According to the British Wind Energy association (BWEA), the domestic wind turbine market in the UK grew by 80 percent from 2006 to 2007 and that trend is set to continue. Improving technology is predicted to drive costs down so last month’s report issued by The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) makes interesting reading for everyone considering the renewable energy route.

NREL’s interim results of their Independent Testing Program for Small Wind Turbines that began last year featured four small wind turbines and included the Gaia-Wind 133-11kW. Tests are conducted at the National Wind Technology Centre (NWTC) in Boulder, Colorado and accredited by the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for power performance, power quality, noise, safety and function, and duration to International Electro technical Commission (IEC) standards.

Three of the five tests have been completed to date: safety and function, duration and power performance and the Gaia-Wind turbine met the pass requirements for all these tests.