Wind industry

Former Siemens Gamesa insider says turbine manufacturers are in dire need of the bright future they were promised

www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1791224/opinion-distributio…
In signing off from Siemens Gamesa after three years that might diplomatically be described as ‘eventful’, I wrote to colleagues that: “I suspect it will get worse before it gets better, but it will get better”. One of the first responses I received was very instructive: “When I joined more than 15 years ago, I was told that I was joining the sector with the brightest and most promising future. The problem is that it is a future that seems never to come.”

It is fair to say that that sums up much of the prevailing mood in the wind turbine OEM sector right now with all the major western OEMs struggling to turn a profit. It is not unusual to hear senior industry figures raising the spectre of the fate of the European solar manufacturing industry, long ago lost to the east…

Logic dictates that this is the moment to press down hard on the accelerator, designing the technology and building out the capacity required to quadruple installations between now and 2030. Instead the news is full of stories of lay-offs, factory closures and eye-watering financial losses. And the resources required for the necessary investments are in jeopardy.

DB2

1 Like

All agree wind is free. Unfortunately wind turbines are not immune to inflation. Materials, labor, and transportation costs are rising rapidly. Manufacturers are locked into contracts that generate losses.

If a wind project takes two or three years to complete how do you estimate costs? How do you get financing?

You are virtually signing a blank check at every level.

The Feds seek stable pricing as a goal. The wind turbine business demonstrates why that is important.

1 Like

Former Siemens Gamesa insider says turbine manufacturers are in dire need of the bright future they were promised…It is fair to say that that sums up much of the prevailing mood in the wind turbine OEM sector right now with all the major western OEMs struggling

GE Shelves Wind Turbine Blade Plant. Renewable Energy Has Been a Tough Go.
www.marketwatch.com/articles/ge-wind-turbine-blade-plant-ren…
General Electric is scrapping plans for a wind turbine blade plant in the U.K…The factory, slated for the Teesside area in northeast Britain, would have produced wind turbine blades. A GE offshore wind turbine blade can be 107 meters, or 351 feet, long…

“While we are not moving forward with plans for a Teesside facility due to lack of volume, we remain committed to supporting the growth of U.K. offshore wind…”

Still, the renewable power business has been tough for GE. The company has reported an operating loss in its renewable power division for 14 consecutive quarters. Losses grew in this year’s first quarter year compared with last year’s fourth quarter as inflation started to raise costs and hurt profit margins on older contracts…

DB2
Profits were last seen in 2018

Hey there !

Where I live, in Central Illinois, there are two wind farms and people are not using that alternative energy production … most have solar panels in their back yard. Is this indicative of future electrical needs? I think so … stay tuned …
Rich (haywool)

1 Like

RIch:“Where I live, in Central Illinois, there are two wind farms and people are not using that alternative energy production … most have solar panels in their back yard. Is this indicative of future electrical needs?”

Did you ever stop to think where their electricity was coming from when the sun went down and in the winter time with 6 hours of decent sunshine, if any - as clouds move in?

do your friends with solar power turn off all appliances and heat/cooing after sunset and simply go to bed like folks from 1800 did?

t.

It’s called a storage battery. Simple, inexpensive, the size of an apartment refrigerator … and it’s reliable.
Rich (haywool)

2 Likes

Detailed article on off shore wind projects in the US

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-rule-change-equips-offshore-wind-developers-faster-growth-2023-02-23/?fbclid=IwAR0xAaVmkAP3jfjhUuAH1KFOws3My3rajf0J21z8AaRXyiXiWVzCjRPvlqE

New rules make it easier to get permits. Lots of info on projects. 34 projects listed in the eastern US. And more. Companies involved. Technology used.