Powered by rising demand for renewable energy, several western Pennsylvania companies are repositioning the region’s legendary capacity in materials engineering and power technology toward the manufacturing of wind mills.
The activities of two of these companies, among a handful of businesses in the region active in the pursuit of opportunities blowing in the wind, offer insights into requirements for wind-generation hardware as well as the need for more public commitment to research and demonstration projects to scale up the technology as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Noting that the United States led the world with a $9-billion investment last year in wind-generation capacity of 5, 329 megawatts, James Esneault, senior business development manager for Converteam, predicted that the U.S. will exceed top-ranked Germany this year in total installed capacity. The 2007 wind installations represented 35 percent of all additions to new U.S. power generation. Yet as the U.S. approaches some 20,000 megawatts of total installed wind-power capacity, the size of the sector–and its annual increments of capacity–remain small in comparison to a target level of 350,000 MW by 2030 and barely begin to scratch the surface for a total potential wind generation of 12,000 Gigawatts that could be realized with use of the Great Plains and offshore sites, he said.
PPG research into fiberglass for the construction of windmill blades and coatings to protect the fast-turning surfaces highlighted work to extend the life of these surfaces for years of continuous turning under all weather conditions.
Cheryl Richards, PPG global market development manager for wind energy, said that the wind industry is “looking for a federal mandate on this technology” in order to realize a substantial commitment to meeting wind power’s potential. Although many states, including Pennsylvania, have been encouraging the technology, Eseneault noted the need for increased federal allowances for R&D and projects to demonstrate larger capacities for windmill generators.
Sources: PPG Industries, Converteam
Writer: Joseph Plummer
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