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UL to develop the first commercial wind turbine testing site in the United States

Wind Turbine Certification and Test facility to open in Wyoming in late 2004

NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 29, 2004 - Underwriters Laboratories Inc (UL), the not-for-profit product testing organization, has received a $1.25 million contract from the State of Wyoming, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to open the first commercial wind turbine certification and test facility in the United States.

The new facility reflects the growing popularity of wind-generated power, which, with a 5-year growth rate of 32 percent, makes it the fastest growing energy source in the world. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) wind energy projects are currently installed or being installed in more than 30 states nationwide.

UL has retained Distributed Generation Systems Inc. (DISGEN), a commercial wind farm developer located in Lakewood, Colo., to coordinate the design and construction of the project.

"DISGEN is pleased to have the opportunity to support the efforts of UL and DOE in establishing this national facility. It is an important step for the continuation of wind technology development and certification for state-of-the-art wind turbines to be deployed in the worldwide markets," said Dale Osborn, DISGEN's president and CEO.

The testing facility marks a major milestone in the collaborative relationship between UL and DOE that began in 1997. UL's National Wind Turbine Certification and Test Site is to be located about 8 miles south of Cheyenne in rural Laramie County, and is expected to be operational in late 2004. The facility will be equipped to accommodate both utility interconnected and non-grid connected turbines.

"My hope is that this project will bring additional knowledge and technological expertise to Cheyenne and Wyoming," said Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal. "By using energy-efficient materials, it could also mean an excellent opportunity to showcase Wyoming and its renewable resources."

"UL is committed to being a world leader in the safety and performance certification of wind energy products. Our state-of-the-art wind testing site will allow us to bring wind turbine testing in-house and eliminate the red tape often associated with conducting certification evaluations in a commercial wind farm," said Bill Colavecchio, UL's general manager of Renewable Energy.

UL is a leader in developing international standards and market solutions for the wind energy industry. Using recognized industry standards such as the IEC 61400 series, UL's team of wind engineers have the expertise and capabilities to evaluate and test the construction, performance, electrical safety and mechanical loads of wind turbine systems.

For more information on wind turbine certification, visit the UL Web site at www.ul.com/DGE or contact UL's Wind Team by phone at +1-919-316-5003; or by e-mail at windenergy@us.ul.com.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products for more than 110 years. UL tests more than 18,000 types of products annually, and more than 19 billion UL Marks appear on products each year. Worldwide, UL's family of companies and its network of service providers include 60 laboratories, and testing and certification facilities.

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