Michigan Bids for Next Generation Wind Turbine Testing Facility
The Department of Energy is ready to fund a new wind turbine test site with a $45 million grant, and Michigan is in the hunt. Officially called “Recovery Act: Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility” the competition is for the design and construction of a large dynamometer facility. (A dynamometer is a device used to test a motor or engine or other mechanism for efficiency and torque). It needs to be sized for testing 5 to 15 MW-rated drivetrains (the components that transmit the flow of power from the rotary motion of the blades/hub to the generator in a wind turbine). The prime applicant must be a state or local government, university, or nonprofit. The expectation is that this will be the test facility for the next generation of wind turbines, many of which may be so large as to only be suitable for off shore projects. NextEnergy is leading a very strong Michigan team to get this award and to build the facility on the Rouge River.
