The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited standards development organization for consensus wind energy standards in the United States. Industry standards enhance the safety of industry operations, assure quality, help keep costs down, reduce waste, and minimize confusion. Standards help speed acceptance, bring products to market quicker, and avoid having to reinvent the wheel every time a product is manufactured.
Standards play an important role in everyday life. They may establish size or shape or capacity of a product, process or system, and they can specify the performance of products or personnel. Standards also can define terms so there is no misunderstanding among those using the standard.
AWEA Standards Development
As the Secretariat, AWEA administers the ANSI standards process through AWEA consensus bodies (committees) that develop and maintain voluntary national consensus standards for the U.S. wind industry, ensures that the process for revision of standards are timely and in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Essential Requirements procedures, and publishes the final product of the consensus process.
On April 19, 2019, ANSI notified the Secretariat that "the ANSI Executive Standards Council (ExSC) reaccreditation of the American Wind Energy Association under its recently revised operating procedures for documenting consensus on AWEA-sponsored American National Standards is APPROVED". Under AWEA’s Standards Development Procedures, three different types of standards may be developed:
- Standards: documents with mandatory requirements
- Recommended Practices: documents in which procedures and positions represent good practices
- Technical Reports: documents in which alternative approaches to good practices are described and suggested but which make no clear-cut recommendations
AWEA Wind Standards Committees
Wind Technical Standards Committee (WTSC) focusing on design and technical standards. Click here to download the membership application. Click here to view the WTSC roster.
Wind Workforce Standards Committee (WWSC) focusing on workforce development standards. Click here to download the membership application. Click here to view the WWSC roster.
Wind Environmental, Health, and Safety Standards Committee (WEHSSC) focusing on environmental, health and safety standards. Click here to download the membership application. Click here to view the WEHSSC roster.
Click here to view the list of committees and the subordinate groups for each committee. Participation on a subordinate group does not require an application. To participate on a subordinate group please email standards@awea.org.
Click here to view the meeting schedule.
Click here to view draft documents available for public comment.
The consensus standards process is open to all persons who are directly and materially affected by the standard being developed,
click here to view the AWEA Standards Development Committees Public Page. To participate on an AWEA standards committee, download and complete a membership application form and email the completed form to
standards@awea.org.
AWEA Standards & Recommended Practices
Existing industry standards and recommended practices developed under the AWEA standards process:
Results: 1 - 7 of 7
Standards
Format: PDFNumber of pages: 100 List Price: $375.00Member Price: $249.00 (ANSI price $300.00) This American National Standard (ANS) ANSI/AWEA Standard 61400-27-1 is an identical adoption of IEC 61400-27-1 Electrical Simulation Models - Wind Turbines. This standard defines standard electrical simulation models for wind turbines and wind power plants. The specified models are time domain positive sequence simulation models intended to be used in power system and grid stability analyses. The models are applicable for dynamic simulations of short term stability in power systems. IEC 61400-27 includes procedures for validation of the specified electrical simulation models. The validation procedure for IEC 61400-27 is based on tests specified in IEC 61400-21. Disclaimer: This document is proprietary and its use is subject to a legally binding license agreement and disclaimer (the "Agreement") which can be found online at: https://www.awea.org/ANSI-61400-27 as it may be updated from time to time.
Standards
Format: PDFNumber of pages: 61 AWEA Standard 61400-11 AWEA 61400-11 Acoustic Noise Measurement Techniques is an identical adoption of IEC 61400-11. This standard presents measurement procedures that enable noise emissions of a wind turbine to be characterized. This involves using measurement methods appropriate to noise emission assessment at locations close to the machine in order to avoid errors due to sound propagation but far enough away to allow for the finite source size. The procedures described are different in some respects from those that would be adopted for noise assessment in community noise studies. They are intended to facilitate characterization of wind turbine noise with respect to a range of wind speeds and directions. Standardization of measurement procedures will also facilitate comparisons between different wind turbines. Once you complete your purchase AWEA will send you an individual watermarked digital copy for your use. Disclaimer: This document is proprietary and its use is subject to a legally binding license agreement and disclaimer (the "Agreement") which can be found online at: https://www.awea.org/ANSI-61400-11 as it may be updated from time to time.
