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windtest north-america Co-Hosts U.S. Senators at Estherville Headquarters
Joshua Moore (r), a windtest measurement and instrumentation technician, shows U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (2nd from right) a measurement cabinet that is in the early stages of being built.
ESTHERVILLE, IOWA (April 8, 2021) – windtest north-america co-hosted U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley with Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) in separate visits on April 7 and 8. Both senators were in Estherville, Iowa, on their 99-county tours of the state.
windtest north-america Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Jasmin Holzinger led the senators on facility tours and provided an overview of our testing and technical consulting work in the United States, including measurements in power performance, mechanical loads, sound emission, acoustic vibration, grid integration and performance assessment.
Holzinger also highlighted windtest’s ongoing efforts to create additional sites in Iowa for small and utility-scale wind turbine testing and measurement, similar to the test site windtest grevenbroich operates in Germany. Small turbines are capable of generating up to 100 kilowatts of power. Ratings for large, or utility-scale, turbines exceed 100 kW, with most turbines installed in the United States in 2020 rated between 2 MW to less than 3 MW. With new technologies and designs, the ratings continue to increase.
Holzinger said Iowa is the ideal location for a test site in North America due to its wind conditions, hot, humid summers and cold, icy winters. The company is exploring options for sites with landowners and municipalities. The company previously started a test site near Emmetsburg, Iowa, in conjunction with ILCC.
Regardless of the size of the turbines, the data windtest collects at test sites helps wind energy manufacturers optimize their components, as well as the mechanical, dynamic and electrical characteristics of their systems. The test site windtest is planning for Iowa will comply with International Electrotechnical Commission standards.
The senators also toured ILCC’s Sustainable Energy Resources & Technologies program facility, and both visits wrapped up with question-and-answer periods with local business and civic leaders. Topics ranged from workforce training to renewal of the wind energy production tax credit and national infrastructure to livestock programs.
Ryan Steinkamp (l), a windtest engineer for loads and power performance, shows U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (r) a measurement cabinet that is in the early stages of being built.
About windtest
windtest grevenbroich gmbh, Grevenbroich, Germany, has nearly 26 years of renewable wind energy experience having participated in several large projects in the U.S. as well as Europe, India, China and other countries. The company provides testing and technical consulting, including measurements in power performance, mechanical load, sound emission, acoustic vibration, grid integration and performance assessment.
windtest grevenbroich established windtest north-america in 2014 at the Sustainable Energy Resources and Technologies (S.E.R.T.) Center of Iowa Lakes Community College, Estherville, Iowa. In addition to wind energy, windtest north-america is able to serve companies in a wide range of industries that require precision measurement, data collection and reporting, such as manufacturing, aviation and all industries where test bench and field measurements are necessary.
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