Letter to The Honorable Samuel Bodman, U.S. Secretary of Energy

Letter

Dear Secretary Bodman:

We are writing to you in support of the Lone Star Wind Alliance's application for a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The Lone Star Wind Alliance possesses world-leading research centers in the fields of large composite structures, wind engineering, electromechanical controls and power electronics. This partnership consists of many of our nation's brightest minds from a wide range of universities including Stanford University, New Mexico State University, Old Dominion University and Montana State University, as well as leading Texas research institutions including the University of Houston, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at Austin, and West Texas A&M University. Collectively, these institutions have extensive knowledge and experience in wind energy, and they can provide the Department of Energy with a broad, national range of research capabilities.

The Department of Energy's leadership in developing alternative sources of energy is extremely important and is having a positive impact on our nation's energy supplies. Wind has the potential to provide a much needed source of energy to the U.S. However, we must first increase our capacity to perform full-scale testing of megawatt-scale wind turbine blades. Affiliating a new advanced wind turbine blade test facility with the Lone Star Wind Alliance is the best way to achieve this goal, and we encourage you to give their application strong consideration.

America is on the verge of a breakthrough in wind energy. We are proud to support the Department of Energy's wind energy program, and I am confident that the Lone State Wind Alliance is prepared to provide leadership as we enter a new era of energy development.