Siemens to Open Wind Turbine Research Center in Boulder, Colorado
04 June 2008 - 6:19AM
PR Newswire (US)
Facility will create 50 new green-collar careers ORLANDO, Fla.,
June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Energy will establish 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 on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design,
structural dynamics, wind turbine dispatch prediction and
reliability. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO) Siemens
and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) also intend to enter
into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for
the installation of a Siemens 2.3-MW pilot wind turbine with a
101-meter-rotor at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC)
location south of Boulder. The company will test basic wind turbine
characteristics and verify new performance-enhancing features and
turbine reliability under severe weather conditions over a minimum
period of three years. "We are very pleased to establish our first
wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder. The proximity of
important institutions such as NREL and the NWTC, as well as the
support received from the State of Colorado and the City of
Boulder, make Boulder the perfect location for a R&D center in
the U.S.," said Randy Zwirn, head of Siemens' Energy Sector in the
U.S. "Boulder was pleased to collaborate with the state of Colorado
in an effort to bring Siemens to the city of Boulder. This new
Siemens wind turbine R&D facility will be a significant new
addition to our business community and will support Boulder's
strong commitment to environmental sustainability and renewable
energy resources," said Boulder City Manager Frank Bruno.
Presently, Siemens has established core competence centers for wind
turbine R&D in Copenhagen (Denmark), Aachen (Germany), Delft
(Netherlands) and Keele (United Kingdom). In the U.S., Boulder was
chosen to leverage potential collaboration efforts with other
institutions that are actively engaged in atmospheric research, and
wind turbine and associated systems R&D, including NREL, the
NWTC, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Colorado
Renewable Energy Collaborative, a state-funded program including
the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Colorado State
University and the Colorado School of Mines. This new facility will
also enable technology transfer with other Siemens wind turbine
R&D centers in Europe. "By choosing Colorado as the location
for their first wind research and development site in the United
States, Siemens has shown that they recognize our State is leading
the country in renewable energy technology," stated Colorado
Congressman Mark Udall. "The creation of these green jobs is good
for our economy and our communities and will help set us on a path
of greater energy independence. Colorado is fortunate to have
Siemens make this investment in our State." Governor Ritter
enthusiastically welcomes Siemens, a global industry leader, to
Colorado. "This is another great testament to Colorado's growing
New Energy economy. We continue to establish ourselves as a
worldwide leader in renewable, sustainable and modern energy,"
Governor Ritter said. "The arrival of the Siemens U.S. wind turbine
research center draws particular attention to the creative and
groundbreaking work being done in energy R&D in Colorado right
now." "At Siemens, innovation is one of our core values. Our
R&D focus is on developing solutions that are reliable,
economical, and with low impact on the environment and climate,"
stated Zwirn. "This new R&D center will help us further improve
the efficiency of turbines, and thus the economics of wind energy
projects." The new Siemens R&D Center is expected to create
12-15 green-collar positions in the first year, followed by 5-10
additional careers every year thereafter, resulting in
approximately 50 new positions by 2013. Most employees will be new
hires with a PhD or master's degree in the desired disciplines. The
Siemens Energy Sector is the world's leading supplier of a complete
spectrum of products, services and solutions for the generation,
transmission and distribution of power and for the extraction,
conversion and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2007 (ended
September 30, based on IFRS), the Energy Sector had revenues of
approximately EUR20 billion and received new orders totaling around
EUR28 billion and posted a profit of EUR1.8 billion. The Energy
Sector had a work force of 73,500 at the beginning of fiscal 2008.
Further information is available at: http://www.siemens.com/energy.
All figures represent the sum of the nonconsolidated figures for
the Power Generation and Power Transmission and Distribution Groups
and for the Oil and Gas activities of the Industrial Solutions and
Services Group. DATASOURCE: Siemens CONTACT: Siemens: Monika Wood,
Press Relations, +1-407-455-2076, ; City of Boulder: Liz Hanson,
City of Boulder Business Liaison, +1-303-441-3287, ; State of
Colorado: Matt Cheroutes, Director of Communications and External
Affairs, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International
Trade, +1-303-892-3840, Web site: http://www.siemens.com/
http://www.siemens.com/energy
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