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Tech stocks - Monday, October 19, 2009

Siemens And NREL Announce $14M Wind Turbine Research Program

The development of more efficient wind turbines took a major step forward today as The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Siemens Energy (SI:NYSE) formally announced a $14 million research program that will study a new 2.3 megawatt turbine over a minimum of three years. This is the largest wind power generation research partnership ever undertaken in the U.S.

Based in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, NREL’s National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) will test the new turbine’s performance enhancing features over a complete range of real-world operating conditions that could ultimately lead to more advanced wind turbines in the future. Planned testing includes structural and performance testing; modal, acoustics and power quality testing; as well as aerodynamic testing and turbine performance enhancements During the initial phase of the research program, Siemens will be responsible for $9 million while NREL will contribute $4 million.

“This important new research program will help us further enhance the performance of our turbines and lower the cost of clean, wind-generated power, which in turn will help diversify the overall mix of power generation sources in the U.S.,” said Barry Nicholls, senior vice president of Siemens Energy, Inc.

Siemens Energy has been extremely active from a sales standpoint having sold 66 wind turbines for Competitive Power Ventures for an Oklahoma wind farm; 44 turbines for Duke Energy (DUK:NYSE) to be deployed in Wyoming; 44 turbines for Pattern Energy to be installed in California.: and 26 turbines for Cannon Power Group in Washington State.

With a 331-foot-diameter rotor mounted atop a 262-foot tower, the Siemens 2.3 MW turbine is among the largest land-based turbines deployed in the United States and is the largest at the NWTC site. NREL will also be testing the performance of turbine foundations with a focus on improving their reliability while reducing turbine installation costs.

The latest turbine from Siemens joins the Controls Advanced Research Turbine (CART) and the CART3—a three-bladed version of the CART already in place at the NWTC. These turbines are currently testing controls that help turbines shed loads under high wind conditions so that they can maximize the amount of energy they generate without reducing the turbine's lifespan due to fatigue under extreme conditions.