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DOE and NYSERDA Fund SWCC
| SWCC thanks the U.S. Department of Energy, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and other sponsors for financial assistance they have provided to SWCC to assist with the start-up of the small wind turbine certification program.
Click here for a list of all SWCC funders.
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Greetings!
 The Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) is pressing forward to create consistent consumer ratings and is now publicly disclosing certification testing status. With a few recent additions, 25 turbine models currently have pending applications for SWCC certification; 5 of these are certified under the UK's Microgeneration Scheme (MCS) and 4 others are "Under Test" toward SWCC certification.
A new agreement in place with BRE Global (an organization that certifies turbines and other small scale renewable energy products for MCS) allows SWCC to issue Conditional Temporary Certifications for small wind turbines that BRE Global has certified. We are currently negotiating additional agreements with other certification bodies for the UK program, and SWCC's Board has added several clarifications to our Certification Policy.
We expect to announce SWCC's initial certifications within the next several weeks, and are working to orient our website for consumers.
We are assisting leading incentive programs as they incorporate certification standards into their requirements to address performance, safety and reliability concerns - an important step toward increasing customer adoption of wind technology.
We encourage funding agencies, consumer advocates and other stakeholders to contact us for tailored recommendations on eligibility criteria to ensure that certification requirements are appropriate, independent and rigorous. As always, I'm available if you have questions or comments about SWCC activities.
 Larry SherwoodExecutive Director |
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SWCC Announces 'Under Test' Status of Applicants
In order to provide more transparency in the certification process, the SWCC has updated its policy on optional publication of Application Status and has begun reporting the following key milestones for Pending Applicants:
- "Under Contract" indicates that the Applicant has executed a Certification Agreement with the SWCC;
- "Under Test" indicates that the small wind turbine has been installed at the test site, commissioned, instrumented and is collecting data;
- "Reports Submitted" indicates that the Applicant has submitted a complete Test and Analysis Report to the SWCC with a Certification Application; and
- "Conditional Temporary Certification" indicates that SWCC has granted a time-limited certification with labels, certificates, and summary reports pending for a small wind turbine tested and analyzed according to the IEC 61400 series of Standards or the BWEA Standard (certain requirements of the AWEA Standard have not yet been met).
Currently, 9 SWCC Pending Applicants, listed on the SWCC website, have achieved "Under Test" status. An additional 16 wind turbine models are currently "Under Contract." SWCC is now publishing the new application status levels along with the dates that Applicants have achieved each level.
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SWCC Signs Agreement with BRE Global
To enable reciprocity between small wind certification programs in North America and the UK, the SWCC and BRE Global have signed an agreement for acceptance of work undertaken as part of the review of applications.
This reciprocity is made possible because the standard to which SWCC certifies turbines in North America and the standard used for MCS in the UK - the AWEA and BWEA Standards respectively - are harmonized.
SWCC and BRE Global recognize there are differences between the SWCC and MCS requirements. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure that as much of the work as possible already performed by one certification body is acceptable by the other party, thus reducing the overall time and cost associated with certification in these two markets.
With this agreement in place, SWCC applicants may now seek time-limited "Conditional Temporary Certification" for small wind turbines certified by BRE Global, indicating the turbine has been tested and analyzed pursuant to the BWEA Standard, but certain requirements of the AWEA Standard have not been met. The process begins with a Notice of Intent to Submit an Application, and the SWCC may require that the Applicant satisfy additional requirements within the 18-month Conditional Certification period to be eligible for full SWCC Certification.
Please refer to Section F.4 of the SWCC Certification Policy for more information.
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Other SWCC Certification Policy Updates
In addition to the changes described above to SWCC's Certification Policy Section H.3 on publication of Application Status and Section F.4 on Conditional Temporary Certification, SWCC's Board has recently adopted the following policy changes:
- Section J.1.c corrections on Test and Analysis Report Requirements include: 'sea level air density' changed from 'standard conditions'; detail on the Power Performance test report introduction added; requirement for data analysis tools sample submission removed as this is assessed during the test site evaluation; reporting of the Duration Test results clarified for small wind turbine class and hours of operation.
- Annex B additions to the Notice of Intent to Submit an Application Format include check boxes for applicant type, a form for previously certified turbines, and text to reflect new application status policy.
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Certification Requirements for Incentive Eligibility
Agencies providing financial incentives for small wind systems are asking for greater assurance of safety and functionality to justify investments. SWCC is actively working with several incentive managers to incorporate certification requirements for small wind turbines and to establish consistency in small wind turbine ratings.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) now requires certification either by SWCC or other independent certifying agency, an EN45011 accredited international organization, or a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory for turbines not already on their approved list to qualify for rebates. Numerous states currently rely on the NYSERDA list to qualify small wind turbines for incentive programs.
SWCC's Incentives webpage provides further background about eligibility criteria and direct links to several programs requiring or expecting to require certification. SWCC can describe options for agencies to consider for incorporating certification requirements and structuring incentives, including suggestions for wind turbines with a swept area of more than 200 square meters and therefore outside the scope of IEC 61400-2 and AWEA 9.1 - 2009 Standards.
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Board of Directors Update
SWCC welcomes Michael Miller to its Board of Directors representing the Industry sector. Mr. Miller recently joined Xzeres as the Director of Business Development, and held the title of Wind Power Sales Manager at DC Power Systems for the past two years. Prior to joining DC Power Systems, he was the President of Teton Power, which imported, distributed, and installed Proven Energy wind turbines throughout the U.S. He also participated in the committee that developed the NABCEP Small Wind Installer Task Analysis.
Mr. Miller has authored several articles on small wind for Wind Systems Magazine and has written about renewables for multiple local and regional publications. He founded Greenscool, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to donate renewable energy systems to impoverished schools and teach children about them.Mr. Miller currently resides in Central Oregon.
SWCC would like to thank David Blittersdorf for his service on the Board and as Treasurer. Mr. Blittersdorf is followed by current Board member Mike Bergey, who was elected as Treasurer in early April 2011.The Board composition, stakeholder sectors, qualifications, election process and terms are described on the SWCC Board webpage.
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