Relentless campaigning for a national RES falls on deaf ears

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) issued the following statement last week from Denise Bode, AWEA CEO, in response to United Steelworkers (USW) filing a trade case against China:

“China and many other countries are using every tool at their disposal to lead in clean energy manufacturing including strong renewable energy targets. The US has an opportunity right now to stay in the game by passing an RES–one of the very few policies that has bipartisan support in Congress. The RES is necessary to drive investment in wind energy manufacturing here in the US, and ensure continued growth of domestic content in wind turbines.

As AWEA and USW agreed in our Partnership for Progress, the development of domestic supply chains and a robust manufacturing sector is critical to the long-term health of the wind industry. We jointly recognize that providing the appropriate incentives and commitments can grow the American wind energy manufacturing sector, creating new good jobs and enhancing our economic future.

The US and China are competing for new investment in wind energy manufacturing and the jobs that come with growing a new sector. We are reviewing the trade case and as the representative of hundreds of manufacturers with operations in the US we are very interested in making sure these companies have a fair shot in the global market place. Any practice that tilts the global playing field unfairly would be of serious concern.”

Now AWEA has been pushing for a national RES for some time now, and they aren’t the only ones. In fact, I just ran across another press release stating the concern companies such as Iberdrola Renewables, GE Energy, and the Union of Concerned Scientists have with our weak national renewable energy policy. So what’s the hold up! Is it that senators don’t believe their constituents want a strong national RES? Is it that there is just so much bickering in the senate that they can’t even agree on something they all agree upon? With all of AWEA’s campaigning to have wind proponents call up their senators and representatives urging them to pass a strong RES before the November mid-term elections, you would think the needle would at least be moving in the right direction, right?

Also, how often do we hear about how renewable jobs can/will help the unemployment rate right here in the U.S.? I know that our elected officials are worried about that (mainly because high unemployment on the ground means high turnover on the hill). What do you all think? I want your input, I want to hear what you think the problem is and how we can fix it.

One-day symposium at Wisconsin Wind Works

The Wisconsin Wind Works, a one-day symposium on October 13, will feature panel speakers from the first tier wind production, aftermarket operations, and maintenance sectors. Panel hosts and moderators include representatives from AWEA, Office of Energy Independence, Milwaukee 7, and Great Lakes Wind Network.

Symposium attendees will:

Learn about Wisconsin’s 1st tier market from Wausaukee Composites and Milwaukee Machine Works.

Develop connections with the newest entrant to the Wisconsin wind energy supply chain, Ingeteam (INDAR). Indar Electric Division VP Adolfo Rebollo will be the featured lunch speaker.

Gain insight into aftermarket wind opportunities from L&S Electric, Energy Maintenance Service – a subsidiary of Broadwind Energy, and ZF Gearbox – a repair and rebuild service company.

Attendees can expect additional insight into:

• Current industry issue and trends including 2010 to 2013 forecasts

• Market entry strategies for 2nd and 3rd tier manufacturers

• Differences between purchasing direct versus. integrators

• Expected aftermarket opportunities for regional manufacturers

In addition, the Symposium offers extended networking opportunities, great food and cocktails, and more all inside the Frontier Airlines Center, the most architecturally stunning convention facility in the Midwest. Register for the event here.

Wind turbine blade comes to DC with signatures and a message

GE Energy and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently delivered a petition from Americans in the form of a 131-foot wind turbine blade. The blade traveled more than 4,000 miles through 10 states gathering signatures from Americans who support a clean energy future. After it arrived in Washington, D.C., it was parked in front of the main gate at Nationals Park for the 2010 Congressional Baseball Game.

“The wind turbine blade, manufactured in South Dakota, symbolizes how clean energy creates new U.S. manufacturing jobs in addition to providing clean power for America’s homes and factories,” said Vic Abate, vice president for renewables at GE Energy. “It’s clear from the more than 6,000 signatures on this traveling petition that Americans are calling on the president and Congress to act on clean-energy policies that will increase energy security, reduce dependence on foreign oil and build a more sustainable clean energy future.”

More than 6,000 Americans across the country—factory workers, managers, engineers, service and transportation workers, public officials and the general public—signed the blade, with the printed message: “I’m helping to build America’s energy future,” issuing a call to Congress: Create more American jobs by enacting clean energy policies this year.

Facts about the wind turbine blade:

• The blade of a 1.5-MW wind turbine is nearly half a football field in length.
• Including the blade, the height of a 1.5-MW wind turbine is more than 75 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
• One 1.5-MW wind turbine produces enough energy to power about 400 households.
• To generate the same amount of electricity as a single 1.5-MW wind turbine operating for 20 years would require burning 43,500 tons of coal or 138,000 barrels of oil, and 90 million gallons of fresh water per year.

