World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

November 12, 2006 – Vol. 11 No. 34

WORLD WIND WATCH.

In terms of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, cleaning the air or slowing dependence on fossil fuels, it’s important to look to the growing power-generating capacity of wind energy and, of course, other renewables. The more renewable wind capacity built, the less nonrenewable capacity will have to be built.

But often forgotten are the behind-the-scenes stories in the rapidly growing wind turbine manufacturing industry.

Utility grade turbines are largely power generators with long blades mounted atop steel or steel-and-concrete-posts or structures. Of all the fairly basic parts and components it’s the long slender blades and technology needed to engineer and manufacture them that make modern turbines the power houses that they are. If it weren’t for the decades of technology development in plastic composites used to make the blades, the wind energy business wouldn’t be so vibrant today.

E-Composites, an online market information company covering the composites industry, offers an example of how big, how important the composites industry is to the wind energy business.

In a new report - Growth Opportunities in Wind Energy Market 2006-2011 - E-Composites says that the global wind energy market would use 2.1 billion pounds of composites in the next 5 years. For composites manufacturers that seems like a lot of product to sell.

The 280-page report (apparently available for a fee by contacting them), includes data on growth, raw material shipment, market share, shipment by region, as well as current and future trends, and identifies key players in the composites-for-wind-energy industry. Visit E-Composites at http://www.e-composites.com/ .

While the big news this week from BP was the expansion of the solar manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) also reports that BP is interested the sale, transfer, donation, or trade of the identified coastal site owned by the company to the Texas General Land Office (GLO), or Wind Turbine Blade Test Facility Consortium, for the home of a new wind blade research facility being proposed by the state of Texas.

The site at the Port of Corpus Christi would be ideal for the test facility as well as blade manufacturing opportunities as the GLO envisions. Blades could be shipped from there to global world markets as well as to offshore wind installations planned for the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas is already the US leader in installed wind capacity. It wants to be a leader in wind turbine manufacturing as well, according to the General Land Office.

Lone Star Wind Alliance, a coalition of universities, government agencies, and corporate partners sent the proposal for the new research facility to the US Department of Energy for consideration.