December 4, 2013
UL and West Texas A&M University announce the opening of large-scale wind turbine test facility in Canyon, Texas
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Dec. 4, 2013 - UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a world leader in advancing safety science, and West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) announce the grand opening of the Advance Outdoor Wind Test Facility in Canyon, Texas, which will provide services for large, small and micro wind manufacturers as well as research and design testing capabilities.
The facility - one of the largest in the world - is located in the middle of the Great Plains Wind Corridor, with favorable wind conditions year round. Wind turbine manufacturers are able to erect turbines for extended periods of time. The facility opens new testing capacity for turbine manufacturers seeking certification to international standards, helping reduce time-to-market and lower costs, as downtime can essentially be eliminated.
The facility allows UL, with the additional services from their DEWI Group, to collaborate with WTAMU in providing small and large wind turbine manufacturers with a location that offers favorable wind resources. This site is excellent for installing wind turbines for extended periods, for research, performance measurements and certification purposes. Due to these ideal wind conditions, UL's turnaround time is unparalleled-allowing product to get to market faster-a win-win for manufacturers.
"Utilizing the technical expertise from our DEWI Group and the WTAMU staff, turbine manufacturers can install wind turbines for extended periods for research, performance measurements and certification purposes," said Evelyn Butler, Director of Business Development - Energy and Industrial Solutions at UL LLC. "Large and small wind turbine manufacturers will benefit from the favorable wind conditions and UL's unparalleled turnaround time which will reduce time to market."
"The collaboration is a win-win situation for WTAMU, a pioneer in wind energy research. We offer several unique resources that made this project feasible - location within the Great Plains Wind Corridor, availability of space, and more than 40 years of experience in wind-energy research," Dr. Don Topliff, dean of the College of Agriculture, Science and Engineering, said.
Key personnel are Adam Holman, laboratory director, Byron Neal, wind energy research engineer, and Fred Oder, research technician along with WTAMU student workers. They will work with wind manufacturers to provide certification of wind turbines and its components, testing programs and consultations and data collection.
About UL
UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for 120 years. Its more than 10,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit https://www.ul.com/.
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