Wind blade adhesive plant up and running

Dow Formulated Systems has announced the completion of a new wind-blade epoxy adhesive production plant in Roberta, Georgia. The plant, which includes a new reactor and production equipment, is dedicated to the wind sector and will be used to support the U.S. market as well as exports to China and Latin America. The plant is located at Dow’s existing Roberta, Georgia facilities.

Jean-Luc Guillaume, Global Business Leader for Wind Energy for Dow Formulated Systems, said the new plant is part of a global Dow network of production assets that supports clients with local sources for wind blade technology, providing additional supply security and simplified logistics. “We are one of the few blade adhesive suppliers with production in North America,” Guillaume said, adding that, “this investment demonstrates our commitment to the wind energy industry in North America and throughout the world.”

“Epoxy adhesives play a critical role in the fabrication, performance and durability of wind turbine blades where large substructures are bonded together to create the finished blades. Specialized properties are needed for adhesive mixing and application during the fabrication process and cured adhesives must exhibit high levels of toughness and durability to withstand the extreme loads a wind turbine blade is subjected to throughout its service life. The addition of the new U.S. plant helps ensure that, as new adhesives are commercialized, the volume requirements of wind blade clients are met.

Dow Formulated Systems
dow.com

American company buys stake in U.K. blade maker

American Superconductor Corp. says it has acquired a 25% ownership ($8 million) in Blade Dynamics Ltd., a designer and manufacturer of advanced wind turbine blades based on proprietary materials and structural technologies. Founded in the United Kingdom in 2007, Blade Dynamics designs and develops wind turbine blades to increase the efficiency and performance of multi-megawatt wind turbines while also reducing costs. The Venture Capital group of Dow Chemical Co. also made a minority equity investment in the blade manufacturer.

Today’s 2-MW wind turbines require rotors with more than a 70-m (230 ft) diameter, and 5-MW turbines require rotors at least 120 m (360 ft) in diameter. Rotor diameter determines the swept area of a wind turbine’s blades. Ideally, wind turbines would be equipped with even larger-diameter rotors to maximize power output. But cost, weight, and transportation factors have limited the size of rotors, outweighing performance and efficiency benefits.

“Blade Dynamics has developed unique and proprietary structural designs and manufacturing methods aimed at overcoming critical barriers facing today’s wind industry,” says Blade Dynamics founder and CEO Paul Rudling. “Using advanced manufacturing processes, innovative structural designs, proven composite materials, and an advanced surface coating called Bladeskyn, our wind-turbine blades provide compelling performance and efficiency advantages for wind turbine manufacturers. Our company will use American Superconductor’s (AMSC’s) unique wind-turbine-design capabilities and business model as well as Dow’s composite materials to capitalize on the opportunities in front of us.”

“Design and manufacturing for wind turbine blades have remained fundamentally unchanged for 20 years,” says AMSC founder and CEO Greg Yurek. “Today, however, the market is migrating to higher power ratings for wind turbines. Onshore turbines exceed 2 MW in many locations, and offshore wind farm developers increasingly seek wind turbines with power ratings exceeding 5 MW. Blade Dynamics presents us – and the entire wind industry – with a wind-turbine-blade technology that enhances performance, and reduces weight and cost for high power wind turbines. We view this as a good investment and expect many wind turbine manufacturers, including our own AMSC Windtec licensees, to quickly migrate to the Blade Dynamics solution to avail themselves of these advantages. In fact, AMSC Windtec and Blade Dynamics engineers have already been working in close collaboration to improve blades for AMSC Windtec turbine designs.”

In addition to providing AMSC Windtec licensees with differentiated blades, the company expects its investment could expand the company’s sales opportunities with other wind turbine manufacturers around the world. The company also says that Blade Dynamics will provide blades for the company’s 10-MW SeaTitan superconductor wind turbines.

Encouraging the blade manufacturer to move close to the U.S. market, Louisiana Economic Development (LED) says it is providing an incentive package to help the U.K. firm establish and operate a manufacturing facility in New Orleans. This incentive package, worth up to $30 million, hinges on the company meeting certain capital investment and job creation milestones. Located at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, the Blade Dynamics operation is expected to add at least 600 direct new jobs to the local economy over the next decade. Through Louisiana’s FastStart, LED will also provide workforce support including assistance with employee recruitment, screening, training development, and training delivery, for up to two years during the company’s employment ramp-up.

The Michoud Assembly Facility, an 832-acre site owned by NASA, is one of the largest manufacturing campuses in the world. NASA and Lockheed Martin have used this site for the construction of the Space Shuttle’s external fuel tanks for more than 30 years. Michoud is now a multi-tenant complex for other government agencies, government contractors, and commercial businesses, in addition to its core NASA work. In addition to its presence in New Orleans, Blade Dynamics plans to expand its operations in the U.K. as part of a long-term commitment to Europe’s offshore wind market.

American Superconductor Corp.

amsc.com

Blade Dynamics

bladedynamics.com

Research center for carbon fiber blades

Low-cost carbon fiber for industrial applications, including advanced wind turbine blades, is one goal for an expanding chemical company. Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., says it will expand its renewable and alternative energy reach in the state thanks to more than $108 million in business tax credits and grants. In addition, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority is expected to approve $103 million in tax credits and incentives for Dow’s Powerhouse Solar Shingle project and Kokam advanced battery manufacturing facility.

The $20 million carbon-fiber project will create a center focused on developing low-cost carbon fiber for use in the production of advanced wind turbine blades and in transportation applications. The company is partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop the material over about three years, said Steve Bakkal, the Wind Energy Sector Development director for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The project will be sited in one of Dow’s existing facilities. And while it won’t immediately create jobs, it will have job creation potential later, drawing wind-turbine-blade manufacturers, and other companies who can use the carbon fiber, to the Great Lakes Bay Region, he said.