Locally Produced Wind Towers By Tower Tech Systems
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 8.07
Wind turbines aren't made in a single factory - from start to finish - like a jetliner would be. Makes sense because, unlike the jetliner, that huge turbine can't fly to the customer. The most unwieldy parts, especially, are ideally made as close as possible to the wind farms where they will be used, providing jobs and local economic development as well as efficient access to final assembly. For the US, China or Denmark are less than ideal for sourcing the big chunks. Best would be the center of the continent, on a rail spur and with barge access to the Great Lakes, and hence to the St. Lawrence Seaway and beyond. Meet Tower Tech Systems of Manitowoc Wisconsin, builder of wind towers, monopiles, and nacelles for wind turbines. (We posted before on a neighbor of Tower Tech.) Financially as well, things look interesting for Tower Tech. Via Renewable Energy Accesss we note that:- "Tower Tech Holdings signed a supply agreement with Clipper Turbine Works, Inc. for the production of wind towers. Tower Tech also announced a $15.4 million private placement of 10.26 million shares of its common stock to Tontine Capital Partners and its affiliates." Tower Tech has a great location, also, for the eventually installation of wind farms on offshore Great Lakes reef locations: a predetermined outcome of the mid-term future. More below the fold about how pieces of the future fit with wind turbine pieces.
Lately there been much silly talk about bulk bottled water exports from Canada and the US Great Lakes region depleting local freshwater supplies, as drought depletes aquifers in the US Southwestern States. For example, in Canada's Hamilton Spectator we found a story written about bottled water shipments from Canada to the arid regions of the US, with this quote:- "Look at areas that are already semi-arid, add the expected pressures created by climate change and more population, "and you have stress," warns Adele Hurley, director of the program on water issues at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies. And if political power becomes concentrated in the American southwest, where population density and agricultural practices are already depleting aquifers, you can see where all this could lead, warns Sarah Miller, water policy researcher at the Canadian Environmental Law Association. "This is not a good mix.""
We have only to look back as far as the 1930's Dust Bowl, in the arid regions of the US, to see what an unrealistic scenario that is. Only a limited amount of water could be shipped to severely parched millions before a mass out-migration would bring drought refugees to the remaining sources of fresh water. Such a migration would set off a far more serious political and economic debate than worrying over how many pounds of water can be shipped on a crate without violating internationally agreed-to inter-basin transfer limitations. The wingnuts will over-run Canada! EEEEK.
How does this relate to wind turbines you ask. Easy. North Americans on both sides of the border need more wind turbines to mitigate against the forces of climate change, the effects of which are expressed in decade- and century-long increments, as would be any internal migrations caused by climate change. That is the time frame in which policy makers and investors need to begin thinking about.
Just for completeness, Airbus and Boeing both build their aircraft in diverse locations, only bringing together all the parts at the last moment for final assembly.
Sometimes the parts are shipped by rail or truck, and sometimes, they use specially-designed airplanes to fly bits of airplanes around.
-Eric
== author's response follows ===
Agree in general. However, the airliner shell (the biggest contiguous piece) is welded and riveted together in a factory not owned by the customer(s). Hopefully my metaphor still holds up in that perspective.