In November 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Clemson University a grant to build and operate a facility to test nextgeneration wind-turbine drivetrain technology.
ORBIS was awarded a 5 year IDIQ contract in 2013, with a follow on 5 years awarded this year, to provided engineering and manufacturing support. In 2018 Clemson was selected by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind’s first major investment in the United States, catapulting the U.S. into a leadership position in offshore wind as the country will now be testing the world’s most powerful wind turbine. It is anticipated that visitors from around the world will come to Clemson to see the test setup.
ORBIS engineers work in collaboration with Clemson and Vestas personnel to support the commissioning and testing of the first wind turbine drivetrain to be paired with the facility’s 15MW dynamometer. Specifically, ORBIS is providing electrical, mechanical, and software design services to support the extensive data acquisition needs of the project. ORBIS is responsible for acquiring data from numerous sources, synchronizing that data, and providing control to a critical lubrication system incorporated in the Vestas drivetrain. ORBIS is providing a customized solution to seamlessly integrate with systems from both the Vestas platform and the Clemson facility command center.”