Clemson University has dedicated a new $110 million Energy Systems Innovation Center that will test turbines and the grid. The 82,000 square foot facility contains the world's largest wind turbine drivetrain testing rig as well as a 15 MW electric grid research facility. The center was named the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center during the dedication.
An AP story reported that the center was financed in part by $45 million in federal stimulus money from the Department of Energy and is located at the old Charleston Naval Base on the site of a warehouse that was built during World War II. One section of the facility contains eGRID - The Electrical Grid Research, Development and Innovation Center. As new technologies are developed such as solar power, wind power and power storage, the 15 MW grid will allow companies to see how their devices interact with the grid.
The grid simulator, which cost more than $10 million, could have been put in another location but it would have cost upward to $25 million. It was less expensive at the center because of the electrical infrastructure already in place for the giant wind turbine test units....(AP, NewsOK.com)