New Wind Farm Deal Confirms Large U.S. Role in Wind

United Steelworkers and two Chinese companies signed an agreement Friday August 6^th, 2010 assuring major components for the large, $1.5 billion wind farm to be built in West Texas would be manufactured by American companies within the United States.

The agreement announced the two Chinese companies anticipate buying 50,000 tons of steel from unionized American mills for the wind project. In an article in the New York Times last week detailing the agreement, explains The United Steelworkers partnership with legislators and other groups to set strict actions to ensure American jobs and good business practices between the two Chinese companies and manufacturers in the U.S.

The article in the New York Times explains Jinxiang Lu, the chairman and chief executive of Shenyang Power Group, one of the two Chinese companies working on the West Texas 615 megawatt wind farm, partnered with U.S. Renewable Energy group and United Steelworkers president Leo W. Gerard to “…understand his [Gerard’s] vision for win-win relationships between manufacturers and workers.”

This collaborative agreement, and others likes it, ensure United States manufacturers have a seat at the table for wind energy in an increasingly globalized market. The Wisconsin Wind Works initiative supports developing a stronger domestic manufacturing supply chain and works to realize the potential of an American wind technology export market.

Read more on the agreement in the New York Times article here!

Wisconsin Wind Works to host Fall Wind Event on October 13th, 2010 at Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Come learn about Wind Energy opportunities in Wisconsin, and gain new insight into the Wisconsin wind energy market from expert wind professionals and suppliers. Attendees can expect to learn about Wisconsin's 1st and 2nd tier wind market, develop connections with wind suppliers in Wisconsin, and have the unique opportunity to hear about aftermarket operations and maintenance for wind in Wisconsin.

Notable Wisconsin Wind energy suppliers have already signed on to be part of panels throughout the day including:

• Wausaukee Composites
• Ingeteam (INDAR)
• Milwaukee Machine Works
• Helwig Carbon Products, Inc
• L&S Electric
• Energy Maintenance Service (EMS)
• and many many more!

Networking, food, and expert programming ensures the event to be a major success! Register today to reserve your spot at the Wisconsin Wind Works Wind Energy Symposium!

Invitation and Registration Link available here: http://www.coalescemarketing.com/wind_symposium/email.htm

Siemens Energy launches its new SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbine

Siemens Energy launched its new SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbine at the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition in Warsaw. The new SWT-3.0.101 with a rated power of 3 MW, offers innovation through a direct drive concept utilizing a permanent magnet generator. With fewer parts than a conventional geared wind turbine, the new units require less maintenance and provide increased profitability for customers. The new wind turbine features a rotor diameter of 101 metres and is now available for sale for onshore and offshore projects around the world.

“Under the attractive feed in tariffs announced last year for renewable energy we see a great potential for wind projects in this market. Siemens is very interested in the domestic market and closely following further developments,” says John Hazakis, business unit director for Siemens Renewables Division.

The new SWT-3.0-101 will offer 25% more power than the present 2,3 MW machine, but with a lower weight and only half the parts. The objective was to reduce complexity in order to increase reliability and profitability.

The unit features a gearless drive train design with a compact synchronous generator excited by permanent magnets. The generator of the first prototype machine, which was installed in Denmark in 2009, was produced by the Large Drives Business Unit within the Siemens Industry Sector. The main advantage of permanent magnet generators is their simple and robust design that requires no excitation power, slip rings or excitation control systems. This leads to high efficiency even at low loads. A major advantage of the new machine is its compact design: with a length of 6,8 metres and a diameter of only 4, 2 metres, the nacelle can be transported using standard vehicles commonly available in most major markets. The nacelle of SWT-3.0-101 weighs only 73 tons, which is less than the nacelle of the standard 2, 3 MW wind turbine

Largest Air Cargo Plane in the World Safely Transports Wind Turbine Blades

A record-breaking journey has ended safely. The largest airplane in the world, a 175-ton Russian cargo carrier (the Antonov 225), transported two prototype wind turbine blades from China to Denmark. The 42-m GloBlades, headed for LM Wind Power’s technology center in Lunderskov, are the longest cargo ever transported by air.


China’s demand for new energy sources has put pressure on wind industry players to quickly respond. LM Wind Power, a turbine component supplying company, now ships blades into Denmark for testing. Engineers put the blades through conditions resembling the full forces of nature, while simulating 20 years of operation.

“The new blade design will help wind farm developers create clean electricity in lower-wind areas for turbines at 1.5 to 1.7 MW,” says Frank V. Nielsen, chief technology officer. LM Wind Power’s worked with Geodis Wilson, freight management contractors, to transport the blades 4,650 miles (7480 km) from Tianjin, China to Lunderskov, Denmark in 12 hours.

Tower Tech to supply wind towers to Spain's Gamesa (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online)

Tower Tech will supply wind towers to the Spanish wind turbine provider Gamesa Technology Corp. for wind farms that will be installed in the United States in the second half of the year.

Click here to read the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online.

Click here to go to the Tower Tech website.

[Blogger's Note: Congratulations to Tower Tech on a great year so far. First Vestas, now Gamesa. Keep up the great work!]

American Transmission Co. and SMART Study co-sponsors release (American Transmission Company)

American Transmission Co., along with co-sponsors Electric Transmission America, transmission joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.; Exelon Corp.; NorthWestern Energy; Xcel Energy; and MidAmerican Energy Co., a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., have released the first phase of a comprehensive study of the transmission needed in the Upper Midwest to ensure reliability and support renewable energy development for transport to population and electricity load centers.

Phase I results of the "Strategic Midwest Area Transmission (SMART) Study" recommend three alternatives for further study based on a rigorous reliability assessment and stakeholder input. One alternative is primarily 765 kV extra-high-voltage transmission. Another scenario includes 765 kV combined with limited use of high-voltage direct current transmission lines, while the third constitutes a combination of both 345 kV and 765 kV transmission lines.

Click here to read the article in North American Windpower.

Click here to read the press release from ATC.

New Blueprint for Building Domestic Wind Energy Supply Chain (AWEA et al)

According to a report released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), BlueGreen Alliance and the United Steelworkers, the U.S. wind industry can create tens of thousands of additional jobs manufacturing wind turbines and components if the U.S. passes long-term policies that create a stable market for the domestic wind energy supply chain.

Click here to view the full report on the BlueGreen Alliance website.