Turbine Shortage …
With EWEC 2006 in Athens, the season of events has started. Overall the EWEC was successful although it did highlight the fact that the industry faces some serious problems. One of the main issues is the shortage of turbines. Most manufacturers and suppliers do not have enough capacity to produce the demanded number of turbines. If the expected (and hoped for) growth continues, the industry may fail to deliver. Most manufacturers are setting up production facilities in growth markets such as Asia and the USA. But turbines that are in production at the moment are already sold and for new orders the delivery time is longer than we would all want. For the manufacturers it is good to have a full order book, but if wind energy is to become a real mainstream energy source the capacity issue needs to be solved or otherwise the future of the industry might be discredited. On page 10 you can read more about EWEC 2006.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}The next opportunity for our community to meet is at WindEnergy 2006 in Hamburg. The event will be organised for the third time from 16 to 19 May. Key subjects of the event will be the areas of export, offshore technology and financing. On page 20 we publish a preview of what some of the exhibiting companies will have on display. Of course we will publish a review of the event in a future issue, but to be sure you get the information you want you should visit the event yourself.
Although offshore wind developments are not happening as fast as predicted a few years ago it is certainly a topic that needs further research. Research is not only necessary into the development of the technology of offshore turbines but also for surrounding and related topics. In this issue we publish an article about the impact of offshore developments. The sea is not empty; it is used by many different parties. With the development of large offshore wind farms there is a new extra user present at sea, and therefore a need for new safety guidelines. Decisions on siting, orientation, marking and traffic management require an understanding of how commercial, private, fishing and leisure vessels will navigate in wind farm areas. Michael Starling from BMT Renewables describes in his article on page 33 the impact on navigation of offshore wind farms.
Windtech International intends to launch a newsletter for our readership. You need to register yourself through our website to receive this newsletter. The newsletter will do more than just present the latest news; it will also give personal views on the industry. Make sure you are added to our mailing list and register at www.windtech-international.com.
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Floris Siteur
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