ii

Contents

BUILDING A NEW ENERGY FUTURE.................................. 1

BOOSTING U.S. MANUFACTURING ................................... 5

ADVANCING LARGE WIND TURBINE TECHNOLOGY........... 7

GROWING THE MARKET FOR DISTRIBUTED WIND.......... 12

ENHANCING WIND INTEGRATION................................... 14

INCREASING WIND ENERGY DEPLOYMENT .................... 17

ENSURING LONG-TERM INDUSTRY GROWTH ................. 21
1

BUILDING A NEW ENERGY FUTURE

We will harness the sun and the winds and the

 soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. . . . 

— President Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009

I

n 2008, wind energy enjoyed another record-breaking year of 

industry growth. By installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new 

generation during the year, the U.S. wind energy industry took 

the lead in global installed wind energy capacity with a total of 

25,170 MW. According to initial estimates, the new wind projects 

completed in 2008 account for about 40% of all new U.S. powerproducing capacity added last year. The wind energy industry’s 

rapid expansion in 2008 demonstrates the potential for wind 

energy to play a major role in supplying our nation with clean, 

inexhaustible, domestically produced energy while bolstering 

our nation’s economy.

To explore the possibilities of increasing wind’s role in our national 

energy mix, government and industry representatives formed a 

collaborative to evaluate a scenario in which wind energy supplies 

20% of U.S. electricity by 2030. In July 2008, the U.S. Department 

of Energy (DOE) published the results of that evaluation in a report 

entitled 20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy’s 

Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply. According to the report, 

the United States has more than 8,000 gigawatts (GW ) of available 

land-based wind resources that could be captured economically.

In the early release of its Annual Energy Outlook 2009, the U.S. 

Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that U.S. electricity 

consumption will grow from 3,903 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 

2007 to 4,902 billion kWh in 2030, increasing at an average annual 

rate of 1%. To meet 20% of that demand, U.S. wind power capacity 

would have to reach more than 300 GW (300,000 MW). This growth 

represents an increase of more than 275 GW within 21 years. 

Although achieving 20% wind energy will have significant 

economic, environmental, and energy security benefits, to make 

it happen the industry must overcome significant challenges.

Stimulating Economic Growth 

Achieving 20% wind energy by 2030 would have widespread 

economic benefits. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) 

reported that the wind industry employed about 85,000 workers 

and channeled approximately $17 billion into the U.S. economy in 

2008. Approximately 55 facilities for manufacturing wind-related 

equipment were announced or opened in 2008. Under the 20% wind 

energy scenario, the industry could support 500,000 jobs by 2030, 

180,000 of which would be directly related to the industry through 

construction, operations, and manufacturing. 

In the decade preceding 2030, the 20% scenario would support 

100,000 jobs in associated industries such as accountants, lawyers, 

steelworkers, and electrical manufacturing, and it will generate much 

needed income for rural communities. Farmers and landowners 

would gain more than $600 million in annual land-lease payments 

and regional governments would gain more than $1.5 billion 

annually in tax revenues by 2030. Rural counties could use these 

taxes to fund new schools, roads, and other vital infrastructure, 

creating even more jobs for local communities.

Protecting the Environment

Achieving 20% wind by 2030 would also provide significant 

environmental benefits in the form of avoided greenhouse gas 

emissions and water savings. For example, a 1.5-MW wind turbine 

can power 500 homes and displace 2,700 metric tons of carbon 

dioxide (CO2) per year (the equivalent of planting 4 square kilometers 

of forest every year). According to AWEA, by the end of 2008, wind 

energy produced enough electricity to power approximately 

7 million households and avoid nearly 44 million metric tons of 

emissions—the equivalent of taking more than 7 million cars off 

the road. Generating 20% of U.S. electricity from wind could avoid 

Wind Energy Program Mission: The mission of DOE’s Wind 

and Hydropower Technologies Program is to increase the 

development and deployment of reliable, affordable, and 

environmentally responsible wind and water power 

technologies in order to realize the benefits of domestic 

renewable energy production.

www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_2030.htm
2

approximately 825 million metric tons of CO2 in the electric sector 

in 2030.

In addition to emissions reductions, the increased use of wind 

energy will reduce water consumption. Electricity generation 

accounts for 50% of all water withdrawals in our nation. The 20% 

wind scenario is projected to result in an 8% reduction (or 4 trillion 

gallons) in cumulative water use by the electric sector from 2007 

through 2030. In 2030, annual water consumption in the electric 

sector will be reduced by 17%.

Meeting the Challenges 

The 20% report concluded that, although achieving 20% wind 

energy is technically feasible, it requires enhanced transmission 

infrastructure, increased U.S. manufacturing 

capacity, streamlined siting and permitting 

regimes, and improved reliability and operability 

of wind systems. To address these challenges, 

the DOE Wind Program collaborates with federal, 

state, industry, and stakeholder organizations 

to lead wind-energy technology research, 

development, and application efforts.

Enhancing Wind Integration

One of the challenges to meeting 20% of the 

nation’s electricity demand with wind energy 

is moving the electricity from the often remote 

areas where it is produced to the nation’s urban 

load centers. More transmission capacity and 

more sophisticated interconnections across 

the grid are needed to relieve congestion on 

the existing system, improve system reliability, 

increase access to energy at lower costs, and 

access new and remote generation resources. The 

Wind Program is working closely with the DOE 

Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability 

to effectively coordinate the DOE’s contributions 

to the transmission planning efforts. This joint 

program effort will focus on linking remote 

regions with low-cost wind power to urban 

load centers, allowing thousands of homes and 

businesses access to abundant renewable energy. 

In addition to the need for expanding and 

improving the nation’s transmission system, 

the natural variability of the wind resource can 

present challenges to grid system operators 

and planners with regard to managing 

regulation, load following, scheduling, line 

voltage, and reserves. Although the current 

level of wind penetration in the United 

States and around the world has provided 

substantial experience for successful grid 

operations with wind power, many grid 

operators are still concerned about the 

impacts that increasing the percentage 

of wind in their energy portfolios will 

have on system reliability. To increase 

utility understanding of integration and 

transmission issues associated with increased 

wind power generation, Wind Program 

researchers at the DOE national laboratories are working with 

industry partners on mitigating interconnection impacts, electric 

power market rules, operating strategies, and system planning 

needed for wind energy to compete without disadvantage to serve 

the nation’s energy needs.

Increasing the Manufacturing Capacity and 

Growing a Skilled Workforce 

Achieving 20% wind energy would also support an expansion 

of the domestic manufacturing sector and related employment. To 

keep pace with this rapid growth, manufacturers need to develop 

robust and cost-effective manufacturing processes that incorporate 

automated systems to reduce labor intensity and increase 

Wind’s economic ripple effect

Induced Impacts

 These jobs and earnings 

 result from the spending by 

 people directly and indirectly 

 supported by the project, 

 including benefits to grocery 

 store clerks, retail salespeople, 

 and child care providers

Indirect Impacts

 These are jobs in and 

 payments made to supporting 

 businesses, such as bankers 

 financing the construction, 

 contractors and equipment 

 suppliers

Direct Impacts

 On-Site

• Construction workers

• Management

• Administrative support

• Cement truck drivers,

 road crews, 

 maintenance workers

 Off-Site

• Boom truck and 

 management, gas and

 gas station workers

• Manufacturers (turbines, 

 blades, towers, etc.)

• Hardware store purchases

 and workers, spare parts 

 and their suppliers

Annual CO2 emissions avoided with

2030 wind scenario

According to EIA, The United States annually emits approximately 6,000 million metric tons of 

CO2.These emissions are expected to increase to nearly 7,900 million metric tons by 2030, with 

the electric power sector accounting for approximately 40% of the total (EIA, 2007). Generating 

20% of U.S. electricity from wind could avoid approximately 825 million metric tons of CO2

in the electric sector in 2030. The 20% scenario would also reduce cumulative emissions from 

the electric sector through that same year by more than 7,600 million metric tons of CO2

(2,100 million metric tons of carbon equivalent). 
3

production. To fill the jobs created by this expansion, training 

programs are needed to provide a skilled workforce. 

To facilitate this growth, the Wind Program is working with 

universities and industry members to incorporate advanced 

materials into wind turbine blades and investigate manufacturing 

process automation and fabrication techniques to reduce productto-product variability and premature failure while increasing the 

domestic manufacturing base. To grow the skilled workforce, the 

program works with universities and K-12 schools to develop vibrant 

wind energy educational programs in locations across the country.

Advancing Wind Energy Technology

DOE’s Wind Program has worked with industry for more than 

25 years to advance both large and small wind energy technologies 

and lower the cost of energy. For large wind technologies, these 

industry partnerships have succeeded in increasing capacity factors 

and dramatically reducing costs. Capacity factors have increased 

from about 22% for wind turbines installed before 1998 to about 

34% for turbines installed between 2004 and 2006. Costs have been 

reduced from $0.80 (current dollars) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 1980 

to between $0.05 and $0.08/kWh today, so that in some areas of the 

nation, wind power has become the least expensive source of new 

utility-scale electricity generation.

In order to increase industry growth, however, the technology 

must continue to evolve, building on earlier successes to further 

improve reliability, increase capacity factors, and reduce costs. To this 

end, in 2008, DOE announced a Memorandum of Understanding 

(MOU) designed to advance wind power technologies and increase 

deployment. Under this MOU (http://www.energy.gov/media/DOE_

Turbine_Manufactures_MOU_5-31-08.pdf), DOE is cooperating with 

six leading wind turbine manufacturers: GE Energy, Siemens Power 

Generation, Vestas Wind Systems, Clipper Turbine Works, Suzlon 

Energy, and Gamesa Corporation. The two-year collaboration is 

designed to increase turbine performance and reliability.

DOE’s R&D Capabilities

To meet the many complex challenges facing the wind industry 

today, DOE draws on the capabilities and technical expertise found 

in nine of its national laboratories. The 

laboratories include: Argonne National 

Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois; Idaho 

National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Los 

Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 

New Mexico; Lawrence Berkeley National 

Laboratory, Berkeley, California; Lawrence 

Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, 

California; National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory, Golden, Colorado; Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 

Richland, Washington; and Sandia National 

Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

As the lead wind energy research facility, 

the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

(NREL) conducts research across the broad 

spectrum of engineering disciplines that 

are applicable to wind energy, including: 

atmospheric fluid mechanics and 

aerodynamics; dynamics, structures, and 

fatigue; power systems and electronics; 

wind turbine engineering applications; and systems integration. 

As the only facility in the United States accredited through the 

American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to perform 

several critical tests, NREL’s National WInd Technology Center 

(NWTC) provides the high quality testing required by wind turbine 

certification agencies, financial institutions, and other organizations 

throughout the world. Tests accredited by A2LA to International 

Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standards include wind turbine 

noise, power performance, power quality, and several structural 

safety, function, and duration tests.

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has more than 10 years of 

experience in wind-radar interaction R&D. INL staff work with wind 

Clipper Windpower’s wind turbine manufacturing facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

NREL’s National Wind Technology Center provides high-quality testing for wind 

turbine systems and components.
4

developers and radar site managers to mitigate 

wind-radar system interactions that may ultimately 

affect the development of wind plants. INL’s windradar interaction R&D efforts include conducting 

site-specific assessments to develop guidelines; 

improving radar software; improving hardware; 

filtering algorithms, gap filling, and fused radar 

systems; improving small plane detection; 

providing better modeling techniques; and 

developing computer modeling systems to 

predict performance before construction.

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) specializes in 

all aspects of wind turbine blade design and system 

reliability. Activities at SNL focus on reducing the 

cost of wind generated electricity and improving 

the reliability of systems operating nationwide. 

Research disciplines include: materials, airfoils, 

stress analysis, fatigue analysis, structural analysis, 

and manufacturing processes. By partnering with 

universities and industry, SNL has advanced the state 

of knowledge in the areas of materials, structurally 

efficient airfoil designs, active-flow aerodynamic 

control, and sensors.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) 

works with DOE, state and federal policymakers, 

electric suppliers, renewable energy firms, and 

others to evaluate state and federal renewable 

energy policies and provide expert assistance 

in policy design; analyze the markets for and 

economics of various renewable energy sources; 

and examine the benefits and costs of increased 

market penetration of renewable energy 

technologies with a focus on wind and solar 

power. LBL also spearheads the program’s annual 

production of the Annual Report on U.S. Wind 

Power Installation, Cost, and Performance 

Trends.

The Argonne, Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, 

Oak Ridge, and Pacific Northwest National 

Laboratories all provide support for the program’s 

systems integration research. 

•	Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is developing

improved methodologies for wind forecasting and 

working to increase the deployment of advanced 

wind forecasting techniques that will optimize 

overall grid reliability and system operations. 

•	Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is

conducting power flow analysis of the western 

interconnect of scenarios associated with 20% 

electricity from wind by 2030 and of scenarios 

to reach state renewable electricity standards. 

•	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

is working to improve wind forecasting methods 

through the analysis and validation of SODAR and 

tall-tower data. Researchers at LLNL also work 

with utilities to effectively integrate improved 

wind forecasting information into control room 

operations.

•	Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is collecting wind resource data to develop an

archive that will provide information for wind energy research, planning, operations, 

and site assessment. ORNL is also examining the issues involved in importing large 

quantities of wind energy to the southeastern United States to satisfy possible 

renewable portfolio standards. 

•	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is evaluating the effectiveness of

integration strategies such as virtual balancing areas, sharing of regulation resources, 

operating reserves, area control error, and control room use of forecasting to address 

wind and load variability on the utility grid in the Pacific Northwest. 

Sandia National Laboratories developed an advanced data 

acquisition system (ATLAS II) on a GE Wind 1.5-MW wind 

turbine. The turbine is part of a cooperative activity 

involving SNL, GE Wind, and NREL.

Sandia researchers work with industry partners to 

develop the advanced materials and manufacturing 

processes required by longer blades.

Researchers at the NWTC structural test facility, which is 

accredited by A2LA to perform blade tests in accordance 

with IEC standards, conduct structural tests on full-scale 

wind turbine blades for subcontractors and industry 

partners. The facility can handle blades up to 45 meters 

in length.

The NWTC has two dynamometer 

test facilities—a 2.5-MW and a 

225-kW—to help its industry 

partners conduct a wide range of 

tests on wind turbine drivetrains 

and gearboxes. 
5

T

he wind industry’s recent rapid growth has accelerated job 

creation, particularly in manufacturing. In that sector, the share 

of domestically manufactured wind turbine components has 

grown from about 30% in 2005 to approximately 50% in 2008. To 

ensure that this growth continues, the DOE Wind Program works 

with U.S. manufacturers to develop advanced fabrication techniques 

and automation processes that will enable them to increase their 

component production capabilities. 

The focus of the fabrication and materials research is to reduce the 

rate of weight growth as the blades increase in size. Using advanced 

materials such as carbon and carbon/glass hybrids will reduce the 

weight of the blade while increasing its strength and flexibility. By 

using advanced materials and optimized blade sensors to enhance 

reliability and load control, researchers hope to extend the life of 

blades as well as other turbine components to reduce repair and 

replacement costs.

The Wind Program is also exploring methods of improving resin 

transfer molding (RTM) and vacuum-assisted RTM manufacturing 

processes for utility-grade blades that incorporate automated 

processes to help manufacturers ensure consistent product quality 

and reduce labor.

BOOSTING U.S. MANUFACTURING

More than 90% of these jobs will be in the private sector, jobs . . . 

constructing wind turbines and solar panels.

—President Barack Obama, remarks to Congress and the American people, February 24, 2009

SNL works with industry partners to develop advanced fabrication techniques and automation processes.
6

During the past few years, the Wind Program has worked with 

blade manufacturer Knight & Carver to develop an innovative wind 

turbine blade design that is the first of its kind to be produced at 

a utility-grade size, and which promises to be more efficient than 

conventional designs. Made of fiberglass and epoxy resin, the Sweep 

Twist Adaptive Rotor (STAR) blade is 27 m long—almost 3 m longer 

than the blade it will replace. Instead of the traditional linear shape, 

the blade curves toward the trailing edge, which allows it to respond 

to turbulent gusts in a manner that reduces fatigue loads on the 

blade. The STAR blade was specially designed for maximum energy 

capture at low wind speed sites. Knight & Carver expects that STAR 

will increase energy capture by 5% to 9%, significantly reducing 

the cost of energy (COE) of wind turbines at low-wind-speed sites. 

STAR can be deployed at sites with annual average wind speeds of 

5.8 meters per second (m/s), measured at 10-m height. Such sites are 

abundant in the United States. The ability to site turbines in these 

areas would increase twentyfold the available land area on which 

wind energy can be economically developed.

The Wind Program’s blade manufacturing research also includes 

work to develop:

• More efficient blade structures,such asthick airfoils with designs

that fully integrate structure and aerodynamics, along with 

slenderized blade geometries

• Adaptive structures,such as passive bend-twist coupling and

active-aero devices

• Design detailsto minimize stress concentrationsin ply drop

regions (ply drop-off is a technique widely used to achieve gradual 

thickness change in composite laminate, and it can be used to form 

boundary tapering of a composite patch bonded 

to a parent structure)

• Less expensive, embedded blade root attachment devices

Creating Advanced Materials

Today’s utility-scale wind turbine blades are fabricated with 

conventional composite materials such as fiberglass, polyester and 

vinyl ester resins, and core (balsa or foam). They have a rotor diameter 

span between 57 m and 90 m and have a power generation capacity 

of between 1 MW and 3 MW. The newest turbine design concepts 

will take wind power generation far beyond the 1-MW to 3-MW 

range and will require much larger turbine blades with more efficient 

architectures, load alleviation concepts, and a higher content of 

carbon fiber and epoxy resins.

Wind Program researchers are developing several new blade 

material options for wind turbine manufacturers, including carbon, 

carbon-hybrid, S-glass, and other new material forms. They are 

creating design details that minimize stress concentrations in ply 

drop-off regions and are developing less expensive, embedded 

blade attachment devices.

One of the program’s latest studies conducted by researchers 

at SNL presents an overview of composite laminates for wind 

turbine blade construction and summarizes test results for three 

prototype blades that incorporate a variety of structural and material 

innovations. The study examines recent SNL-sponsored material 

fatigue testing performed at Montana State University and provides 

highlights of the SNL/Global Energy Concepts Blade System Design 

Study-Phase II research that tested a variety of carbon and carbonhybrid materials. The blades tested under this study survived 20-year 

equivalent fatigue test loads thus demonstrating the value of 

incorporating carbon into wind turbine blades. Although cost and 

market stability remain as challenges for large implementation of 

carbon in commercial designs, the methodologies developed by 

these projects will enable blades to be lighter, stronger, and smarter. 

For more information on the studies conducted at SNL visit www.

sandia.gov/wind/topical.htm.

The DOE Wind Program worked with Knight & Carver to develop an innovative 

wind turbine blade that the company expects to increase energy capture by 

5% to 9%. The most distinctive feature of the Sweep Twist Adaptive Rotor 

(STAR) blade is its gently curved tip.
7

ADVANCING LARGE WIND 

TURBINE TECHNOLOGY

We’ve also made the largest investment in

 basic research funding in American history,

 an investment that will spur not only new

 discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs

 . . . in science and technology.

—President Barack Obama, remarks to Congress and

 the American people, February 24, 2009

T hree decades of wind energy research have succeeded in greatly increasing wind turbine 

size and capacity, from 100-kW machines with a 17-m rotor diameter to multimegawatt 

machines with rotor diameters larger than 100 m, while greatly reducing the cost of wind 

energy. Although these improvements in performance, reliability and cost have all contributed to 

the success enjoyed by the wind industry today, to achieve 20% wind energy, the technology must 

continue to evolve. Continued incremental improvements can further reduce system cost and 

increase performance and reliability. These improvements can only be achieved through a systems 

development and integration approach. No single component improvement in cost or efficiency can 

achieve the cost reduction or improved capacity factor that system-level advances can achieve. 

Capacity factors can be increased by using larger rotors on taller towers, which requires innovative 

design approaches and advanced materials, controls, and power systems. Costs can be reduced and 

Since 1980, wind turbines have grown in size and capacity, from 100-kW machines with a 17-m rotor diameter to multimegawatt machines with rotor diameters 

larger than 100 m.

GE 1.5-MW wind turbine
8

reliability increased through the advanced designs and materials that 

reduce weight and hence reduce the loads on the machines.

Enhancing Turbine Reliability 

Program researchers continue to work on creating more reliable 

components, improving turbine capacity factors and reducing 

installation, operation, and maintenance costs. To help identify 

reliability issues, the Wind Program created a national reliability 

database to gather and store wind farm operations data. Analysts 

examine these data and report baseline reliability statistics. Program 

researchers use these analyses to launch technology improvement 

projects where critical reliability issues are discovered, and invite 

manufacturers and wind-plant owners and operators to participate. 

For the past two years, SNL has sponsored public Wind Turbine 

Reliability Workshops to facilitate partnerships and information 

exchange across the industry. These workshops identify and examine 

some of the most pressing reliability, operation, and maintenance 

issues experienced by operators, developers, turbine suppliers, and 

component vendors.

Gearboxes 

Gearbox reliability is a major issue for the wind energy industry. 

Gearbox replacement and lubrication account for 38% of the parts 

cost for the entire turbine system. Recurrent gearbox failures have 

plagued the industry since the technology’s inception and they 

continue to prevent the turbines from achieving their intended 

20- to 25-year lifespan. 

In 2006, the Wind Program launched a Wind Turbine Gearbox 

Reliability Collaborative (GRC) to focus industry efforts on improving 

gearbox performance. The goal of the GRC is to validate the typical 

design process—from the wind turbine system loads to bearing 

rating—through a comprehensive dynamometer and field-test 

program on extensively instrumented gearboxes. This design analysis 

will isolate gaps in the state-of-the-art design process and form a 

basis for improving reliability of future designs and retrofit packages.

In July 2008, the GRC analysis team, comprising the world’s 

leading turbine manufacturers, consultants, and experts, met for 

the first time to compare preliminary baseline predictions of geartooth loads and bearing loads. The team’s efforts will help the GRC 

understand where design process gaps and discrepancies exist and 

help clarify how much detail will be needed to capture relevant 

design information. All of the meeting’s participants agreed that 

this unique project will prove extremely valuable in terms of 

increasing the collective awareness of the unique aspects of the 

wind turbine gearbox-design process.

Validating Performance and Design

The Wind Program works with industry partners to validate the 

designs and performance of wind turbines by conducting tests on 

components and full-scale turbines in laboratory environments and 

in the field. The data produced by these tests are also used to validate 

turbine design codes and simulations to improve the turbine design 

process. 

Full-Scale Turbines

At the NWTC, engineers are installing the two largest turbines 

ever tested at the laboratory. A GE 1.5-MW and a Siemens 2.3-MW 

turbine will be erected on the NWTC’s eastern perimeter in 2009. 

These turbines will help researchers improve turbine performance 

and reliability. 

The Siemens 2.3-MW turbine is a late-stage prototype. It features 

a novel blade design that captures more of the wind’s energy, but 

should not force any more load onto the turbine’s moving parts and 

control systems. It will be heavily instrumented to produce a constant 

stream of data on aerodynamics, power characteristics, vibrations, 

system fatigue, acoustics and other key measurements. Siemens is 

providing the turbine, engineering support, and maintenance from 

its new R&D office in nearby Boulder, Colorado. NREL is providing the 

site, installation services and expertise in field aerodynamics testing, 

structure and reliability testing, and 

meteorological analysis. 

The GE 1.5-MW turbine will 

mainly be used as a tool for longterm testing and R&D.  It will be 

instrumented to collect detailed 

data that will help researchers 

address a variety of issues, including 

wind farm underperformance and 

premature turbine component 

failure.  In addition, it will be used for 

educational and outreach purposes.

Drivetrains

Wind Program engineers at NREL 

worked with several companies 

in 2008 as part of the program’s 

efforts to help industry partners 

validate and improve the performance of wind turbine components. 

Global Energy Concepts completed tests in the NWTC’s 2.5-MW 

dynamometer test facility on a promising prototype 1.5-MW 

single-stage permanent-magnet drivetrain. This new component 

was developed under the DOE WindPACT project and currently 

is being considered for new utility-scale wind turbine system 

designs.

Composite Technology Corporation (CTC) worked with NREL 

to test its new DeWind D8.2 drivetrain for a 2.2-MW wind turbine 

model that was designed for operation on the 60-Hertz (Hz) U.S. 

electrical grid. CTC decided to spin test the 60-Hz drivetrain on the 

NWTC’s dynamometer to minimize risk before erecting a full 60-Hz 

demonstrator wind turbine at a test site in Sweetwater, Texas. The 

dynamometer tests demonstrated stable and satisfactory operation 

at power levels ranging from 250 kilowatts (kW) to 2 MW.

The Gearbox Reliability Collaborative analyzes gearbox designs to improve reliability.
9

Blade Design and Testing

To verify the performance of new blade designs and materials, the 

Wind Program worked with several industry and academic partners 

in 2008 to conduct structural tests on a variety of blades, including 

Knight & Carver’s 27-m STAR blade developed with SNL and a 46.2-m 

blade developed by TPI Composites. The NREL structural testing 

group also worked with SNL researchers to test the 9-m TX-100 wind 

turbine blade developed by SNL.

New Blade-Testing Facilities

In response to the increased industrial activity across North 

America and the larger blades being deployed on wind turbines, 

the Wind Program is working with consortiums in Massachusetts 

and Texas to develop two new blade test facilities. The new facilities 

will give industry an unbiased, technical environment in which to 

ensure that the new larger blades meet design and certification 

standards. Testing these new blades before they are deployed in the 

field will reduce the financial and technical risks associated with mass 

production. The new facilities will be capable of testing blades up to 

80-m and 100-m long. 

Advanced Control Strategies

Advanced wind turbine control strategies, such as independent 

blade pitch and generator torque, can increase energy capture and 

reduce turbine structural loading. Wind Program studies indicate that 

the performance of large wind technology can be improved if the 

industry moves toward the use of larger more slender turbine blades 

placed on taller towers. Designing these large structures to be long 

lasting and fatigue-resistant—at minimal cost—will be a difficult 

task. Although the rotor itself can be made more cost effective 

through innovative control approaches, the entire wind turbine 

system will benefit as loads are reduced everywhere on the structure.

Developing Design Tools and Simulation Codes

The wind industry relies heavily on design tools and simulation 

codes for wind turbine performance, loads, and stability analyses 

and development. The fundamental codes are comprehensive 

“aero-hydro-servo-elastic” codes, meaning that they incorporate 

aerodynamic models, hydrodynamic models (for offshore systems), 

control system (servo) models, and structural-dynamic (elastic) 

models in a fully integrated simulation environment. Ancillary tools, 

Wind Program researchers at the NWTC conduct structural tests, such as this static test on a 44-m wind turbine blade, for industry partners.

Clipper Windpower produced a prototype of its 2.5-MW Liberty wind turbine 

after only 3 years of cooperative R&D with the Wind Program.

such as for data analysis, are also needed to support the design and 

analysis process.

The Wind Program has developed tools and codes that now 

are the industry standard for analysis and development for wind 

turbine designers, manufacturers, consultants, and researchers in 

the United States and around the world. For example, AeroDyn, 

an aerodynamics software library developed by NREL and its 

subcontractors, is widely used by horizontal-axis wind turbine 

designers for aerodynamic analysis. This analysis includes modeling 

the wind turbine’s performance, stability, and loads. 

AeroDyn Upgrade

In February 2008, NREL held a two-day workshop at the NWTC 

to kick off an overhaul of the AeroDyn software. With 50 attendees, 

the high level of interest in the meeting underscored the important 

role that AeroDyn and the other design codes developed and 
10

maintained by program researchers play in the wind energy 

industry. All attendees agreed that limitations in the existing 

design codes are barriers to the advancement of wind power, 

and that the improvement of AeroDyn is critical to the successful 

long-term performance, operation, and reliability of wind turbines. 

The objectives of the overhaul of AeroDyn are to improve its 

functionality, readability, and usability; to eliminate errors; to make it 

easier to include additional aerodynamic theories; and to develop a 

standardized and streamlined interface to structural dynamic analysis 

programs.

International Cooperation 

As a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind 

Energy Executive Committee, the DOE Wind Program supports 

international wind energy research efforts by providing operating 

agents for several IEA R&D activities or Tasks. The United States 

participates in the 10 IEA Tasks listed below, is the operating agent 

for four of the Tasks, and provides technical experts for the Topical 

Expert meetings held under Task 11: Base Technology Information 

Exchange.

• Task 19: Wind Energy in Cold Climates

• Task 20: Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Aerodynamics and Models

from Wind Tunnel Measurements—Operating Agent

• Task 21: Dynamic Models of Wind Farmsfor Power Systems Studies

• Task 23: Offshore Wind Energy Technology and Deployment—

Operating Agent

• Task 24: Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems—

Operating Agent

• Task 25: Power System Operation with Large Amounts of Wind

Power

• Task 26: Cost of Wind Energy—operating agent

• Task 27: Labeling of Small Wind Systems

• Task 28: Social Acceptance of Wind Energy Projects 

• Task 29: Analysis of Wind Tunnel Measurements and Improvement

of Aerodynamic Models 

The program’s participation in the 

IEA Wind Implementing Agreement 

gives U.S. researchers the opportunity to 

collaborate with international experts in 

wind energy, exchange recent technical 

and market information, and gain 

valuable feedback for the U.S. industry. 

