Siemens and NREL have formally commissioned the research 2.3 MW Siemens wind turbine at NREL's National Wind Technology Center. The turbines is the focus of a multi-year project to study performance and aerodynamics involved with a new class of large, land-based units. This will be the biggest government-industry research collaboration for wind power generation ever done in the US. The total investment in the project is USD 14 million, of which Siemens will fund USD 9 million, while NREL will provide another USD 5 million.

NREL National Wind Technology Center

Siemens hopes to be able to further enhance the performance of the company's wind turbines, at the same time working on reducing the cost of wind generated electricity. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) sees Siemens and NREL testing basic turbine characteristics and verifying performance enhancing features over the next three years, maybe longer. Testing will include real-world operational conditions such as sever weather conditions, usually present in areas where wind farms are installed.

The 2.3 MW wind turbine is among the largest deployed in the US at this time. A new meteorological tower erected near the wind turbine will feature more than 60 instruments which will collect data on wind, temperature, dew point, precipitation and other variables that can influence the perofmance of a wind turbine.

Further research will be directed towards the foundations, which are required beneath the huge machines. Another agreement has been made between NREL and RES Americas, to be coordinated with wind turbine testing, to study the design and performance of foundations. The goal is to increase reliability of non-turbine components, thus reducing turbine installation costs.

The wind turbine research project is part of a coordinated wind research program supported by the US DoE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.