Wind Turbine Company

1995

WTC was selected by the DOE to receive $14.9 million in federal funds as part of a $22.1 million contract to develop a 250kW proof-of-concept (POC) turbine to be followed by two full-scale wind turbines. Ours was the second largest wind contact ever awarded by the DOE and the largest contract ever awarded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

1998

WTC was selected by the California Energy Commission to receive a $950,000 contract to develop a 500kW commercial derivative of the proof-of-concept turbine.

2000

The POC turbine was installed at NREL's National Wind Test Center in Colorado in February. It was grid connected in March and has been in testing since May 2000.

2001

In May, WTC received a follow-on contract of $1.3 million from the California Energy Commission to complete development of its 500 kW 2nd prototype turbine.

2002

In March 2002, WTC grid connected its 500kW second prototype turbine. This turbine operated successfully in testing for approximately two months before an electronic device failure and a control system software glitch caused a blade to strike the tower. This accident caused an undetected crack in the turbine's rotorshaft and led to a second accident in June 2003. The machine has been dismantled and will be repaired and returned to operation in 2005.

2004

In January, WTC was awarded a $800,000 follow-on contract from the DOE. We will use this funding to continue testing our 250 kW prototype and begin rebuilding the 500 kW prototype. We will also conduct accelerated life testing on the structural components in the drivetrain.

2005

Complete the development and testing of a new, purpose-designed rotor blade necessary to optimize performance on our downwind turbine. By year-end we will deploy 5-to-6 of our pre-commercial WTC 750 (kW) wind turbines.

WTC has three patents protecting its core intellectual property and has recently applied for a fourth. Additional patent applications are anticipated.