GE Vernova to Lose $300M, EU Companies Leave Vietnam

Highlights from Uptime episode 233

?? 3 minute read ??

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RE+ Recap

Philip Totaro was in Anaheim last week for RE+ ‘24. It was PACKED! Now in its?20th year,?the show was developed by?the?Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA)?and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). In his recap, Phil notes that many?manufacturing and packaging advances were highlighted there, and?hybrid battery storage projects?were everywhere. Get more insights and resources?here .

Wind Losses, Growth and ??

The next two years will be interesting!?

While?GE Vernova’s CEO?has said (but not officially announced) that the company?expects to lose about $300M this quarter,?the news landed as a number of positive events are swirling in the US wind industry.

Vestas has secured its?first US offshore wind order?for Empire Wind 1, off the coast of New York, for?54 V236-15.0MW turbines?and a?five year service agreement.?

Renewable energy goals are coming into sight in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where three offshore wind projects - South Coast Wind, New England Wind 1, and Vineyard Wind 2 - continue to move forward. And Rhode Island and Connecticut’s first utility scale offshore wind farm,?Revolution Wind Project,?has installed its first offshore wind turbine.?

Meanwhile,?Colorado leads the nation in wind energy jobs, and continues to gain momentum in renewables. The state?ranked seventh nationwide for wind and solar?generation projects last year.?

As the?wind workforce grows, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) launched the industry’s first?Wind Turbine Technician I certification program. Although the NFPA is based in Massachusetts, training and testing is available in a variety of locations, and some may be handled remotely.?

For more information about Wind Technician Training programs, visit?BuildTurbines.com

What’s the Bad News?

New growth and progress on existing projects in the US (and also in Europe, see headlines below) sound positive, so what’s the problem? In short, it’s managing?manufacturing, labor and costs?in the face of unfair Chinese competition.?

Unions warn that?heavily subsidized Chinese companies?distort competition, putting jobs and energy supply in Europe. Many European companies have decided to leave?Vietnam?because of the country’s relationship to China.?

Phil and Allen discuss how soon we’ll see action on?labor and regulatory policies?that will support the growing wind industries in the EU and the US. (Spoiler alert: soon is good, and yesterday would be better.)?

Japan also has some regulatory issues?to deal with as it begins to develop more onshore wine. Maybe we’ll pick up some good ideas along the way.?

Enter NOW &?Tomorrow?Could Be Your Lucky Day!?

You could be a?NASCAR VIP,?cheering on Kyle Weatherman from pit road! The drawing is TOMORROW, Friday September 20, for?VIP tickets?to the?Kansas Lottery 300.?The race is held at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on?Saturday, September 28th . Enter to win?VIP tickets?and you could enjoy?access to the race, the pit area and the garage.?

Winners will need to provide their own transportation to and from the race, but?what an event!?Click here to?enter this contest !

Technicians: Seeing Sparks???

We’ve heard from some blade technicians that in the process of repairing holes in 2X blades, the grinders are throwing sparks, and we’re looking into that. If you’ve experienced this, please contact us?here ?or email?[email protected] .?

Interested in New Technology?

If you need to know about the latest technology and new patents,?Power-Up is for you.?Check for new episodes every Friday !

Better LE Protection Starts with Better Coatings

With 20+ years in rotor blade coating, Wind Power Coatings Bergolin US has collaborated with some of the biggest names in wind, including ENERCON and Nordex Group , to develop coatings for wind turbine blades in a wide range of weather and wind conditions. We’ve tested some of the company’s?new coatings?and have been very impressed. We share our thoughts in?this week’s podcast ; find out more in the latest edition of PES Wind .

Wind Losses, Growth and ??

The next two years will be interesting!

While the CEO of GE Vernova's Wind businesses has said publicly (but not officially announced) that the company expects to lose about $300M this quarter, the news landed as a number of positive events are swirling in the US wind industry.

维斯塔斯 has has secured its first US offshore wind order for Empire Wind 1, off the coast of New York, for 54 V236-15.0MW turbines and a five year service agreement.

Renewable energy goals are coming into sight in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where three offshore wind projects - South Coast Wind, New England Wind 1, and Vineyard Wind 2 - continue to move forward. And Rhode Island and Connecticut’s first utility scale offshore wind farm, Revolution Wind Project, has installed its first offshore wind turbine.

Meanwhile, Colorado leads the nation in wind energy jobs, and continues to gain momentum in renewables. The state ranked seventh nationwide for wind and solar generation projects last year.

As the wind workforce grows, the @National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) launched the industry’s first Wind Turbine Technician I certification program. Although the NFPA is based in Massachusetts, training and testing is available in a variety of locations, and some may be handled remotely.

For more information about Wind Technician Training programs, visit BuildTurbines.com

What’s the Bad News?

New growth and progress on existing projects in the US (and also in Europe, see headlines below) sound positive, so what’s the problem? In short, it’s managing manufacturing, labor, and costs in the face of unfair Chinese competition.

Unions warn that heavily subsidized Chinese companies distort competition, putting jobs and energy supply in Europe in jeopardy. Many European companies have decided to leave Vietnam because of the country’s relationship to China.

Phil and Allen discuss how soon we’ll see action on labor and regulatory policies that will support the growing wind industries in the EU and the US. (Spoiler alert: soon is good, and yesterday would be better.)

Japan also has some regulatory issues to deal with as it begins to develop more onshore wine. Maybe we’ll pick up some good ideas along the way.

Enter NOW & Tomorrow Could Be Your Lucky Day!

You could be a NASCAR VIP, cheering on Kyle Weatherman from pit road! The drawing for VIP tickets to the Kansas Lottery 300 is TOMORROW, Friday September 20. The race is held at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday, September 28th . Enter to win VIP tickets and you could enjoy access to the race, the pit area and the garage.

Winners will need to provide their own transportation to and from the race, but what an event! Click here to enter this contest !

Better LE Protection Starts with Better Coatings

With 20+ years in rotor blade coating, Bergolin has collaborated with some of the biggest names in wind, including Enercon and Nordex Group , to develop coatings for wind turbine blades in a wide range of weather and wind conditions. We’ve tested some of the company’s new coatings and have been very impressed. We share our thoughts in this week’s podcast ; find out more in the latest edition of PES Wind magazine .

?? Another promising technology - albeit one that is still in development - is PECAN resin. Yes, it’s a biomass, and no, it’s not really nuts. PECAN, AKA polyester co-valent adaptable network FRCs (fiber-reinforced composites), has had its day in Science (the magazine) and is moving into more performance testing.

Researchers have from five NREL research hubs were involved, and results thus far are promising.

Composites made from the PECAN resin held their shape, withstood accelerated weatherization validation, and could be made within a timeframe similar to the existing cure cycle for how wind turbine blades are currently manufactured.

Technicians: Seeing Sparks??

We’ve heard from some blade technicians that in the process of repairing holes in 2X blades, the grinders are throwing sparks, and we’re looking into that. If you’ve experienced this, please contact us here or email [email protected] .

Interested in New Technology?

If you need to know about the latest technology and new patents, Power-Up is for you. Check for new episodes every Friday!

Tune in for first impressions and thoughtful insights on these and other recent wind news stories. Your Uptime Wind Energy Podcast hosts are Allen Hall, Rosemary Barnes, Joel Saxum, and IntelStor ’s Phil Totaro.

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?? NEWS FLASH 9/16/24:?Doosan Korean Localization, Turbine Manufacturing in Vietnam

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Have a great week and thanks for listening! - Allen, Rosie, Joel, Phil & everyone from the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast