Great Lakes WIND Network™


Domestic Content a Strategic Goal for OEMs

Corporate mandates, logistical advantages, and currency benefits were cited as key reasons for investing in domestic-supplier development by wind turbine OEM executives. The remarks were heard in a panel discussion at last week’s Windpower Supply Chain Workshop conducted by the American Wind Energy Association in Detroit. Over 2,000 people turned out for the three-day event that included Small and Community wind tracks conference sessions.

Representatives from Vestas, Nordex, AAER, Nordic Windpower, and Northern Power Systems each affirmed the strategic importance of establishing a strong North American supply to their business strategies and provided insights into their procurement processes.

To read what they had to say, check out our latest eNewsletter.

GLWN Map Wind Supply Map & Data

What's in the Wind
GLWN Calendar of Events!

 

Wind Supply Chain Workshop
February 11, 2010
Lincoln, NE

MSCI Carbon Products Conference
February 18-19, 2010
Orlando, FL

Wind Supply Chain Workshop
February 25, 2010
Niagara, ON

AWEA Wind Power Supply Chain Workshop
March 17, 2010
Greensboro, NC

AWEA WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition
May 23 - 26, 2010
Dallas, TX

U.S. to Fund New Turbine Development

One of the most significant barriers to the growth in deployment of midsize turbines in America today is the lack of turbines, according to Trudy Forsyth of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). To fill that technology gap, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NREL plans to launch a Midsize Wind Turbine Development Project next summer. The goal is for the accelerated creation of new midsize turbine prototypes and follow-on commercialization.

As a first step, NREL conducted an open forum on November 6, 2009 in Detroit following the AWEA Small and Community Wind Conference and Exhibition earlier that week. Attendance was estimated at 175, and those who attended heard details of the federal project and technical discussions from wind turbine developers, designers, and manufacturers.

Forum details can be found in our latest eNewsletter.

The Great Lakes WIND Network™ is an industry-led organization of manufacturers and suppliers whose mission is to increase the domestic content of North America’s wind turbines.