Intertek—a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services—has announced the opening of an open-air test site for small wind turbines. The test site in Otisco, New York, together with the company’s nearby Cortland lab, is the only wind testing facility in North America that is operated by an OSHA-acknowledged NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory) capable of providing small wind turbine system and electrical component certifications. Third party certification—including Intertek’s ETL Mark for the U.S., Canada, and Europe—demonstrates the compliance to national and international safety standards.
Government incentive programs for clean and renewable energy are a key driver in the rapidly growing international wind power market. Intertek tests wind turbines and provides data for program managers to determine product eligibility for incentive programs. As a recognized third party testing company Intertek increases sales opportunities for manufacturers by providing verification of compliance with national and international wind turbine efficiency, performance, and safety requirements.
“Intertek’s new small wind test center is significant to both buyers and sellers of small wind turbines,” says Brian Kramak, director of energy services. “Buyers of wind turbines have reliable third-party verification of important safety, acoustic, and performance data. Sellers of wind turbines are able to demonstrate compliance to regulatory requirements and incentive program requirements.”
Intertek will test and certify small wind turbines for durability and performance according to the new AWEA 9.1 Small Wind Turbine Safety and Performance standard, and also the newly released Canadian standards such as CAN/CSA C61400-2, creating a one-stop shop for complete U.S. and Canadian wind turbine testing and certification requirements. Intertek will also test for manufacturers that wish to use other certification bodies, such as the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC).
The facility will support testing of several small wind turbines at the same time, from the smaller micro-turbines of a few hundred watts up to the “largest” small wind turbine of 200m2 swept blade area—about 50-60kw. Using remote access monitoring, Intertek will generate 24/7 data to evaluate a range of real world environmental conditions, as required by the AWEA, Canadian, and international wind turbine standards. The test center complements Intertek’s existing market-leading capabilities for testing and certification of electrical components and systems including generators, inverters and controls among others. Learn more at www.intertek.com/wind.
