Consumer Resources

Resources for Wind Turbine Buyers:

Designed to promote consumer confidence and mainstream acceptance of distributed wind technology, this independent certification standardizes North American reporting of turbine performance.  The Small Wind Certification Council certifies small and medium wind turbines that conform with the requirements of specified Standards.  These standards require turbines to undergo stringent testing to confirm durability and safety over a wind range of conditions, and to gather the data needed to produce consistent ratings for power production and acoustics.  The standards apply only to the turbine itself, and do not include the tower or its foundation.  They also do not assess electrical safety, which is covered by a separate standard, UL 6142.

The standards used for ICC-SWCC certifications include:

ACP Small Wind Turbine Standard

ICC-SWCC certifies small wind turbines, < 150 kW peak power, that meet the requirements of ACP 101-1-2021, The Small Wind Turbine Standard.

IEC 61400 Standards

ICC-SWCC certifies medium wind turbines, 150-300 kW peak power, that meet the requirements of certain IEC 61400 Standards for wind turbines.

Legacy Standards

SWCC previously offered certification to the AWEA 9.1-2009 standard for qualifying small wind turbines.  Newly certified turbines are now assessed to the ACP 101-1 standard.  However some turbines may still be certified to the AWEA 9.1 standard.  Manufacturers with a legacy AWEA 9.1 certification may opt to update it to the ACP 101-1 standard, but are not required to do so at this time.

ICC-SWCC has also compiled answers to Frequently Asked Questions about distributed wind certification.