CompositesWorld

OCT 2017

CompositesWorld

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TRENDS OCTOBER 2017 24 CompositesWorld US windpower advocates and the composites supply chain that benefits from serving those who supply wind turbine manufacturers the massive rotor blades they require, are expressing confidence that conditions favor an extended upward economic swing for our industry. CW found evidence to support that theory. Deepwater Wind, which now operates off Rhode Island the first US offshore wind farm (see short.compositesworld.com/ BlockIsle) announced a plan to construct the Revolution Wind farm 12 miles off Martha's Vineyard. A Cape Cod Times article (Aug. 1), noted that the project would pair a 144-MW offshore farm with a 40-MW/hr battery storage system provided by electric-vehicle OEM Tesla (San Carlos, CA, US), described by Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski as "the largest combined offshore wind and energy project in the world." Motivating potential approval of the ambitious project is a 2016 Massachusetts state law that requires its utilities to procure 1,600 MW of offshore wind and other renewable sources by 2027. Of potential help to offshore wind developers is the late- July introduction by US senators Susan Collins (R-ME), and Tom Carper (D-DE) of the bipartisan Offshore Wind Power Act, which would create an investment tax credit (ITC) redeemable for the first 3 GW of offshore wind facilities a provider places into service in the US. According to the lawmakers, the ITC — like the Production Tax Credit (PTC) did for land-based wind farms — would give the industry the certainty it needs to go forward with investments and maximize technology deployment. On land, Wyoming, Texas and Pennsylvania currently top the list of US states in terms of net (actual) wind energy power delivery. That's likely to remain the case in the short run. An Aug. 3 report in Renews (UK) says Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) will provide Southern Power with 43 V126 3.45-MW machines for its Cactus Flats project in Texas, helping to sustain that state's position as the top US wind energy provider. And the Daily Energy Insider, on Aug. 1, revealed Rocky Mountain Power's (Portland, OR, US) proposed US$2 billion in new wind farm projects (a combined capacity of 860 MW) in windy Wyoming. What could change the picture is a proposed US$4.5 billion Wind Catcher wind farm/transmission line announced in July by Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (Tulsa, OK, US).. If it goes into service in 2020, it will field 800 turbines (2,400 composite rotor blades) and total 2 GW in capacity. The ambitious project in the Oklahoma Panhandle, could put the state into the number two spot nationally. A separate project, totaling a mere 100 MW, is on target for completion in 2018. In Iowa, a farm-centric state that took to wind energy early, Renews (UK) reports on Aug. 4, Alliant Energy (Madison, WI, US) is seeking approval by early 2018 from the Iowa Utilities Board to add up to 500 MW of wind energy capacity there. In 2016, it received approval for a similar expansion and said the two projects would repre- sent a US$1.8 billion investment and total 1GW of new wind generation. Maryland, however, has taken steps to ensure it's not left behind. An ambitious East Coast partnership between New York-based Con Edison and developers of wind farms yet to come in northern Maine, has organized as Maine Power Express LLC (MPX). MPX wants to build wind farms capa- ble of 630 MW of electrical power, which Con Ed would deliver via an underground transmission line to Boston, MA, US, to satisfy state requirements for energy generation from sustainable resources. The repair market will grow as turbines placed in the past century continue to age. The Ohio-based Sioux City Journal reported on Aug. 2 that Duluth, MN, US-based energy firm Allete Clean Energy announced in July an US$80 million wind turbine refurbishment project at its two Storm Lake, IA, US, sites (totaling 187 MW), which would entail, among other maintenance items, the replace- ment of select turbine blades on the two farms' total 248 turbines. And Rocky Mountain Power, noted above, has slated upgrades to eight wind projects in Wyoming, four in Washington and one in Oregon. Improvements would include turbine rotors with longer blades that would raise current combined capacity (999 MW) by 11-35%. ENERGY Wind energy trends, offshore and on, support composites growth Authorized Distributor for 3M and Hexcel Inquire for other material specifications ISO 9001:2008, AS9100C, and AS9120A Certified P: 206.575.1333 | F: 206.575.0856 | info@heatcon.com | www.heatcon.com Heatcon Composite Systems has been supporting the advancement of composite repairs for over 35 years. 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