Expanding Small Wind Turbine Certification Testing - Establishment of Regional Test Centers (Poster)

Presented at the WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition, 23-26 May 2010, Dallas, Texas. The rapid growth of the small wind turbine (SWT) market is attracting numerous entrants. Small wind turbine purchasers now have many options but often lack information (such as third-party certification) to select a quality turbine. Most SWTs do not have third-party certification due to the expense and difficulty of the certification process. Until recently, the only SWT certification bodies were in Europe. In North America, testing has been limited to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) subsidized tests conducted at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) under the ongoing Independent Testing Project. The goal is to increase the number of certified turbines and gain greater consumer confidence in SWT technology. To reduce certification testing costs, DOE/NREL is assisting in establishing a network of Regional Test Centers (RTCs) to conduct SWT third-party certification testing. To jump-start these RTCs, DOE/NREL is providing financial and technical assistance for an initial round of tests. The goal is to establish a lower-cost U.S. small wind testing capability that will lead to increased SWT certification. This poster describes the project, describes how it fits within broader SWT certification activities, and provides current status.