The facility will feature power analysis equipment capable of performing highly accelerated endurance testing of drive systems for land-based and offshore wind turbines rated at 5-15 MW. The primary piece of test equipment is a dynamometer, which consists of an electric motor, a gearbox, and a monitoring and control system that work together to simulate the effects of varying wind conditions on turbine drive-trains. (A similar, but smaller, dynamometer test facility is located at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.)
Dynamometer tests of drive-trains are required to demonstrate compliance with wind turbine design standards. They also reduce wind turbine costs, secure product financing, and reduce the technical and financial risk of deploying new wind turbine models. Operated as a non-profit organization, the new facility will be located at the Charleston Naval Complex and will be a part of the Clemson University Restoration Institute campus. See the DOE press release and the DOE Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program Web site.
DOE to Invest $18M in Small Businesses Focused on Clean Energy
DOE announced on November 23 more than $18 million in funding from the ARRA to support small business innovation research, development and deployment of clean energy technologies. In this first phase of funding, 125 grants of up to $150,000 each will be awarded to 107 small advanced technology firms competitively selected from 950 applicants across the U.S.
Companies that demonstrate successful results with their new technologies and show potential to meet market needs will be eligible for $60 million in a second round of grants in the summer of 2010. Grants relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy include energy efficiency technologies for buildings and industries, water and solar technologies, and technologies related to the Smart Grid. Grants will also support technologies to address water use in power plants, power plant cooling technologies, materials and technologies for advanced gas turbines, and technologies to reduce industrial greenhouse gases.
In terms of energy efficiency in buildings, the grants went to technologies for advanced air conditioning and refrigeration; thermal load shifting, which uses thermal storage (such as ice) to shift building cooling loads to off-peak hours; cool roofs, which are reflective, light-colored roofs that deflect heat from buildings; and "smart building" technologies, which employ sensors and advanced controls to minimize power use.
For industrial efficiency, the grants went to sensors and controls for efficient industrial processes; technologies for improving efficiency and environmental performance in the cement industry; low-cost manufacturing processes for innovative nanomaterials; novel approaches to recover heat from waste water streams; technologies to mitigate heat losses, fouling, and scaling in manufacturing operations; and technologies to reduce heat and energy losses in energy-intensive manufacturing processes, including distillation and dewatering systems.
For renewable energy systems, the grants went toward advances in hydropower systems or subsystems; new approaches to wave and current energy technologies and ocean thermal energy conversion systems; advanced solar technologies; solar-powered systems that produce fuels; and concentrating solar systems for distributed applications.
Grants focused on the Smart Grid were awarded for power-line sensor systems; smart controllers for household appliances; and technologies to support electric vehicles and customer-located energy generation systems, such as solar systems and wind turbines. See the DOE press release.