For more information on IEA activities, 

visit the IEA Web site at www.ieawind.org.

A Cooperative Research and 

Development Agreement (CRADA) 

with Spain

The Wind Program is also working 

with Spain’s Centro Nacional de Energías 

Renovables (CENER) to commission a new 

facility for testing blades manufactured 

in Spain. CENER is an industrial 

technology center and has the mission 

of identifying, generating, disseminating, 

and transferring scientific and technical 

knowledge to the renewable energy 

sector. Information obtained from 

CENER will be used to accelerate the 

development of the program’s new blade test facilities in the United 

States.

CENER also works with program researchers at NREL to verify, 

validate, and improve wind turbine design, aerodynamic, and 

acoustic computational codes.

Developing International Standards

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) oversees 

committees of researchers and industry representatives that develop 

international design standards. These standards often dictate 

design specifications for wind manufacturers that need certification. 

Researchers from the Wind Program must be involved in these 

committees to ensure that requirements placed in the standards are 

fair to the U.S. industry. Many of these standards also specify testing 

procedures with which the researchers must comply. Knowledge 

and correct interpretation of the standards therefore is crucial to 

the DOE testing program. Standards also drive research through the 

development of tools that can be used by industry to meet future 

requirements.

The Wind Program is currently involved in the development of 

12 IEC standards for large and small wind turbines, all of which are 

at different stages of maturity. Standards are being developed in the 

areas that include: turbine safety and design, gearbox requirements, 

noise, extreme load estimation, power quality, and offshore turbines.

Building Offshore Wind Plants 

Offshore wind energy installations have the potential to make 

a large impact on meeting the future energy needs of the United 

States. Of the contiguous 48 states, 28 have a coastal boundaries and 

U.S. electricity use data show that these states use 78% of the nation’s 

electricity. When shallow water offshore potential (less than 30 m in 

depth) in these states is taken into account, 26 of the 28 states have 

the wind resources to meet at least 20% of their electricity needs. 

Although the U.S. has not yet built any offshore wind plants, projects 

totaling more than 2,000 MW in capacity have been proposed for 

locations off the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Twenty-six of the 28 coastal states have enough offshore wind resource to meet at least 20% of their 

electricity needs with wind energy.
11

Commercialization of offshore 

wind energy faces many technical, 

regulatory, socioeconomic, and 

political challenges, some of which 

can be mitigated through targeted 

short- and long-range R&D efforts. 

Manufacturers can develop larger 

wind turbines that are capable of 

producing more energy for offshore 

applications because they do not 

have to contend with the same 

transportation size limits that limit 

the size of land-based turbines. 

These turbines must also be more 

reliable and rugged due to the 

harsh marine environment. The 

industry requires comprehensive 

research assistance to reduce costs 

for foundations, electrical grids, 

operation and maintenance (O&M), 

and installation and staging.

The Wind Program is working 

with the Minerals and Management 

Service (MMS), its national 

laboratories and industry experts to 

understand the existing certification 

standards so they can be applied 

to U.S. offshore wind turbines. The Energy Policy Act enacted in 

2005 granted the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) regulatory responsibility over renewable energy and 

alternate uses of offshore public lands. For the last 40 years, MMS 

has regulated the offshore oil and gas industry and other mineral 

extraction activities in federal waters known as the Outer Continental 

shelf (OCS). 

To ensure the safe installation and operation of wind plants 

in U.S. coastal waters, DOE and MMS are studying representative 

technologies and the impact varying marine environments will 

have on structural reliability, especially where tropical storms are 

present. As a first step in this development process, the two agencies 

are comparing the standards developed by the International 

Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and other organizations to certify 

offshore wind turbines in Europe to standards developed by the 

American Petroleum Institute (API) for offshore drilling platforms 

to see if they can deliver comparable level of structural safety. U.S. 

coastal waters are plagued by tropical storms that are not present 

on coasts of Europe. Therefore, the standards used to design U.S. 

offshore wind turbines must account for these rare but extreme 

storm conditions that create wave, current, and wind loads similar to 

what the offshore U.S. drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico experience. 

Although the API standards developed for offshore U.S. drilling rigs 

account for these severe storm conditions, they are not applicable 

in many areas because they were developed for petroleum 

technologies/structures, which differ greatly from wind turbine 

structures. 

Although some of the standards used by the IEC to certify 

European offshore wind turbines may be applicable for U.S. 

applications, most of the offshore wind turbines in Europe are 

installed in water shallower than 30 m on fixed-bottom substructures. 

U.S. coastal waters are much deeper than those found off European 

coasts, and Wind Program researchers are working to develop 

floating platform design codes that can be used to make cost 

effective offshore floating systems. To help manufacturers develop 

cost-effective technologies for the deeper U.S. coastal waters, the 

Wind Program is developing models that will simulate the behavior 

of floating wind turbine systems. Although many floating wind 

turbine concepts have been proposed, few have been evaluated 

because available modeling capabilities have been limited. The Wind 

Program developed its model by combining the computational 

methodologies of the land-based wind turbine and offshore oil 

and gas industries. In 2007, program researchers tested the model’s 

simulation capability to ensure correctness and all verification 

exercises produced positive results that could lead to a more 

thorough investigation of the dynamic behavior of offshore floating 

wind turbines. 

The DOE Wind Program is also working to provide the best 

possible information to potential offshore U.S. wind developers. 

As part of this effort, program researchers at NREL are working with 

AWS Truewind to assess offshore wind resources, using mesoscale 

models to generate 200-m x 200-m resolution wind data out to 

50 nautical miles. 

DOE is also an active participant in the IEA implementing 

agreement on Ocean Energy Systems and NREL was selected to be 

the U.S. Technical Administrator for the new IEC/TC 114 standards 

committee, focusing on developing standards for ocean and 

hydrokinetic technologies. Hydrokinetic technologies use wave 

energy and ocean, tidal, and river currents to produce electricity. 

This IEC standards committee is comprised of approximately 14 

countries and it will begin forming technical working groups in 

2009 to address the performance of devices, design, structural 

safety standards, resource assessment methods, and ocean energy 

terminology from a global perspective. 

Floating platform concepts for offshore wind turbines 
12

GROWING THE MARKET 

FOR DISTRIBUTED 

WIND

Northern Power Systems 100-kW wind turbine

We will transform the way we use energy.

—President Barack Obama, remarks before signing the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, February 17, 2009 

T

he term distributed wind technology (DWT) generally refers 

to single wind turbines installed at the utility distribution level, 

including installations on the customer side of the meter. 

These machines range in size from less than 1-kW to 1,000-KW 

(1 MW) turbines and are often used to offset the customer’s 

electricity costs. In 2008, the industry found a growing domestic 

market for distributed wind power systems, including small machines 

for residential and small farm applications and midsize machines 

for larger agricultural, commercial, industrial, and public facilities.

The small and mid-sized wind turbine markets have unique 

challenges. For example, product gaps exist for 5-kW, 15-kW, and 

100-kW to 1,000-kW turbines. Installations usually consist of single 

turbines owned by individuals or small businesses that do not 

have wind engineers on the premises, which makes simplicity 

in design, ease of repair, and long maintenance and inspection 

intervals important. Also, because these wind turbines are usually 

close to workplaces or residences, limiting the amount of sound a 

turbine emits is critical for market acceptance and zoning approvals. 

However, small turbines have lower wind speed requirements, 

therefore more locations can accommodate and harvest wind with 

this technology.

Wind Program researchers are working to help the wind industry 

meet growing consumer demands for small turbines (up to 100 kW) 

for residential and small business applications; midsized turbines 

(100 kW to 1,000 kW) for farms, ranches, and small industry; and 

locally owned community projects using larger turbines tied to 

distribution lines. The program also provides technical support and 

independent testing to the small turbine industry to ensure that safe, 

credible, and reliable products are available in the U.S. market.
13

Assessing the Market for Midsize Turbines

A midsized-turbine market assessment study, conducted by 

the DOE Wind Program in 2008, examined significant barriers to 

the development of distributed wind and the positive and negative 

factors that affect its economic viability. The report summarized 

the existing market for 100 GW of currently available commercial 

turbines and an additional 100 GW of market potential for a new 

generation of more efficient turbines. The report concluded that 

several developments are needed for distributed wind to achieve 

greater penetration, including improvements in the technology, 

reductions in cost, and greater policy support. The full report, 

An Analysis of the Technical and Economic Potential for MidScale Distributed Wind, is available to the public through NREL’s 

publication database at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44280.pdf.

Conducting Independent Testing

To help industry offer consumers more small wind turbine 

systems that are certified for safety and performance, the Wind 

Program at NREL launched an independent small wind turbine 

test project in 2007. The first four turbines to undergo testing were 

selected in 2008. These turbines were installed at the NWTC in 2008: 

Mariah Power’s Windspire Giromill machine, a 1.2-kW vertical-axis 

wind turbine; Abundant Renewable Energy’s 442 10-kW turbine; 

Gaia-Wind’s 11-kW two-bladed turbine; and Entegrity Wind System’s 

EW50 50-kW turbine. These commercially available turbines are 

being tested to standards adopted by the IEC and in compliance 

with the draft AWEA standards for small wind-turbine systems. The 

tests, which include power performance, power quality, acoustics, 

safety and function, and duration, are underway. More information 

is available at http://www.nrel.gov/wind/smallwind/independent_

testing_videos_text.html.

Regional Test Centers

Although the 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. The Wind Program is currently scoping a project 

to develop Regional Test Centers (RTCs) and defining how these RTCs 

would operate.

