The Scholar's Field Guide to Clemson University

SCE&G Energy Innovation Center The SCE&G Energy Innovation Center is the result of a $45 million grant (paired with $53 mil- lion in private and state contributions) awarded to Clemson University by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Ener . It is the largest single award in University history and the largest single grant by the U.S. DOE for wind power. Strategically located at the CURI campus, the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center houses the world’s most advanced wind turbine drivetrain testing facility, which is capable of full-scale, highly accelerated mechanical and electrical testing of drivetrain systems for wind turbines. The SCE&G Energy Innovation Center boasts two world-class wind turbine test beds: 15-Megawatt Test Bed 7.5-Megawatt Test Bed A flexible unit that accommodates complet geared and direct-drive wind turbine nacelles up to 15 MW, this rig consists of two 8,700- kW, asynchronous, water-cooled motors and an adaptation gearbox. This equally flexible unit handles gearboxe and nacelles for wind turbines up to 7.5 MW and consists of a single 8,700, asynchro- nous, water-cooled motor. Duke Energy Electrical Grid Research Innovation and Development (eGRID) Center The SCE&G Center also houses the Duke Energy eGRID Center , which manages the 15-megawatt hardware-in-the-loop grid simulator that ensures the mutual stability of the wind turbine and the existing electrical grid during testing. The eGRID can simulate the electrical grid of any country in the world. – 23 –