Irvine, Calif.-based Composite Technology Corp. (CTC) has announced that its DeWind subsidiary has successfully connected the first 60 Hz version of its D8.2 wind turbine to the grid, and shortly thereafter generated 2 MW of rated power for a number of hours.
This is part of an ongoing effort, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to confirm the functionality and characterize the turbine in order to ensure a successful entry into the North American marketplace.
The next step, following completion of the test plan, is to move the nacelle from the dynamometer in Colorado to the prototype site in Sweetwater, Texas, where it is scheduled to be placed on top of an 80-meter tower in mid-December and undergo field performance verification testing.
‘We are pleased to see how smoothly the testing has gone so far and appreciate having access to the NREL dynamometer test facility in order to efficiently verify the turbine's capabilities,’ says Benton Wilcoxon, chairman and CEO of CTC. ‘We are delighted to see it breeze through these tests and generate high-quality 60 Hz power, without any major hiccups.’
