Page 15 - MetalForming July 2009

2008 U.S. Large-Wind Installations
forge, machine and fabricate heavy- duty large-scale parts for the construc- tion and mining industries.
(Gamesa Corp., a Spanish wind-tur- bine OEM, presents a great introduction to wind-turbine manufacturing on its website: (www.gamesacorp.com/en/ products/wind-turbines/manufacture#.)
• European roots. The wind industry is a global market led by Europeans. In 2007, roughly 80 percent of the large wind-turbine market was served by six OEMs: global leader Vestas (Denmark), GE Energy (U.S.), Gamesa (Spain), Enercon (Germany), Suzlon (India) and Siemens (Germany). The designs and standards are predominantly European, completed in the metric system. Even U.S. manufacturers GE Energy and Clipper Windpower use the metric sys- tem throughout their designs. Euro- pean OEMs use European specifica- tions for materials, parts and tolerance dimensions, coatings, couplings, and the like.
Some OEMs have begun to consider using standard specs for U.S. production of noncritical parts, but they have a strong European bias. And, the OEMs already have well-established Tier One and Tier Two suppliers in Europe that provide exactly to spec. U.S. compa- nies, particularly those not currently doing business in Europe with Euro- pean companies, are disadvantaged.
• Low-volume high-margin busi- ness model. While the parts can be large, volumes can be modest. Typical full-scale supply contracts will be in the hundreds per year. This often pres- ents a challenge to auto-parts manu- facturers, and often requires suppliers to change their priorities, business model and structure.
• Rigorous quality, durability and delivery standards. Large wind tur- bines must operate under very chal- lenging conditions for 20-plus years. Failures of bearings, gearboxes, control systems or hydraulics, for example, can take a turbine out of commission and be extremely costly to repair. Thus, quali- ty control of parts and the manufac- turing processes are of paramount importance to OEMs.
Map shows large-wind capacity (in MW) installed as of March 31, 2009.
Source: American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
MF: Discuss the growth of the large- wind industry.
McCabe: Last year, more new tur- bines were installed in the Untied States and across the world than ever before. In 2008 alone, nearly 27,000 MW of new wind-turbine capacity was installed globally, of which more than 8500 MW were installed in the United States. Today, the world has nearly 121,000 MW of wind-turbine capacity, installed mostly in Europe, the United States, China and India. At the end of last year, the United States edged long-time leader Germany for the lead in total wind- energy capacity installed, with more than 25,000 MW.
The global wind market last year grew to $48 billion, 28 percent growth over 2007, and the U.S. wind market expanded to $12 billion. Yet, the U.S. wind industry is poised for even more impressive growth over the next 20 years. The U.S. Department of Energy has set the goal of providing 20 percent of the country’s electrical-power needs by 2030 from wind power. To do this, more than 300,000 MW of capacity will be required, requiring a massive expan- sion of U.S. installations. The wires are already being strung, with $11 billion of new federal stimulus funding aimed at expanding the transmission grid into the Great Plains and elsewhere.
To learn more, visit the website of the
American Wind Energy Association at www.awea.org.
MF: What challenges do metal- formers and other suppliers face as they look to get into the large-wind industry?
McCabe: Wind turbines include gen- erators, bearings, drive shafts and con- trols that are somewhat similar to com- parable parts of vehicle drive trains. Yet, many suppliers find the transition from auto parts to wind-turbine parts daunting. Some of the challenges they face include:
• Large part sizes—Wind turbines, quite simply, are big. Think of a loco- motive on a tower 300 ft. high, driving power from spinning blades as wide as a 747 jetliner. The nacelle itself can weigh more than 100 tons, and the tower another 75 tons, and they are nearly all steel and other metal alloys. And, these assemblies must last in the field for 20 yr. or more.
According to Matt Garran, director of technical services for the Great Lakes Wind Network (www.glwn.org), wind- turbine parts largely fall into two cate- gories, those above 6000 lb. and those less than 600 lb. As Garran describes, main shafts in the nacelle can range from 4 to 20 tons, hubs can weigh 5 to 15 tons, and main frames can approach 30 ft. long. Not surprisingly, suppliers of these large parts typically also cast,
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