The $98 million facility will be housed in a former US Navy warehouse adjacent to existing rail and ship-handling infrastructure. Planning and construction of the facility is under way and it is expected to begin operating in 2012.
It will be capable of full-scale, highly accelerated testing of advanced drive-train systems for wind turbines in the 5 megawatt to 15 megawatt range with a 30 percent overload capacity. A drive train takes energy generated by a turbine’s blades and increases the rotational speed to drive the electrical generator, similar to the transmission in a car
More than 500 people attended the groundbreaking, including members of the South Carolina Legislature, the state’s congressional delegation and industry executives.
Clemson University President James F. Barker told attendees that the testing facility is the perfect example of collaboration at work.
“South Carolina can combine the strengths of its top-ranked research university with its manufacturing sector to catapult the state into a leading role in the nation’s emerging and important wind-power industry,” he said.
Clemson has a wealth of expertise in many fields, including energy, engineering and sustainability, Barker added.
“When these resources are combined with a track record of successful collaboration with public and private partners, the value is difficult to quantify,” he said.
In November 2009, Clemson’s Restoration Institute and its project partners were awarded a $45 million US Department of Energy grant, which was combined with $53 million of privately-sourced matching funds, to build and operate the facility.
The award from the Dept. of Energy was the largest single grant ever received by Clemson University. It was made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The university’s partners are the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority; the South Carolina Department of Commerce; the state of South Carolina; South Carolina Public Railways, the South Carolina State Ports Authority; and private partners RENK AG, Tony Bakker and James Meadors.
John Kelly, executive director of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and Clemson's vice president of economic development, public service and agriculture, said the testing facility places one of the most important sites for wind energy research and development in South Carolina.
As the wind-energy market evolves, South Carolina is strategically positioned to serve as an industrial hub for this evolving industry, he said.
Kelly also predicted that Clemson, together with the industry that will grow around the testing facility, will drive wind energy research nationwide.
“It’s difficult to overstate what this facility represents for South Carolina. From an economic development standpoint, the testing facility will bring state-wide benefits,” he said.
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