As part of that effort, the program hosted a Small Wind Testing 

Workshop in 2008. More than 50 people attended the workshop, 

including representatives of existing and proposed test centers. The 

workshop provided an opportunity for researchers to coordinate 

with small wind testing organizations and identify wind turbine 

test experts across North America that are involved with qualifying 

or certifying the performance of commercial small wind turbines. 

Participants from the academic sector, as well as organizations such 

as the New York State Energy Research Authority, expressed interest 

in working with the Wind Program to set up their own small wind 

testing and research centers.

The Small Wind Certification Council

The Wind Program is also funding and providing technical 

support for the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC). The council 

is developing process and procedures guidance for manufacturers 

to be able to submit test data and have their turbines certified. 

Certification by the SWCC will help strengthen the deployment of 

small wind turbines by increasing consumer confidence that the 

turbines they purchase will operate as advertised. Manufacturers 

also benefit from certification because consumers are more likely 

to purchase a turbine from a manufacturer that is certified. The 

availability of certified small wind turbines will also provide greater 

security to consumers and state-supported programs, further 

helping to smooth the growth trajectory of the rapidly expanding 

small wind market.

International Activities

On the international front, the Wind Program co-hosted the 2008 

International Wind-Diesel Workshop in Girdwood, Alaska. More 

than 170 participants from more than 10 countries participated in 

discussions about the potential for a combination of wind and diesel 

technologies to provide power for remote and isolated communities. 

The expanded interest in the application of wind energy in places 

such as Alaska, Hawaii, and other isolated communities largely 

is driven by the rapidly rising cost of diesel fuel. Wind energy 

technology is seen as one of the key technologies that can be 

used to reduce the cost of energy in these areas. The meeting was 

co-organized by the Alaska Energy Authority, the Renewable Energy 

Alaska Project, and the Wind Energy Institute of Canada.

The Gaia 11-kW wind turbine is one of four wind turbines installed at the 

NWTC to be tested in the Small Turbine Independent Testing project.
14

Understanding Integration and Resource 

Planning

The natural variability of the wind resource can present challenges 

to grid system operators and planners with regard to managing 

regulation, load following, scheduling, line voltage, and reserves. 

While the current level of wind penetration in the United States and 

around the world has provided substantial experience for successful 

grid operations with wind power, many grid operators need to gain a 

better understanding of the impacts of wind on the utility grid before 

they can feel comfortable increasing the percentage of wind in their 

energy portfolios. The goal of the Wind Program’s systems integration 

research is to address interconnection impacts, electric power 

market rules, operating strategies, and system planning needed for 

wind energy to compete without disadvantage to serve the nation’s 

energy needs.

The Renewable Systems Interconnection (RSI) Team

As the nation moves toward an energy market with greater use 

of wind energy, it is becoming more important for grid operators 

to understand how they can reliably integrate large quantities of 

wind energy into routine system operations. To address this need, 

DOE tapped the resources of its national laboratories to form an RSI 

research team. The team includes researchers from Argonne National 

Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos 

National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 

and Sandia National Laboratories. 

Team members are working with industry partners, university 

researchers, independent system operators (ISOs), regional 

transmission organizations (RTOs), the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission (FERC), and DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability (OE). The team’s charter is to increase the understanding of 

the true impacts of wind energy on the U.S. electrical infrastructure 

and to ensure that grid reform measures include provisions for variable 

generation resources such as wind energy.

The RSI team has participated in several high-penetration utility 

wind integration studies that demonstrate that significant wind 

energy generation can be integrated cost effectively into electric grid 

systems. Scenarios evaluated included penetrations of up to 25% 

energy from wind in Minnesota, 33% renewables in California, and 

20% wind energy capacity in Colorado. At these moderately high 

penetration levels, these studies found that wind power’s variability 

and uncertainty imposed reasonably low ancillary costs, less than 

$5/MWh. 

The team is also examining the major areas of the grid known as 

the Western Interconnection and the Eastern Interconnection. The 

Western Interconnection stretches from western Canada south to 

Baja California in Mexico, reaching east over the Rockies to the Great 

Plains. The Eastern Interconnection reaches from central Canada east 

to the Atlantic Coast (excluding Québec), south to Florida, and back 

west to the foot of the Rockies (excluding most of Texas, which has its 

own interconnection grid). During normal system conditions, all the 

electric utilities in each interconnection are electrically tied together, 

operating at a synchronized frequency averaging 60 Hz.

ENHANCING WIND INTEGRATION

And it’s an investment that takes the important first step toward a nationwide [energy] 

transmission superhighway that will connect our cities to the windy plains

of the Dakotas and the sunny deserts of the Southwest.

—President Barack Obama, remarks before signing the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, February 17, 2009
15

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study

The RSI team is working with companies GE and 3TIER to 

investigate the impacts of significant penetrations of wind and solar 

on the grid in a large portion of the Western Interconnection. This 

stakeholder-driven effort includes the statistical analysis, scenario 

development, and simulation runs that will examine issues such as 

the geographical diversity of wind, feasibility of megaprojects (1,000 

MW or greater), and intricacies of balancing area cooperation. 

3TIER is using mesoscale models to create wind speed and wind 

power output time series. The modeling effort covers a very large 

area and the time series generated covers a period of 3 years. This 

effort will generate 30,000 simulated time-series data sets of wind 

power output. This mesoscale modeling effort represents unique 

30-MW wind plants, totaling 600 GW of potential wind power 

capacity. GE will then conduct power system modeling and analysis 

using these data sets. Results will be publicly available online at 

www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegrarion/. 

Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study

This investigation—the largest integration study conducted 

to date—encompasses the ISOs and RTOs in regions covered by 

the Midwest ISO (MISO), the Midwest Reliability Organization, the 

Southwest Power Pool (SPP), Entergy, the Tennessee Valley Authority, 

the Southeast Electricity Reliability Corporation, PJM (PennsylvaniaJersey-Maryland RTO), the New York ISO, and the New England ISO. 

The company AWS Truewind is conducting the mesoscale modeling, 

and EnerNex and MISO are carrying out the power system modeling 

and analysis. This study supports efforts to examine the feasibility 

of a 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission system that could enhance the 

interconnections between MISO and PJM and might expand to 

include the SPP.

North American Electric Reliability Corporation 

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Integrating 

Variable Generation Task Force is currently examining the role of 

wind energy in system reliability. The task force includes members 

from transmission operators, reliability regions, and utilities around 

the United States and Canada. The RSI team began working with 

the task force in 2008 to ensure that its members have accurate 

information about the impacts of wind energy on the operation of 

the nation’s energy infrastructure and that wind energy is at the heart 

of reliability and regulatory discussions.

Forecasting the Wind

Wind energy industry representatives and utility managers have 

expressed concerns about the inability to accurately predict wind 

plant performance. System operators need better projections of how 

much electricity their wind turbines will generate, and consulting 

wind forecasts can significantly reduce the uncertainty of wind 

output. Highly detailed, localized weather forecasts will enable 

utilities to better integrate electricity generated from wind into the 

power grid. The forecasts will help operators make critical decisions 

about powering down traditional coal- and natural-gas-fired plants 

when sufficient winds are predicted, allowing utilities to increase 

their reliance on alternative energy and still meet the needs of their 

customers.

Model Representations of the Wind Resource

The Wind Program is developing model representations of the 

wind resource, including seasonal, daily, and hourly data, to better 

characterize the potential benefits and impacts of wind on system 

operation and assess transmission availability. The work will provide 

operators with a tool to anticipate wind generation levels and adjust 

the remainder of their generation units accordingly. Improved 

short-term wind production forecasts will let operators make better 

day-ahead market, operation, and unit-commitment decisions and 

help real-time operations in the hour ahead. Advanced forecasting 

systems will also help warn of extreme wind events so that operators 

can implement a defensive system posture if needed. The seamless 

integration of wind plant output forecasting—into both power 

market operations and utility control-room operations—is a critical 

next step in accommodating large penetrations of wind energy in 

power systems. 

New Forecasting Tools to Pinpoint the Wind Resource

According to the 20% by 2030 report, inaccurate wind forecasts 

and the failure to appropriately integrate and utilize forecast 

information in market and power dispatch strategies have a direct 

impact on system reliability and operational costs. To address 

this challenge, several DOE laboratories are working with utility 

This mesoscale model created by 3TIER will help investigators study the 

impacts of significant penetrations of wind and solar on the grid in a large 

portion of the Western Interconnection.

Forecasting models like this model produced by WindLogics, Inc., in St. Paul, 

MN, can help grid operators anticipate extreme events and improve accuracy 

on planning, scheduling and system balancing time scales
16

operators and other government agencies to improve forecasting 

methodologies and tools. 

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is evaluating the current 

wind power forecasting methodologies and tools to identify their 

strengths and limitations and then develop new and improved wind 

forecasting methodology based on the evaluation findings. ANL will 

then work with grid operators to figure out how wind power plants 

and power systems can incorporate these advanced wind forecasting 

technologies into their operations. 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is working with 

forecast modelers and system operators to improve short-term 

wind energy modeling capabilities and to design an interface 

environment for system operators based on control room operations 

and organizational knowledge. LLNL is also analyzing data collected 

from meteorological towers and SODAR installations and will use 

the results of their analysis to recommend advanced forecasting 

techniques that will enable operators to better anticipate wind 

power generation.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working 

with Xcel Energy and the National Center for Atmospheric Research 

to demonstrate the next generation of forecast modeling capability, 

coupled with seamless integration of forecast information into the 

control room operations. NREL is also working with the Bonneville 

Power Administration (BPA) and Xcel to improve steady-state wind 

energy predictions by assessing the latest probabilistic distribution 

forecasts and neural network analysis techniques used to evaluate 

wind plant operational anomalies. 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is working with 

BPA to enhance wind and load forecasting models and develop 

probabilistic tools. These tools will enable system operators to better 

manage wind variability by integrating wind forecasts into the load 

following process within the energy management system.

