Facility will create 50 new green-collar careers

ORLANDO, Fla., June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Energy willestablish its U.S. wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder, Colorado.The facility is expected to employ an estimated 50 people and will focus onatmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics,wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.

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Siemens and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) also intend to enterinto a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for theinstallation of a Siemens 2.3-MW pilot wind turbine with a 101-meter-rotor atthe National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) location south of Boulder. Thecompany will test basic wind turbine characteristics and verify newperformance-enhancing features and turbine reliability under severe weatherconditions over a minimum period of three years.

'We are very pleased to establish our first wind turbine R&D competencecenter in Boulder. The proximity of important institutions such as NREL andthe NWTC, as well as the support received from the State of Colorado and theCity of Boulder, make Boulder the perfect location for a R&D center in theU.S.,' said Randy Zwirn, head of Siemens' Energy Sector in the U.S.

'Boulder was pleased to collaborate with the state of Colorado in aneffort to bring Siemens to the city of Boulder. This new Siemens wind turbineR&D facility will be a significant new addition to our business community andwill support Boulder's strong commitment to environmental sustainability andrenewable energy resources,' said Boulder City Manager Frank Bruno.

Presently, Siemens has established core competence centers for windturbine R&D in Copenhagen (Denmark), Aachen (Germany), Delft (Netherlands) andKeele (United Kingdom).