Facilities
Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains just south of Boulder, Colorado, is NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC), the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) premier wind energy research and development facility. At the NWTC, wind turbine developers work side by side with NREL researchers to create advanced wind systems, and manufacturers, wind plant operators, and utilities benefit from research and technical support.
![Photo of NREL's Wind Research Facility in Golden, Colorado.](images/photo_12586.jpg)
Designated as the lead research facility for the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Program, NREL's National Wind Technology Center is located south of Boulder, Colorado.
Developing lightweight, reliable components and testing complete systems are crucial for the emerging U.S. wind industry. The NWTC is designed to meet a growing industry's critical research needs with its indoor/outdoor state-of-the-art design and testing facilities.
See one of our individual facilities below, take a tour of the NWTC, or read about the site's wind resource characteristics that make the NWTC ideal for testing wind turbines.