Elected officials, state agency staff and educators join tour of wind blade testing facility

by Carol Hautau

Last month, SAFE organized a group tour at the Wind Technology Testing Center operated by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). Located in Charlestown, the center is right on the Boston Harbor. Bonnie Bain, SAFE Program Manager, gathered a diverse group of elected officials, state agency staff, non-profit organization and educational institution staff and environmental activists who were anxious to learn about the center.

The blade testing facility in Charlestown, MA, is the largest such facility in the country.

Executive director of the center, Rahul Yarala, and Nick Lawson, senior engineer, toured the facility with us and gave an overview of the impressive testing process. Turbine blades are connected to a computerized testing system and undergo the equivalent of 20 years of weathering and stress in a few months. If signs of mechanical stress appear, manufacturers send engineers to determine how to correct these problems going forward.

The Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency working to grow clean energy in the Commonwealth. They focus on job creation, statewide environmental benefits and economic growth.This quasi-public agency was created by our legislature in 2009 and is funded by a charge on utility bills.

The Wind Technology Testing Center (WTTC), a joint project of MassCEC, the Wind Energy Technologies Office, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was opened in 2011 and is accredited to test wind turbine blades to International Energy Commission (IEC) standards. They test blade prototypes for both land-based and offshore turbines developed here in the States, in South America and even in Europe. The location on the harbor allows companies to float these gigantic prototypes from all over the world.

With turbines constructed taller and taller, newer blades can exceed the length the facility was designed to handle.  Plans are already in motion to expand the testing center to allow them to test the blades of the future. SAFE is hoping to soon see blades based on prototypes tested at the WTTC stacked at our Salem Wind Port. Then we can say with pride that Salem is helping to meet the climate goals of the Commonwealth and the world.

Carol Hautau is a member of the SAFE Board of Directors.

Tours can be scheduled by contacting the testing center at WTTCtours@masscec.com.