US Offering $45M For Huge Wind Energy Test Bed

coondoggie writes "On a day when one of the largest wind farm plans bit the dust, the US Department of Energy is offering up a five-year, $45 million grant to design and build a large dynamometer facility for testing 5 to 15 MW rated wind turbines and equipment. The DOE says such a facility is needed as the US has fallen behind other countries in the race to build ever-larger wind turbines for energy production. According to the DOE, the average size of wind turbines installed in the United States in 2007 increased to roughly 1.65 MW. Additionally, turbines already developed range in the 2.5 MW to 3.5 MW capacity sizes; with plans being developed for even greater power ratings. The larger wind turbines have outpaced the availability of US-based testing facilities, the DOE stated."

Comments

Re:So if I understand this correctly...

[DigiShaman]

Why do we need a giant test facility to create what's out there already and is the final place these things will be operating in anyway?

Obvious really. You can't fudge the data if you can't control the test.

Chalk this venture up to politics and corruption as usual.