“Storing” the Wind

Research conducted for the 20% Wind by 2030 report shows that 

wind’s variability need not be a barrier to its incorporation as an 

option in national energy portfolios. With the continuing evolution 

of the U.S. electrical system and expansion of electricity markets, 

wind generation can reliably supply 20% of the U.S. electricity 

demand. However, as increasing regional penetration levels of wind 

are considered, Wind Program researchers are examining a variety of 

technologies, including storage that could increase system reliability 

when high levels of variable alternative energy sources such as wind 

are incorporated into the grid. 

Various technologies offer different levels of efficiency, rate of 

discharge, and time of storage at different costs. The Wind Program’s 

RSI team is developing a flexibility supply curve to examine the 

various options for accommodating variable resources and their cost 

ranges. To develop the curve, team members are examining capacity, 

energy, and ancillary services values in different market structures 

using actual market price dynamics. The team is also examining 

different storage technologies with regard to capacity, discharge rate, 

and estimated costs.

As part of this effort, the Wind Program is conducting a study 

in the Upper Midwest that examines the technical and economic 

feasibility of combining utility-scale wind generation with 

compressed-air energy storage. The study includes wind resource 

characterization; grid characterization, analysis, and benefits; storage 

options; turbo machinery assessment, facility staging and integration; 

government and public strategies; and economic evaluation.

The DOE Wind Program is also working with the European Union 

to benchmark the requirements for storage components in renewable 

energy systems (RES). The goal of this collaboration is to create a 

database of the operation of components for renewable energy 

storage systems. 

Wind Resource Assessment and Validation

Achieving 20% wind energy by 2030 depends on expanded wind 

power markets and supportive public policies. In order to expand the 

markets, developers must first identify the areas that show the greatest 

potential for growth. Wind resource assessments validated at 50-m 

height have facilitated the rapid growth experienced by the wind power 

market over the last decade and provided a sound foundation for public 

policy initiatives to move forward, including state-level renewable 

portfolio standards. As wind turbines become taller, they will be able 

to access the wind resources at 100 m and above, and these resources 

show even greater potential for expanding wind power markets. Even 

market areas with mediocre wind resources at 50 m could experience 

significant growth through resources validated at 100 m. 

Measured wind data are critical to validating 100-m wind resources. 

Validated wind resources can also help researchers develop wind 

plant power curves for use in integration studies; improve wind power 

forecasting; validate, calibrate, and improve mesoscale models for use 

in integration studies; and understand microeffects.

To collect the data needed to validate these resources, the DOE 

Wind Program is procuring data from existing tall towers and forming 

strategic partnerships to utilize existing wind data measurements and 

networks that include thousands of existing communication towers. 

The program is also investigating the use of SODAR to perform wind 

feasibility assessments. 

The Wind Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing 

an archive for wind resource data that will enable a broad range of 

users to perform a more rapid analysis of wind energy potentials by 

allowing the entire user community to develop a common, shared 

information resource. 

Wind Integration Modeling

Analytic studies and scenario modeling are illuminating the 

necessary pathways to 20% by 2030. The Renewable Energy 

Deployment System (ReEDS) model developed by Wind Program 

researchers at NREL is the principal analytical tool used to model 

scenarios for the generation capacity and transmission infrastructure 

expansion in the 20% report. To ensure greater model fidelity, program 

researchers are expanding their analysis of the 20% wind integration 

scenario to supplement the transmission infrastructure expansion 

aspect of the report, identify potential congestion and reliability issues 

that could result from the optimized expansion plan, and improve the 

treatment of transmission within the WindDS model.

Researchers at SNL are developing multilevel engineering models 

of local and national electric grids with wind generators organized 

into virtual power plants of increasing scale. These models will be 

tailored to developing new in-time coordination infrastructures based 

on distributed intelligent control systems installed on generation, 

transmission and load elements, with particular emphasis on 

capturing the emerging aspects of Smartgrid technologies.
17

When DOE launched the Wind Powering America (WPA) effort in 2000, the United 

States had a total of only 2,500 MW of installed wind capacity, and only four 

states had more than 100 MW of installed wind capacity. Today 22 states have 

more than 100 MW of installed wind capacity, and by the end of the decade, more than 

30 states will have passed the 100-MW milestone. The 100-MW milestone is considered 

significant because the first 100 MW are always the most difficult to achieve. The 

state’s government officials and community leaders must first recognize the benefits 

of wind energy and then develop an expanded vision of a more economically and 

environmentally secure and sustainable future. Then they must gain public support and 

develop the skilled labor force required to develop, build, and operate the state’s first 

wind plants. 

INCREASING WIND ENERGY DEPLOYMENT

We will act not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.

—President Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009

Spanish Fork, 

Utah

Focusing on State and Regional Activities

To help increase wind energy deployment in each state, WPA team 

members work on state and regional levels to promote wind energy, 

placing an emphasis on states with good wind resource potential but 

little wind energy development. On the state level, team members 

work with community members to form wind working groups in 

each state. Group members include landowners and agriculturalsector representatives, county commissioners and rural-development 

specialists, utilities and regulators, colleges and universities, advocacy 

groups, and other state and local groups. WPA currently has 33 state 

Wind Working Groups. These working groups form strategic alliances 

to communicate wind’s benefits and challenges to state stakeholders. 

Through the efforts of the Wind Working Groups, stakeholders have 

acquired timely and accurate information on the current state of wind 

technology, economics, wind resources, economic development 

impacts, policy options, issues, and barriers to wind development in 

their regions. 

Because many of the most challenging wind energy 

issues are regional in nature and also because the states can 

learn from the experiences and best practices of others in 

their region, WPA is also working to develop Regional Wind 

Energy Institutes (RWEIs). During 2008, WPA managed three 

Regional Wind Energy Institutes (RWEIs) to educate and 

train stakeholders to present the wind energy story to state 

stakeholder groups. The goal of the RWEIs is to provide accurate 

and current information to members of state wind outreach 

teams that are actively engaged in furthering wind power 

development by educating key constituents in their respective 

states. 

Each RWEI holds an annual 1- or 2-day training session in 

their region. Sessions include a wind industry updates, updates 

on state progress and challenges, and presentations given by 

national experts on issues of regional importance. Each RWEI 

also hosts three to four Webcasts per year to provide tips on 

how to present current topics and to provide an update session 

following the annual Wind Powering America Summit. 

Each year, WPA hosts an annual summit that brings members of its state and regional working 

groups together with other wind industry stakeholders and government agencies to exchange 

information and to learn new methods for mitigating barriers to wind energy development. In 

2008, more than 140 members of national and state public- and private-sector organizations from 

36 states and Canada attended the 7th Annual WPA All-States Summit in Houston, Texas.

Smoky Hills, 

Kansas

Elbow Creek, 

Texas

Goodland, 

Indiana

Dutch Hill, 

New York

Stetson,

Maine

2008 WInd Energy Projects
18

Boosting Rural Economic Development

In the decade preceding 2030, the 20% scenario would support 

100,000 jobs in associated industries such as accountants, lawyers, 

steelworkers, and electrical manufacturing, and it will generate much 

needed income for rural communities. Many of the construction 

and operation jobs would provide a boost to rural communities 

because most of the wind plants will be located nearby. Farmers 

and landowners would gain more than $600 million in annual landlease payments and regional governments would gain more than 

$1.5 billion annually in tax revenues by 2030. Rural counties can use 

these taxes to fund new schools, roads, and other vital infrastructure, 

creating even more jobs for local communities.

To educate rural 

stakeholders about the 

benefits of wind energy 

development, WPA works with 

rural community leaders, local 

and national representatives 

of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, state and local 

officials, the Farm Bureau, 

the Farmers’ Union, 25×’25 

(a group of volunteer farm 

workers with a goal to obtain 

25% of the nation’s energy 

from renewable resources like 

wind, solar, and biofuels by the 

year 2025), the American Corn 

Growers Foundation (ACGF) 

and other growers’ associations, 

agricultural schools, the 

National Association of 

Counties (NACo), and local 

financial communities. WPA 

team members also perform 

economic development 

analyses that examine the 

impacts of wind versus coal-fueled power production and the 

impacts of large wind plants in a given region.

Accelerating Industry Growth Through Power 

Partnerships

To further encourage the incorporation of wind in the nation’s 

energy portfolios, WPA provides information to and partners with 

utilities and utility groups such as the American Public Power 

Association (APPA) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative 

Association (NRECA), and the Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG), 

and power administrations such as Bonneville Power Administration 

(BPA) and the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). Power 

partnership activities include cosponsoring wind-energy meetings, 

conferences, and workshops; developing wind energy grid-impact 

models; developing and distributing technical and market-specific 

information; and providing technical assistance for wind energy 

project start-ups. In recognition of the efforts of its utility partners, 

DOE presents two national annual awards: Wind Cooperative of the 

Year (in conjunction with NRECA), and the Wind Municipal Utility of 

the Year (in conjunction with the APPA).

Power Partnership Awards

In 2008, the Aspen Municipal Electric Utility in Aspen, Colorado, 

received the Municipal Utility of the Year Award for its leadership, 

innovation and ongoing commitment to incorporating wind power 

into its portfolio. In 2009, the Wind Energy Program and NRECA 

recognized Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative as the 2008 Wind 

Cooperative of the Year at the NRECA TechAdvantage Conference in 

New Orleans, Louisiana. The award honors the Michigan cooperative 

for its vision and leadership in developing the state’s first $94 million 

Harvest Wind Farm in Huron County.

Bringing Wind Power to Native Americans

The United States is home to 2.4 million Native Americans 

living on 96 million acres of tribal lands. The Native American 

unemployment rate is double the national average, 14.2% live 

without electricity—and those who have electricity often must 

pay more than 20% of their monthly income on power costs. Wind 

Program researchers have estimated that the 96 million acres of 

tribal lands in the United States could provide 14% of the nation’s 

annual electricity demand while providing electricity and revenue 

to the reservations. Some of the issues that must be resolved before 

these resources can be fully realized include the lack of wind resource 

data, tribal utility policies, perceived developer risk, limited loads, 

investment capital, technical expertise, and transmission to markets. 

