National Wind Technology Center

NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is the nation's premier wind energy technology research facility. The NWTC advances the development of innovative land-based and offshore wind energy technologies through its research and testing facilities. Researchers draw on years of experience and their wealth of expertise in fluid dynamics and structural testing to also advance marine and hydrokinetic water power technologies. At the NWTC researchers work side-by-side with industry partners to develop new technologies that can compete in the global market and to increase system reliability and reduce costs. Learn more about the facilities and capabilities at the NWTC by viewing our fact sheet.

Located at the base of the foothills just south of Boulder, Colorado, the center's test sites experience diverse and robust wind patterns that are ideal for the development of advanced wind energy technologies. The NWTC's 305-acre site comprises field test sites, test laboratories, industrial high-bay work areas, machine shops, electronics and instrumentation laboratories, and office areas.

The NWTC is also home to NREL's Distributed Energy Resources Test Facility (DERTF). The DERTF is a working laboratory for interconnection and systems integration testing. This state-of-the-art facility includes generation, storage, and interconnection technologies as well as electric power system equipment capable of simulating a real-world electric system.

The center is the first facility in the United States with a controllable grid interface test system that has fault simulation capabilities and allows manufacturers and system operators to conduct the tests required for certification in a controlled laboratory environment. It is the only system in the world that is fully integrated with two dynamometers and has the capacity to extend that integration to turbines in the field and to a matrix of electronic and mechanical storage devices, all of which are located within close proximity on the same site.

Learn more about the NWTC's wind energy research capabilities.

NREL's R&D projects are funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Program and Water Power Program.

Contacts

Fort Felker
Director of the National Wind Technology Center
Phone: 303-384-6905

Brian Smith
NREL Wind and Water Power Program Manager
Phone: 303-384-6911