Low Wind Speed Technology Project
To develop low wind speed technologies, the DOE Wind Program works with industry through cost-shared partnerships. Industry partners lead new technology designs and make commercial decisions while the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) provide the theoretical support through applied research and feedback from performance testing. The laboratories then facilitate technology transfer to industry while providing unique testing services.
The level of cost-sharing required depends on the size of the procurement and the accompanying technical risk. Solicitations for Low Wind Speed Turbine (LWST) partnerships were completed in 2001 and 2004. Solicitations offer bidders an opportunity to participate in one of three technical areas, including 1) concept and scaling studies, 2) component development, and 3) low wind speed turbine prototype development. This approach allows industry partners several different approaches to synthesizing new systems designs.
Information about the industry partnerships that resulted from past solicitations can be found in the Wind Energy Technologies Portfolio below.
The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
Concept Design Studies
- Advanced Independent Pitch Control - Advanced Energy Systems, Inc. (PDF 393 KB)
- Breakthrough in Power Electronics from Silicon Carbide - Peregrine Power, LLC. (PDF 907 KB)
- Development of an Operations and Maintenance Cost Model for LWST - Global Energy Concepts (PDF 408 KB)
- Developing Techniques to Evaluate the Designs and Operating Environments of Offshore Wind Turbines in the Mid-Atlantic and Lower Great Lakes Regions - AWS Truewind, LLC (PDF 361 KB)
- Evaluation of Design and Construction Approaches for Economical Hybrid Steel/Concrete Wind Turbine Towers - BERGER/ABAM Engineers Inc. (PDF 689 KB)
- Integrated Wind Energy/Desalination System - General Electric Global Research (PDF 355 KB)
- Investigation of the Application of Medium-Voltage Variable-Speed Drive Technology to Improve the Cost of Energy from Low Wind Speed Turbines - Behnke, Erdman and Whitaker Engineering, Inc. (PDF 672 KB)
- Low Wind Speed Technology Phase II: Design and Demonstration of On-Site Fabrication of Fluted-Steel Towers Using LITS-Form™ Process - Native American Technologies Company (PDF 222 KB)
- Low Wind Speed Technology Phase II: LIDAR for Turbine Control - QinetiQ, Inc. (PDF 216 KB)
- Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Concepts: Fully Coupled Dynamic Response Simulations - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PDF 344 KB)
- Reducing Cost of Energy through Rotor Aerodynamics Control - Global Energy Concepts, LLC (PDF 428 KB)
- Semisubmersible Platform and Anchor Foundation Systems for Wind Turbine Support - Concept Marine Associates, Inc. (PDF 336 KB)
Component Development
- Advanced Power Electronics for Low Wind Speed Turbine Applications - Northern Power Systems, Inc. (PDF 296 KB)
- Low Wind Speed Technology Phase II: Sweep-Twist Blade Design and Fabrication with Atmospheric Test Verification - Knight and Carver Wind Blades (PDF 244 KB)
- Low Wind Speed Turbine Developments in Convoloid Gearing - Genesis Partners LP (PDF 155 KB)
- WindPACT Advanced Wind Turbine Drivetrain Designs - Northern Power Systems, Inc. (PDF 410 KB)
Prototype Development
- Development of a 2-MW Direct-Drive Wind Turbine for Low Wind Speed Sites - Northern Power Systems (PDF 195 KB)
- Clipper Turbine Development Project - Clipper Windpower Technology, Inc. (PDF 474 KB)
- Prototype Multi-Megawatt Low Wind Speed Turbine - General Electric Wind Energy, LLC (PDF 338 KB)
