Emerge Stronger and Fitter When the Crisis is Over
The global economic turmoil has started having an impact on the wind energy industry in the world. Some companies are cutting down forecasts and production for 2009 and the market is showing the first signs of slowdown, but certainly not in a dramatic way. This situation is not necessarily a bad sign for our industry. It might even bring opportunities. We can be fairly certain that the wind energy industry won't collapse or face problems like those the automotive industry currently has.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}Before the financial crisis, analysts forecast that the supply chain issue would continue to be a problem for at least 2 or 3 years. However, due to falls in prices for raw materials such as steel, we might expect lower turbine and component prices and the reduction of delivery times of components. This should lead to a more balanced supply-demand situation and will probably lead to stronger competition between the suppliers. Another positive thing might be that companies are able to focus more on solving technological issues instead of focusing mainly on increasing production capacity.
The economic situation in the USA is important for our industry. The US economy is the largest in the world and considerably influences economies in the rest of the world. President (elect) Obama recently presented his Economic Recovery & Reinvestment Plan in which he announced that the USA will double the production of alternative energy in the next 3 years. He called for growth of US manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines and equipment associated with energy efficiency, electric power transmission, smart grid, and advanced vehicles. To accomplish this, large investments in the renewable industry are necessary, which helps to keep the economy going.
The combination of the above will probably mean that the wind energy industry will emerge stronger and fitter when the crisis is over. As I said in my last Publisher's Note, the renewable industry might be the solution to conquer the economic crisis.
The WWEA Page
In the first issue of this year we introduce with great pleasure a new page, the WWEA Page . In every issue we plan to publish a page with news from the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA). Many readers of Windtech International will be aware of the WWEA, and probably many will have attended WWEA activities. On the WWEA Page you will find news, reviews about events, general information regarding the industry and much more. This cooperation emphasises the goals of both the WWEA and Windtech International: uniting the world of wind energy!
Enjoy reading,
Floris Siteur
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