Siemens to open wind turbine research center in the state of Colorado, U.S.

Siemens Energy announced today that it will establish its U.S. wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder, Colorado. The facility is expected to employ an estimated 50 people and will focus on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics, wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.

Siemens and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) also announced their intent to enter a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for the installation of a Siemens 2.3-MW pilot wind turbine with a 101-meter-rotor at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) location south of Boulder. The company will test basic wind turbine characteristics and verify new performance-enhancing features and turbine reliability under severe weather conditions over a minimum period of three years.

"Boulder will be Siemens' first wind turbine R&D competence center in the US. and will increase our ability to competitively serve this important market," said Andreas Nauen, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit. "Because of the proximity of important institutions such as NREL and the NWTC, Boulder is the perfect location for a R&D center in the U.S.," added Nauen.

Presently, Siemens has established core competence centers for wind turbine R&D in Copenhagen (Denmark), Aachen (Germany), Delft (Netherlands) and Keele (United Kingdom). In the U.S., Boulder was chosen to leverage potential collaboration efforts with other institutions that are actively engaged in atmospheric research, and wind turbine and associated systems R&D, including NREL, the NWTC, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaborative, a state-funded program including the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines. This new facility will also enable technology transfer with other Siemens wind turbine R&D centers in Europe.