Long delay for parts deals blow to wind-energy projects
If all goes according to plan, Garden State Offshore Energy’s offshore wind farm, first approved back in October, will have wind turbines out to sea and generating electricity by 2012.
That’s the same year that Gov. Jon S. Corzine has proposed the state should be generating 1,000 megawatts worth of electricity from wind power as part of the state’s draft Energy Master Plan.
As more and more offshore wind projects receive approval around the world, the demand for wind turbine parts has soared in recent years. In trying to account for the backorder of parts, GSOE has built a two-year lead time into its schedule from the time it orders parts until they are actually delivered.
“That right there is kind of evidence of the demand,” GSOE President Chris Wisseman said. “The demand far outstretches supply.”
Despite a global economy characterized by shrinking industries and rising unemployment, demand for offshore wind turbines has resulted in a booming industry.
The American Wind Energy Association, or AWEA, estimates that about 7,500 megawatts worth of power will be generated from offshore wind by year’s end, enough to power 2.2 million homes. Globally, 19 new offshore wind energy facilities have been announced for 2009, which are expected to create a total of about 9,000 new jobs.
But the offshore wind energy business is not the same as the one that handles turbines on land. The towers and parts are much larger, and the industry is reporting long wait times on parts such as gearboxes and generators.
“As the demand grows, it takes time for the manufacturing capacity to ramp up,” said Julie Clendenin, a spokeswoman for the AWEA.
The industry also is located mostly in Europe, where demand for offshore turbines is much greater than it is in the United States. Wissemann said that the four companies that GSOE is exploring for turbines are Siemens, Vestas, REPower and Multibrid, which are all based out of countries such as Germany and Denmark.
American companies are starting to take a hint. General Electric has gotten involved in the industry, and many European companies are putting more attention on the United States. Steve Dayney, CEO for REPower USA, said the U.S. market is poised to grow as long as projects keep getting approved.
“They need to be certain that a sustainable market is going to be there,” Dayney said of manufacturers.
Despite being a growing industry, Dayney said it would be difficult for a start-up company to jump head-first into the offshore wind market. Constructing turbines and parts is very expensive, and developing the technology takes time.
Existing industries that do not have any stake in wind power might want to take a look. Wissemann said he thought the automobile industry might be poised to use its facilities and technology to make turbine parts, much like how the plants contributed to making aircraft and military vehicles during World War II.
“A 3,000-megawatt goal in the next 11 years represents $5 billion worth of turbines,” Wissemann said. “That’s enough of an order to be worth looking at.”
By Ben Leach
Starr Writer
23 November 2008
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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- Wind energy harvest now slated for 2012
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- State gets $4 million to aid construction of wind farms
- State officials delay approval of offshore wind-power project
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