Standards
Format: PDFNumber of pages: 98 This American National Standard (ANS) ANSI/AWEA 61400-1 (2016) is an identical adoption of the IEC 61400-12-1 Ed. 1 Power performance measurements of electricity producing wind turbines. Any reference in this standard to an IEC 61400 part is understood to mean a reference to the equivalent ANSI/AWEA 61400 part where it exists. The purpose of this part of IEC 61400 is to provide a uniform methodology that will ensure consistency accuracy and reproducibility in the measurement and analysis of power performance by wind turbines. The standard has been prepared with the anticipation that it would be applied by: – a wind turbine manufacturer striving to meet well-defined power performance requirements and/or a possible declaration system; – a wind turbine purchaser in specifying such performance requirements; – a wind turbine operator who may be required to verify that stated or required power performance specifications are met for new or refurbished units; – a wind turbine planner or regulator who must be able to accurately and fairly define power performance characteristics of wind turbines in response to regulations or permit requirements for new or modified installations. Once you complete your purchase AWEA will send you an individual watermarked digital copy for your use. Disclaimer:This document is proprietary and its use is subject to a legally binding license agreement and disclaimer (the "Agreement") which can be found online at: http://www.awea.org/ANSI-61400-12-1 as it may be updated from time to time.
Standards
Format: PDFNumber of pages: 109 AWEA Standard 61400-13 Measurement of Mechanical Loads is an identical adoption of IEC 61400. This standard deals with mechanical load measurements on wind turbines and mainly focuses on large (40 m2) electricity generating horizontal axis wind turbines. However the methods described might be applicable to other wind turbines as well (for example mechanical water pumpers vertical axis turbines). The object of this specification is to describe the methodology and corresponding techniques for the experimental determination of the mechanical loading on wind turbines. This technical specification is intended to act as a guide for carrying out measurements used for verification of codes and/or for direct determination of the structural loading. This specification is not only intended as one coherent measurement specification but can also be used for more limited measurement campaigns. Once you complete your purchase AWEA will send you an individual watermarked digital copy for your use. Disclaimer: This document is proprietary and its use is subject to a legally binding license agreement and disclaimer (the "Agreement") which can be found online at: https://www.awea.org/ANSI-61400-13 as it may be updated from time to time.
Standards
Format: PDFNumber of pages: 48 AWEA Standard 61400-23 Full Scale Structural Testing of Rotor Blades is an identical adoption of IEC 61400-23:2014. This standard defines the requirements for full-scale structural testing of wind turbine blades and for the interpretation and evaluation of achieved test results. The standard focuses on aspects of testing related to an evaluation of the integrity of the blade for use by manufacturers and third party investigators. The following tests are considered in this standard: static load tests fatigue tests static load tests after fatigue tests and tests determining other blade properties. The purpose of the tests is to confirm to an acceptable level of probability that the whole population of a blade type fulfils the design assumptions. Once you complete your purchase AWEA will send you an individual watermarked digital copy for your use. Disclaimer: This document is proprietary and its use is subject to a legally binding license agreement and disclaimer (the "Agreement") which can be found online at: https://www.awea.org/ANSI-61400-23 as it may be updated from time to time.
Standards
The ASCE/AWEA Recommended Practice for Compliance of Large Land-based Wind Turbine Support Structures was developed in 2011 in conjunction with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The RP details recommendations for designs and processes for use as a guide in the design and approval process to achieve engineering integrity of wind turbines in the U.S.
Standards
The AWEA Offshore Compliance Recommended Practices (RP) (2012) – AWEA OCRP 2012, developed in 2012, is an AWEA large turbine compliance guideline for offshore wind energy. This RP is intended to provide guidance on recommended practices for design, deployment, and operations of offshore wind turbines in the U.S.