WASHINGTON, D.C. – Massachusetts was selected today as one of two states that will house an advanced wind turbine testing facility, keeping the Bay State at the forefront of the transition towards clean, renewable energy. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said that his agency selected Massachusetts and Texas to each receive up to $2 million in test equipment to develop large-scale wind blade test facilities, accelerating the commercial availability of wind energy.

“Massachusetts has always been a leader in technological innovation,” said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. “Having a wind blade test facility in Massachusetts will ensure that the Commonwealth will continue to be on the cutting edge in developing the new clean, renewable energy technologies that are essential to cutting our global warming pollution.”

The facility will test the next generation of wind turbine blades, as the increasing size of wind turbines has outgrown the DOE testing facility. The new facility could test blade sizes of up to 100 meters. Larger blade sizes can generate more energy more efficiently, while increasing safety for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Blade testing is also required to meet wind turbine design standards, reduce machine cost, and reduce the technical and financial risk of deploying mass-produced wind turbine models

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Partnership that won the proposal plans to build a test facility at the Boston Autoport in Boston Harbor. The Partnership includes: the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative; University of Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development; the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; and the Massachusetts Port Authority. The proposal also has the support of other academic institutions like Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Generating wind power will require using more brain power, and no state in America has better colleges, universities, or more brain power than Massachusetts,” concluded Chairman Markey.