To empower tribal leaders to make decisions about establishing 

wind energy on their lands, WPA provides a wide range of technical 

assistance and outreach activities to more than 20 tribes in 13 states.

Of the 93 tribal projects funded by WPA since its inception in 

2002, many were cost-shared with Native American organizations. 

In 2008, the program provided wind monitoring assistance on tribal 

lands in South Dakota, Massachusetts, New York, and Minnesota and 

supported meetings, conferences, and outreach sessions in Colorado, 

California, South Dakota, and Montana. In June 2008, the Lakota 

Nation celebrated the installation of a 65-kW Nordtank turbine 

that supplies 120 MWh of electricity per year to the Pine Ridge 

Reservation radio station.

WPA works with agricultural 

associations such as the American 

Corn Growers Foundation to educate 

rural communities about the benefits of 

wind energy development. 

The Lakota Nation in South Dakota celebrated the installation 

of its 65-kW Nordtank wind turbine. 
19

Learning about Wind for Schools

With its Wind for Schools project, WPA is engaging rural America 

at the grassroots level to develop a wind energy knowledge base. 

The project’s objectives are to engage rural school teachers and 

students in discussions about wind energy; educate college students 

about wind energy applications to equip the students to work in 

engineering positions in the growing U.S. wind industry; and to 

introduce wind energy options to rural communities to stimulate 

discussion about wind energy benefits, challenges and deployment 

solutions.

In the first full year of implementation (2008), WPA made strong 

progress in the Wind for Schools project and attracted a great deal 

of national interest and press. During the fall semester, the Wind 

Application Centers (WACs) at Colorado State University, Boise State 

University, Kansas State University, South Dakota State University, 

Montana State University, and the University of Nebraska taught 

engineering classes that incorporated wind technology and 

supported the development of vibrant wind energy educational 

programs. Through the WACs, the program also saw its first university 

graduates enter the wind workforce, a key milestone in the process 

of training future generations of wind energy leaders. The program 

also saw strong implementation of Wind for Schools systems at host 

K–12 schools, especially in Kansas and Montana. Montana held the 

first Wind for Schools teacher training workshop, instructing teachers 

in the wind-energy curricula developed by the National Energy 

Education Development (NEED) project in partnership with AWEA.

The WPA team continues to develop curricula for all education 

levels. Through the program’s collaboration with the NEED Project 

and AWEA, a science discovery lesson plan is being developed 

through which data from each wind turbine can be used to conduct 

expanded science-based K–12 

projects. Additionally, the WPA team 

is working closely with each of the 

WACs and Southwest Windpower 

(a small wind turbine manufacturer) 

to develop a seamless method to 

collect wind turbine performance 

and resource data to be used in K–12 

and university curricula. WPA staff 

also initiated a wind experts video 

series (expected to be completed 

in 2009), which collects recorded 

lectures given by wind energy 

experts to be used as part of the 

university programs, providing reallife experience in the development 

of wind energy projects. The 

program also implemented the 

procurement of measurement 

towers for the Wind for Schools 

project. The measurement towers 

allow wind resources to be 

measured at potential candidate 

sites while enabling WAC students 

to implement resource measurement programs and study data 

assessment, key skills in wind project 

deployment.

In 2009, each WAC will expand current activities to engage three 

to five host schools per state, leading to the installation of small wind 

turbines and the implementation of science-based wind energy 

curricula at numerous K–12 schools through the NEED Project wind 

curricula teacher training program. The Wind for Schools project 

also plans to implement an auxiliary program that will enable host 

schools and state programs interested in initiating activities using the 

Wind for Schools model but using locally available non-DOE funds to 

formally participate in the DOE Wind for Schools project. Any material 

developed can be applied not only to partner states, but also to other 

organizations from individual schools, school districts, or state energy 

offices that may not be formally aligned with Wind for Schools. 

Evaluating the Wind Resource

Wind developers require an estimate of how much wind energy 

is available at potential project sites. Although wind resource 

maps developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s gave reasonable 

estimates of areas in which good wind resources could be found, 

new tools and data available from satellites and remote sensing 

devices are enabling researchers to produce far more accurate and 

detailed wind maps.

Using highly accurate GPS mapping tools, satellite, weather 

balloon, and meteorological tower data, combined with muchimproved numerical computer models, the DOE Wind Program is 

working with U.S. companies to produce higher resolution maps 

of resources at higher heights above ground for the United States 

and other countries. The greater horizontal resolution of these maps 

(1 km or better) allows for more accurate siting of wind turbines and 

has led to the recognition of higher-class winds in areas where no 

such winds were thought to exist. 

The United States has more than 8,000 GW of available land-based wind resources that could be captured 

economically.
20

Understanding Wind–Radar Interactions 

Wind-radar interactions drew the attention of researchers and 

developers in 2006 when the U.S. Department of Defense discovered 

that wind turbine structures and rotors can reflect radar signals, 

causing clutter on radar screens that can interfere with accurate 

readings. Although the ensuing research found that in the majority of 

cases, interference is not present, is not deemed significant, or could 

be readily mitigated, navigational and defense radar interference is 

an issue that must be addressed by wind developers. Understanding 

the extent of a wind installation’s radar interference potential and 

developing mitigation techniques is complicated because the 

amount of interference depends on turbine height, rotor sweep area, 

blade rotation speed, and the landscape surrounding a wind energy 

project. Wind Program researchers at the Idaho National Laboratories 

and SNL are working with the Department of Defense and the 

Federal Aviation Administration to determine the extent of windradar interactions and develop measures to mitigate the possible 

effects of wind turbines on civilian and military radar systems. 

Understanding Wind–Wildlife Interactions 

As with any human activity, the 

construction and operation of wind 

energy installations will impact the 

natural environment. Wind turbines 

can impact bird, bat, and other 

wildlife populations, depending on 

the project’s location. To help resolve 

wind–wildlife interactions, the Wind 

Program is working with the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife service on the Wind 

Turbines Guidelines Advisory Committee. The committee’s 22 

members represent the varied interests associated with wind energy 

development and wildlife management, including federal and state 

agencies, conservation groups, Native Americans, wind energy 

developers, and utilities. The objective of this committee is of provide 

the Secretary of Interior with recommendations for developing 

effective measures to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife and their 

habitats related to land-based wind energy facilities. 

The program also supports two collaborative wind-wildlife 

research efforts, the Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative 

and the Bat and Wind Energy Collaborative (BWEC).

The Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C), 

established in 2005 by DOE through its National Wind Coordinating 

Collaborative (NWCC), includes representatives from state and federal 

agencies, academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, 

and the wind industry. The goal of this 4-year research collaborative 

is to identify the impact, if any, of wind installations on grassland 

and shrub steppe avian species such as the lesser prairie chicken.

DOE is also working with BWEC, which includes the Bat 

Conservation International (BCI), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

and the American Wind Energy Association, to understand the 

impacts of wind turbines on bat populations, with a focus on wind 

plants located in the eastern states where unexpectedly high number 

of bat fatalities have occurred. Specific tasks of this research effort 

include validating and refining the accuracy of methods and metrics 

to predict post-construction wind plant impacts on bats based on 

preconstruction assessments, and developing and field-testing an 

acoustic deterrent to discourage bats from entering wind facilities. 

In January 2008, the Wind Program co-hosted a workshop in Austin, 

Texas, that brought together some of the world’s leading bat scientists 

and representatives from the wind industry and state and federal 

agencies. The workshop’s 50 participants shared information and 

worked to find solutions that support the continued growth of wind 

energy production in concert with preserving bats and their habitats.

The Wind Program is also working with the U.S. Geological Survey 

and Montana State University to investigate whether artificial 

intelligence can be used to detect birds in NEXRAD data. The objective 

of this research is to develop algorithms that can differentiate 

biological from inorganic echoes in the NEXRAD data which then 

can be used to identify migratory flyways. 

TEAMing Up for Change 

The Transformational Energy Action Management (TEAM) 

Initiative is a plan developed by DOE to dramatically transform 

the Department’s energy, environmental, and transportation 

management. The initiative is designed to end the practice of 

incremental energy improvements, and institute transformative 

management practices that put DOE on a path to true leadership in 

the arena of sustainable energy and environment management. By 

fundamentally transforming the way DOE manages energy use in its 

facilities, the TEAM initiative will leverage every possible public and 

private resource to improve performance and reduce energy and 

water costs at DOE facilities over the next few years. Moreover, the 

Initiative will contribute to the nation’s energy and economic security 

and save taxpayer dollars through guaranteed cost savings.

WPA supports the TEAM initiative through a variety of efforts. NREL 

staff conducted site visits to examine wind potential at SNL, ANL, and 

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. A preliminary wind-feasibility 

study using existing wind data was completed for Argonne and Fermi. 

As part of this effort, NREL sent meteorological (MET) towers to SNL 

and INL to augment MET towers already installed by the labs. NREL is 

also loaning its mini-SODAR to the INL to augment the wind resource 

assessment as part of the TEAM Initiative. SNL is actively participating 

in the TEAM Initiative through the analysis of an onsite 30-MW wind 

farm that would tie into the SNL distribution network and be utilized 

by both SNL and Kirkland Air Force Base.

DOE and WPA team members at NREL worked with the Renewable 

Energy Research Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts, the 

Army Environmental Command Impact Area Groundwater Study 

Program, the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, 

and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station at the Massachusetts Military 

Reservation (MMR) on Cape Cod to conduct a Federal Wind Energy 

Applications Technology Symposium at MMR in May 2008. Forty 

people attended, including representatives from about 20 federal 

agencies. Two days of intensive wind energy technology discussions 

and lectures were followed by a day of presentations from various 

sectors of the wind industry, including manufacturers, developers, 

meteorologists, environmental assessors, and financiers.

