Necessity and Requirements of a Collaborative Effort to Develop a Large Wind Turbine Blade Test Facility in North America

The wind power industry in North America has an immediate need for larger blade test facilities to ensure the survival of the industry. Blade testing is necessary to meet certification and investor requirements and is critical to achieving the reliability and blade life needed for the wind turbine industry to succeed. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Wind Program is exploring options forcollaborating with government, private, or academic entities in a partnership to build larger blade test facilities in North America capable of testing blades up to at least 70 m in length. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) prepared this report for DOE to describe the immediate need to pursue larger blade test facilities in North America, categorize the numerous prospectivepartners for a North American collaboration, and document the requirements for a North American test facility.