AWEA welcomes passage of Ohio tax reform legislation

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) issued the following statement on the passage of a bill by the Ohio Legislature that lowers the taxes on wind power that were in place in the state.

“This tax reform will encourage wind energy investment in Ohio, and it will create and protect thousands of manufacturing, construction, operations and maintenance jobs in the state,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. “Ohio is now much better positioned to attract wind power investment that will benefit local communities and boost orders for turbines and turbine components.”

Late Thursday night Sub Senate Bill 232 passed the House by a vote of 91-7 and the Senate concurred shortly after passage by a vote of 27-5 with a final reconciled bill headed to Gov. Ted Strickland’s desk before summer recess, according to the grassroots coalition Wind and Solar Jobs for Ohio.

AWEA

awea.org

American Wind Energy Association on the Stimulus Plan suspension proposal

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today issued the following statement from AWEA CEO Denise Bode:

“At a time when the construction unemployment rate is nearly 25% and the manufacturing unemployment rate is 13%, this proposal would cost 50,000 American workers their jobs.

The truth is, by law, Recovery Act grants can only be used to finance projects that are being built in the United States.

This proposal would torpedo one of the most successful job creation efforts of the Recovery Act, which has already preserved half of the 85,000 American jobs in the U.S. wind industry.

Rather than adopt policies that will kill American jobs, Congress should enact policies that will create jobs by encouraging manufacturers to invest in U.S. plants. That means passing a Renewable Electricity Standard now.

The Recovery Act has been creating jobs by helping finance new American wind energy projects that have broken ground or been completed since the Act was passed. The proposed moratorium and legislation would kill this effort and destroy the momentum for one of the few industries that has been creating jobs and economic growth.

It is unfortunate that the proponents of this moratorium and legislation are using a deeply flawed study as the basis for a policy that would destroy tens of thousands of American jobs.

We support the goal of continuing the rapid expansion of U.S. wind manufacturing. More than half of the value of wind turbines used in U.S. wind projects is domestically produced, and that percentage is increasing every year as more turbine makers build U.S. manufacturing capability.   We do not have the capability today to produce 100% of wind turbine components in the U.S., but we can grow our manufacturing base and add 274,000 American jobs if Congress passes a strong Renewable Electricity Standard.”

The Gearbox Standard for Windturbines gets an Upgrade

The recently drafted ISO/IEC standard for wind-turbine gearboxes is significant for many reasons. First, several organizations collaborated to produce ANSI/AGMA/AWEA 6006-A03, which was adopted without change in 2005 as ISO 81400-4, an international standard. The new draft (IEC project 61400-4), expands on preceding standards so it is more encompassing. It provides a conduit through which manufacturers and users can specify and evaluate products. The new IEC standard is a bit overdue, but may have been worthy of the wait.

The present ISO standard’s introduction briefly tells why it was developed. It says, for instance, the operation and loading of a wind turbine, speed-increasing gearbox is unlike most other gear applications so the intent of the standard is to describe the differences. AGMA standards have relied heavily on the experience of gear system performance in related applica-tions, whereas other standards are based on theoretical and laboratory data. But much of the information in 6006-A03 is based on field experience. The standard is a tool that lets wind turbine and gearbox manufacturers understand each other’s needs in developing a gearbox specification for wind turbines. The annexes also include informative discussions of various wind turbine and gear design applications.

The committee responsible for ANSI/ AGMA/AWEA 6006-A03 was somewhat unique in that it was composed of wind-turbine manufacturers, users, researchers, consultants, gear and bearing manufacturers, along with lubricant and system suppliers from around the world who brought years of experience to meetings.

The range of disciplines was needed because a wind turbine is one of the most demanding applications for a gearbox. It requires a relatively small, compact, high-power-density gear drive and an electric generator to transmit fluctuating loads in a harsh environment of deflections, high vibration, and temperature extremes.

The present ISO standard applies to gearboxes with power capacities from 40kW to about 2MW. I say “about” because 2MW was a sort of sweet spot for OEMs at the time of the standard’s development. Technology, of course, marches on and larger units are on drawing boards and in production. So the standard is a snap shot in time of sorts. The new version addresses larger units and other concerns.

Still, the standard generally applies to parallel axis, one-stage epicyclic, and combinations of epicyclic and parallel-shaft designs. It provides requirements on specifying, designing, manufacturing, operating and monitoring reliable wind-turbine gearboxes. Designers should be interested in the more comprehensive application sections, such as:

• How to specify system loads and calculate gear capacity. Turbines  require special attention because their gearboxes have to be relatively light weight. They will operate in tall towers so every pound must be considered.

• Manufacturing, inspection, testing, and documentation requirements were rewritten to include items that are intended to achieve the reliability required of wind turbines.

