Gamesa and NREL Collaborate on R&D Project

The agreement has core provisions that run through 2013 and options for two additional years of collaboration. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t revealed.

The agreement calls for Gamesa, which is based in Spain but has its North American headquarters in Langhorne, Pa., to work with the NREL on three programs: developing new components and rotors for the U.S. wind farm market; researching and testing the performance of new wind turbine control systems; and developing methods for predicting the behavior of offshore wind turbines to speed development of wind farms in U.S. coastal waters.

That model wind turbine is designed for low-wind sites, which Gamesa expects will comprise more than half the locations of wind turbines built on land in the future. Gamesa and the NREL will begin full testing on all three programs this month.

"Wind energy is going to continue to play a key role in creating a stronger and more sustainable American economy," Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Posada, vice president of technology for Gamesa North America, said in a statement. "This partnership is an exciting venture that showcases Gamesa’s commitment to enhanced clean energy development, as well as our drive to deliver the most reliable, efficient and cost-effective wind turbine technologies to the U.S. marketplace."

www.gamesacorp.com