The American Wind Energy Associations Year 2000 Awards

Abstract

The AWEA announced several Award winners at the ‘Windpower 2000’ conference in Palm Springs, California. The winners received their awards from outgoing AWEA President Robert Gates. Walt Musial and Sandy Butterfield, both of the National Wind Technology Center, jointly won the Technical Achievement Award. Musial and the National Wind Technology Center test team were honored “for developing a capability at the National Wind Technology Center to provide blade and drive train structural component testing to the U.S. wind industry”. Butterfield was recognized “for successfully overseeing development of a U.S.-based certification program.” The National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is situated in a spectacular setting at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site buffer zone in Golden, Colorado. A few turbines of varying sizes and models can be glimpsed on the open plateau from Route 128 out of Golden. However the small number of turbines belies the importance of this center for the wind power industry. Most of the NWTC's work is carried out indoors, in hangars and computer labs which make it one of the world's unique testing centers.