The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released the interim results of their Independent Testing Program for Small Wind Turbines that began last year. The results were presented by Amy Bowen, NREL Electrical Test Engineer, during WindPower 2009 in Chicago. Four small wind turbines, including the Gaia-Wind 133-11kW, participated in this program conducted at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) in Boulder, CO. The site is accredited by the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to conduct power performance, power quality, noise, safety and function, and duration tests to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.
Three of the five tests have been completed to date: safety and function, duration and power and performance. The Gaia-Wind turbine met the pass requirements for all tests. Moreover, in terms of estimated annual power production, it outperformed its nearest comparable peer by a factor of 2 to 1. This result further validates the value proposition that Gaia-Wind is the ‘best performing small wind turbine in low to moderate wind speeds.’ The complete test report can be downloaded here: NREL Test Report
For further information on the NREL small wind turbine testing programme click here