In July 2008, PNNL hosted an Army Energy Summit in Richland, 

Washington. Energy managers from 20 U.S. Army bases convened 

to learn about renewable energy technologies suitable for their 

locations and applications. A contingent of WPA team members made 

presentations on wind energy and worked directly with the energy 

managers to formulate wind development plans for their bases. 
21

DOE’s Wind Program has worked with industry for more 

than 25 years to advance both large and small wind energy 

technologies. For large wind technologies, these industry 

partnerships have succeeded in increasing capacity factors while 

dramatically reducing costs. Advances in small wind technology have 

produced quieter and more reliable systems that are easier to install 

and cost less to operate.

Many of the technologies developed under the program in the 

past have moved into the marketplace to become commercial 

successes, and in 2009, the program will begin exploring the 

next generation of machines through a CRADA with American 

Superconductor Corporation (AMSC). This project will evaluate the 

economics of an advanced 10-MW wind turbine. The new design will 

incorporate a direct-drive generator that utilizes high-temperature 

superconductor wire instead of copper wire for the rotor of the 

generator. According to AMSC, the new superconductor technology 

will greatly reduce the size and weight of 10-MW class systems thus 

allowing for greater deployment of these larger systems on land as 

well as offshore. The size of the systems installed today is limited to 

approximately 6 MW by land transportation and tower installation 

constraints.

In addition to helping industry advance wind technologies, the 

program has worked to increase public and utility acceptance of 

wind energy by developing methodologies to reliably integrate 

wind energy into our nation’s infrastructure and providing accurate 

up-to-date information. The phenomenal growth of the wind 

energy industry over the last decade can be related at least in part 

to its gaining popularity. Opinion polls conducted nationwide 

show that the public strongly supports the development of clean 

energy alternatives, and wind energy is now the fastest growing, 

least expensive new source of electricity generation. The connection 

between wind energy industry growth and its increasing popularity 

is due, in part, to an increase in public awareness. People are 

becoming more knowledgeable about wind’s benefits, and facts are 

dispelling myths because nonprofit organizations and government 

programs like Wind Powering America are getting the word out—

wind energy works.

Although the technology and industry as a whole have come 

a long way, achieving 20% wind energy by 2030 will require 

comprehensive R&D to address a broad spectrum of challenges 

facing industry today. The machines need to be more reliable, 

capture more energy, and cost less to produce and operate so 

that wind energy can compete with traditional fuel sources in 

the marketplace. The nation’s transmission infrastructure needs 

to be expanded and upgraded so that clean alternative energy 

ENSURING LONG-TERM 

INDUSTRY GROWTH

[The New Energy for America] plan will finally spark the creation of a clean 

energy industry that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs over

 the next few years, manufacturing wind turbines and solar cells. 

—President Barack Obama, Address to Department of Energy staff, February 5th, 2009

sources like wind can be efficiently transported to our nation’s load 

centers. Manufacturing facilities need to increase and improve their 

production processes to keep pace with demand, and the skilled 

workforce needed to fill the jobs generated by this growth needs 

to increase. Finally, barriers created by misconceptions and a lack 

of understanding need to be broken down through education and 

outreach.

Research has shown that achieving the 20% wind energy by 2030 

vision is technically feasible, and with more than 25 years of wind 

energy R&D experience, the Wind Energy Program is well-positioned 

to help industry make it happen. 

Utility-Scale Wind Turbine Successes

The design of GE Wind Energy’s 1.5-MW wind turbine is based on Wind 

Program work conducted with GE and its predecessors (Zond and Enron). 

Beginning in the early 1990s, the program worked with these companies 

to test components such as blades, generators, and control systems on 

the various generations of machines that led to GE’s 1.5-MW workhorse. 

In November 2008, GE hit a milestone when it shipped its 10,000th 

1.5-MW turbine.

Another project that has seen commercial success is the 2.5-MW wind 

turbine manufactured by Clipper Windpower, Carpinteria, California. 

Clipper produced a prototype of its 2.5-MW Liberty wind turbine in 2005 

after only 3 years of cooperative research and development work with the 

DOE Wind Program. In 2007, Clipper received an Outstanding Research 

and Development Partnership Award from DOE for the design and development of the Liberty turbine. The award recognized the turbine’s “unparalleled levels of efficiency and reliability and reduced cost of energy.”

Clipper anticipates installing more than 300 wind turbines by the end of 

2009, and plans to expand production further in 2010. The company 

currently has sufficient plant capacity and equipment, a trained workforce, 

and processes in place to assemble more than 500 Liberty turbines each 

year.

Small Wind Turbine Successes 

Northern Power Systems and the Wind Program at NREL received 

R&D 100 award for the development of the NorthWind 100/20 wind 

turbine. The North Wind 100/20 wind turbine is a state-of-the-art wind 

turbine designed for operation in remote, cold-climate conditions. 

Southwest Windpower received a 2006 Best of What’s New Award from 

Popular Science for its Skystream 1.8-kW wind generator, developed in 

partnership with the DOE Wind Program. The Skystream was also 

recognized by Time Magazine as one of the “Best Inventions in 2006.” 

Windward Engineering worked with the Wind Energy Program to produce 

a 4.25-kW machined called the Endurance. The company began commercial production of the machine in 2008.

GE Wind Energy’s 1.5-MW 

turbines on a wind plant in 

Searville, Kansas
For more information contact:

EERE Information Center

1-877-EERE-Inf (1-877-337-3463)

www.eere.energy.gov 

Produced for the

1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585

Prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

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

DOE/GO-102009-2803

April 2009

ENERGY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

Energy Efficiency & 

Renewable Energy

U.S. Department of Energy — Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program Contacts

Megan McCluer, Program Manager

Jim Ahlgrimm, Technology Acceptance Team Lead

Stan Calvert, Technology Application Team Lead

Dennis Lin, Technology Viability Team Lead

Alejandro Moreno, Water Power Team Lead

Office of Wind and Hydropower Technologies

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

1000 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, D.C. 20585

Geunter Conzelmann

Argonne National Laboratory

9700 S. Cass Avenue

Argonne, IL 60439

Vasilis Fthenakis

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Energy Sciences & Technology Department

MS 130

Upton, NY 11973-5000

Gary Seifert

Idaho National Laboratory

2525 N Fremont

Idaho Falls, ID 83415

Ryan Wiser

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

1 Cyclotron Road MS 90-4126K

Berkeley, CA. 94720

Nalu Kaahaaina

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

P.O. Box 808

Livermore, CA 94551-9234

Karl Joneitz

Los Alamos National Laboratory

30 Bikini Atoll Rd

Los Alamos, NM 87545

NOTICE: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any 

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usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not 

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trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, 

recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions 

of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any 

agency thereof.

Available electronically at www.osti.gov/bridge 

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PHOTO CREDITS: Cover photos: Iberdrola Renewables, NREL/PIX 15192; Southwest Windpower, NREL/

PIX 14936; Iberdrola Renewables, NREL/PIX 16110; Gamesa, NREL/PIX 16001; L. Fingersh, NREL/PIX 13956; 

Enron Wind, NREL/PIX 10654; Page 3: Clipper Windpower, NREL/PIX 14932; Scott Bryant Photography, NREL/

PIX 16150. Page 4: Sandia National Laboratories, NREL/PIX 11071; Sandia National Laboratories, NREL/

PIX 13957; L. Fingersh, NREL/PIX 15005; L. Fingersh, NREL/PIX 15004. Page 6: Sandia National Laboratories; 

Page 7: A. Reseburg, NREL/PIX 16039. Page 9: S. Hughes, NREL/PIX 14708; Page 12: Northern Power 

Systems, NREL/PIX 15387. Page 13: A. Bowen, NREL/PIX 15705. Page 14: W. Gretz, NREL/PIX 0001. Page 17: 

Edison Mission Group, NREL/PIX 16135; Tim Nauman, NREL/PIX 16101; NRG Energy, NREL/PIX 16095; Vision 

Energy, NREL/PIX 16108; First Wind, NREL/PIX 16060; First Wind, NREL/PIX 16101. Page 18: Invenergy LLC, 

NREL/PIX 16042; R. Gough, NREL/PIX 15954. Page 21: Jenny Hager Photography, NREL/PIX 14913.

Wind Energy Web Sites

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WIND AND 

HYDROPOWER TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/

AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION:

http://www.awea.org/

NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY 

NATIONAL WIND TECHNOLOGY CENTER:

http://www.nrel.gov/wind/

SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES:

http://www.sandia.gov/wind/

NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COLLABORATIVE:

http://www.nationalwind.org/

UTILITY WIND INTEGRATION GROUP:

http://www.uwig.org

WIND POWERING AMERICA:

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov

DATABASE OF STATE INCENTIVES FOR RENEWABLES 

& EFFICIENCY: http://www.dsireusa.org/

ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY, UPPER GREAT PLAINS 

WIND ENERGY PROGRAMMTIC EIS: 

http://plainswindeis.anl.gov/index.cfm

LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY, USING 

COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS TO ENHANCE WIND POWER:

https://www-eng.llnl.gov/

PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY, GLOBAL 

ENERGY TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY PROGRAM:

http://www.pnl.gov/gtsp/research/renewables.stm

Printed with renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, 

including 10% postconsumer waste.

Brian Smith, Manager

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

National Wind Technology Center

1617 Cole Blvd., MS 3811

Golden, CO. 80401

Brennan Smith

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

P.O. Box 2008,

MS 6036

1 Bethel Valley Rd. 

Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Suresh Baskaran

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

P.O. Box 999

Richland, WA 99352

Jose R. Zayas, Manager

Sandia National Laboratories

Wind Energy Technology Department

P.O. Box 5800

Albuquerque, NM 87185-1124