designs and have become an industry 

standard.

Power Electronics—In 2006, Northern Power Systems received a 

Technology Achievement Award from the American Wind Energy 

Association for a modular, highly efficient power electronics 

package developed through a partnership with NREL. The package can be scaled for use in a wide range of wind turbines, from 

small kilowatt to large multimegawatt systems. The new converter 

improves wind turbine reliability, energy capture, and grid 

performance.

Software

JEDI (Job and Economic Development Impact)—NREL developed this easy-to-use modeling software for wind developers, 

renewable energy advocates, and decision makers, that can be 

used to analyze the economic impacts (e.g., number of jobs) and 

the costs of constructing and operating wind power plants. 

Wind Turbine Design Codes—In 2005, Germanischer Lloyd (the 

standards approval authority in Europe) of Hamburg, Germany, 

accepted two wind turbine design codes, FAST and ADAMS, 

developed by NREL for calculating land-based wind turbine loads 

for design and certification. This international approval will help 

U.S. industry partners accelerate the development and certification of advanced wind turbines in worldwide markets.

Market Development

High-Resolution Wind Resource Maps—NREL develops highresolution wind resource maps for policy makers and the wind 

industry. These new maps have a higher resolution than the maps 

produced during the past two decades. They use Geographic 

Information Systems software to add overlays of significant 

features, such as power lines, park boundaries, and roads. By 

2009, NREL had produced and validated high-resolution maps for 

39 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 

Wind Powering America—To boost the deployment of wind 

energy, NREL’s Wind Powering America (WPA) team worked with 

state and regional representatives to form state wind working 

groups and provide them with the information they needed to 

promote wind energy within their states. When the project started 

in 1999, only four states boasted more than 100 MW of installed 

wind capacity. By the end of 2008, WPA had formed 33 state wind 

working groups and 22 of the states had more than 100 MW of 

wind capacity. 

20% Wind Energy by 2030—NREL partnered with the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE), the American Wind Energy