• Advanced gear-tooth-contact analysis and verification received attention because it has been shown that the prediction of torsional and lateral deflections in a high-power gearbox is important to proper operation.

• Extensive information on the application and capacity of rollingelement bearings were deemed necessary because the service operation of some bearings are troublesome.

• Lubricant and lubrication equipment receive attention because the characteristics of a lubricant and its distribution can make or break a highpower-density gearbox.

In addition, annexes supply information on wind turbine architecture, load descriptions, quality assurance, maintenance, lubrication selections, condition monitoring, and minimum ordering information from purchaser to gearbox manufacturer.

A few other additions and modifications include sections on design life and reliability, design process, wind-turbine-load calculations, gearbox components, design verification validation, operation, service, and maintenance requirements.

It is hard to determine what will be retained after the three required ISO/IEC ballots complete in about three years. In the meantime, most engineers believe the ISO/IEC standard has improved gear reliability. Bearings, however, still seem to need additional work.

Lastly, even though developing standards is a consensus process, individual positions have been expressed that enhance the document. The content of these standards may provide other ideas for designers in many gearbox applications.

Learning from those who risk their lives

What is safety? We use the word so casually we tend to forget its basic definitions. It is the state of being secure from liability, harm, injury, danger, or risk. It’s the quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss. It’s the action of being careful to avoid danger.
Hailo LLC manufactures access engineering products for wind turbine towers, such as ladders, service lifts, platforms, and fall-arresting systems. People using these products to access high elevations, such as turbine nacelles, should know their safety gear is made to the highest standards possible, no exceptions.
The working standard here is to allow no compromises or shortcuts to save a few pennies. When it comes to human life, there is no other choice.
With people’s lives at stake, nothing less than the best possible protection is acceptable. Others in the wind industry agree and share the philosophy.
When engineering or improving a product, calculations, safety factors, and past experience are not enough. Extensive testing is necessary to prove that the product is safe under the worst possible conditions.
I was fortunate enough to attend the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Safety Workshop in Denver last year and earlier this month in Utah. This excellent workshop includes educational presentations to enhance awareness of every day safety issues, which will become more challenging as standards become more stringent.
It is important to speak with those who work daily on or around the towers. This is key to improving safety. They are the ones who face danger and risk their lives. They are the ones we must protect and invest in. We must listen to their concerns, and do everything in our power to provide everything they need to remain safe, not only from serious harm, but also to provide every means available to make their jobs more comfortable and less stressful.
We can learn the most from these people. Those of us who work in offices or don’t face dangerous situations on a daily basis must get involved with those who do. We must hear what they face, listen to their suggestions, and take action where possible. Those who make financial decisions must interact with the workers as well. This would allow faster approvals for monetary expenditures in the interest of safety. It makes sense to spend money on training and equipment instead of in the aftermath of something tragic.
Discussions with people in the wind industry have enlightened me as no schooling can. I have a totally new perspective on how to approach designs. I see human faces and hear their voices when designing something. I fight for spending the extra few dollars to make a product safer, and spare no expense to prove it in testing.
But even though you know you have a safe and secure product, OSHA, ANSI, ASME, and other standards come into play to form a sort of road block. For example, ask ten people at OSHA the same question and you get 10 different responses leaving designers more perplexed than when they started. Fortunately, high level discussions are now ongoing between AWEA and OSHA, as well as with state-level officials who may follow altogether different specs than federal agencies. People are slowly becoming aware that the wind industry has unique technologies and conditions which must be addressed.
Stacy Rowles, Hailo LLC’s Chairperson for the AWEA subcommittee on Service Lifts, is working towards a common goal for getting service lifts for wind towers certified on a state and local level. The difficulty is that most states recognize them as elevators, devices used by the public. They are not. Service lifts differ considerably and are used by highly trained personnel with extensive safety gear in use.
Service lifts alleviate worker fatigue in ascending and descending wind towers for service and maintenance. Climbing up and down an 80-m ladder is physically demanding, and doing so daily will likely result in long term or permanent injury. Service lifts prevent such injury. Although they cost more than ladders, their percentage increase to the tower is minimal.
And there are significant long term benefits. For example, personnel tend to stay at a job longer, medical costs and insurance premiums will be much lower, and work can be completed quicker. Another benefit: should a worker overlook a particular task high in a tower equipped only with a ladder for access, the task may be put off or not done at all. With a service lift, it is just another quick and smooth ride up to finish the job as it should be, resulting in more up-time for the turbine.
At this writing, new safety regulations specific to the wind industry are being developed. The committee is focused on unity among all service-lift manufacturers worldwide for reasonable and appropriate standards that benefit all.
A presenter at last year’s safety workshop closed with a slide of his family with the children playing and laughing. This is what safety is all about, he said –going home every day after work to be with family. The image is one we should visualize every time we make a decision that affects safety.