Siemens to Open Wind Turbine Research Center in Boulder, Colorado

Facility will create 50 new green-collar careers

Siemens Energy will establish its U.S. wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder, Colorado. The facility is expected to employ an estimated 50 people and will focus on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics, wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.

Siemens and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) also intend to enter into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for the installation of a Siemens 2.3-MW pilot wind turbine with a 101-meter-rotor at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) location south of Boulder. The company will test basic wind turbine characteristics and verify new performance-enhancing features and turbine reliability under severe weather conditions over a minimum period of three years.

"We are very pleased to establish our first wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder. The proximity of important institutions such as NREL and the NWTC, as well as the support received from the State of Colorado and the City of Boulder, make Boulder the perfect location for a R&D center in the U.S.," said Randy Zwirn, head of Siemens' Energy Sector in the U.S.

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