After Gutenberg

At the wind farm built near Montfort, Wisconsin in 2001 the height of each turbine to the center of the hub is 213 ft and each blade is 110 ft long. The foundation for each turbine consists of a 14-foot diameter concrete cylinder that is set from 18 to 28 feet in the ground. Each foundation weighs 167 tons.

Renewable Energy Access relayed a press release from BP Solar about the success of the state of Texas in securing funds for wind turbine research facility. Jerry Patterson, Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, today welcomed the announcement by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman that Texas will be home to one of two large-scale wind turbine research and testing facilities. This facility will develop the next generation of wind turbine technology, which will produce more kilowatts per turbine.

"This is the birth of a new industry here in Texas," Patterson said. "Once we build these test facilities, the wind turbine and blade manufacturers will come. I think there will be plenty of business for both Texas and Massachusetts to come out winners."

Patterson praised President Bush’s renewable energy initiatives announced Monday.

"President Bush is a Texan who understands the energy business," Patterson said. "The president knows our nation needs oil, gas and coal. But we also need to diversify our portfolio to include renewable energy sources such as wind power."

Credit: Clipper Windpower

Clipper Windpower of Carpinteria, California, installed a prototype of its new wind turbine near Medicine Bow, Wyoming. The new machine incorporates four permanent-magnet generators, advanced variable-speed controls, and an advanced blade design.

The site for the Texas large-scale wind turbine and blade testing facility will be just north of Corpus Christi, at Ingleside-on-the-Bay. BP, which has a history of developing cutting edge technologies and is an acknowledged leader in the development of alternative energy, generously donated 22 acres of land for the effort. BP also donated $250,000 toward funding the facility.

"BP has a major stake in helping the U.S. deliver clean energy from a secure and sustainable resource," said Bob Lukefahr, president of BP Power Americas. "We firmly believe that locating this facility in Texas will enable the wind industry to move at the pace this nation now demands. Texas has long been recognized as the leading state for the offshore energy industry. By locating the facility in Texas, we will benefit from the ability to leverage the skills and knowledge available from the offshore industry."

Lone Star Wind Alliance

The Texas bid for the test facility was handled by the Lone Star Wind Alliance, a Texas-led coalition of universities, government agencies and corporate partners created to prepare the proposal for submission to the federal government. The Lone Star Wind Alliance includes the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University, the Houston Advanced Research Center, Stanford University, Montana State University, New Mexico State University, Old Dominion University, the Texas General Land Office, the State Energy Conservation Office, the Texas Workforce Commission, Governor Rick Perry, Dow Chemical Company, Huntsman and Good Company Associates. Other Texas industries, including Dow Chemical Company and Huntsman also donated toward the effort. The Port of Corpus Christi provided non-monetary support. The facility will be built through an innovative public-private partnership, organized through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy. Private wind turbine and blade manufacturers are expected to fully fund the operations of the facility within five years of its construction.The Texas Legislature played a crucial role in securing the facility, pledging $5 million toward its construction. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini carried the $5 million request, and Gov. Perry signed off on it in the final budget. Another $5 million is pending final approval through the state’s Emerging Technology Fund.Patterson has likened the potential impact of the test facility to that of NASA in Houston during the space race in the 1960s.

In May of 2006, the Department of Energy announced it is seeking partners to build a new facility capable of testing blades up to a minimum of 70 meters long. In addition to Texas, the states of Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio and Virginia submitted applications for the test facility. The NREL Newsroom reports that access to waterways was a key factor in deciding that Large Wind Turbine Blade test facilities would be in Massachusetts and Texas. Both states include sites for off-shore wind farms.

NREL will continue to test smaller blades in Colorado.