The Wind Energy Institute of Canada announces partnership with NEL

The Wind Energy Institute will partner with NEL to test small wind turbines for MCS Certification in the United Kingdom

September 12th, 2011
North Cape, Prince Edward Island

Scott Harper, CEO of the Wind Energy Institute of Canada and Alistair Mackinnon, Operations Manager- Wind Energy of NEL announced today that the Wind Energy Institute of Canada is partnering with NEL to validate its testing procedures and protocols to enable the Institute to test small wind turbines for MCS Certification in the UK. The UK Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is a feed-in tariff program that provides a guaranteed pricing structure under long-term contracts for energy generated from renewable sources.

There are more than 200 small wind turbine manufacturers in the world, nearly 40% of them in the United States. Manufacturers offer some 550 different small wind turbine models. Most of them are not certified. The UK MCS program has attracted interest from manufacturers around the world.

“This is a great opportunity for the Institute” says Harper. “It will enable us to become a one stop testing site for small wind turbines to access markets in North America and the United Kingdom.

Alistair Mackinnon, said: “In the UK, small wind turbines must be certified by an accredited organization to be eligible to receive feed-in tariffs. Certification provides potential operators of small wind turbines with confidence in the power output and annual energy yield of the installations. We are delighted to be partnering with the Wind Energy Institute of Canada as we both work towards testing turbines to internationally agreed Standards under the provisions of ISO 17025. This partnership should be excellent news for what is a dynamic sector with huge opportunity globally.”

The MCS Scheme was established to provide potential operators of small wind turbines with confidence in the power output and annual energy yield of these wind turbines. The Scheme introduced a minimum set of requirements that small wind turbines must meet and demonstrate under a series of tests. For more information http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/.

The Wind Energy Institute of Canada, located at North Cape, Prince Edward Island is a not for profit, independent research and testing institute. Its mission is to advance the development of wind energy across Canada through research and demonstration, testing leading to certification, training and public education, and collaboration. The Institute’s location and its access to a multi-seasoned wind resource make it an excellent choice for testing wind systems of any size.

Small wind turbines are defined as having a swept area of less than 200m2. They utilize wind energy to produce clean, emissions-free electric power for individual homes, farms, and small businesses. In some cases, excess energy can be sold back to the grid. The Wind Energy Institute has been doing power performance and durability testing since 1981, and currently have four small wind turbines in test.

Another major project the Institute is working on now is their Wind R&D Park. In 2010, the Wind Energy Institute was awarded a five year, $12 million federal grant from the “Clean Energy Fund” to demonstrate the economic and technical feasibility of wind energy storage in Canada. The demonstration will feature 5 wind turbines - generating capacity of 10 MW, a utility sized electricity storage system and the examination of grid integration technologies to increase the economic viability of intermittent electricity generation (wind, solar, tidal, etc.).

NEL, is a world-class provider of technical consultancy, research, testing, flow measurement and programme management services to the energy, oil & gas and manufacturing industries, as well as government.

NEL has operated a remote wind turbine test site, 10 km from its offices in East Kilbride, since the early 1980’s. The company has made significant technical contributions to the development of renewable energy technologies, including the standards development. In August 2009, the company became the first UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accredited ISO 17025 organisation to test small wind turbine manufacturers under the MCS. In addition NEL is an EN 45011 (Guide 65) Certification Body.

NEL is a global centre of excellence for flow measurement and fluid flow systems and is the custodian of the UK’s National Flow Measurement Standards.

NEL is the trading name of TUV SUD NEL Ltd, a company of the TÜV SÜD Group, an international service organization with over 16,000 employees in more than 600 locations worldwide.

For more information Contact:

Karen Kinch
Manager of Administration
Wind Energy Institute of Canada
1-902-882-4126


Alistair Mackinnon
Operations Manager Wind Energy
TUV SUD NEL Ltd
+44 7887 868149