The process of developing a cast- Calling for Government Support A
handful of potential legis- lative policies could have an effect on the extent the U.S. wind market grows in the next few years.
“We are in a race to get [wind
turbine] factories in the U.S.,” said Don Furman, senior vice president for development, transmission and policy at Iberdrola Renewables, Portland, Ore., and American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) board president. “Unless we have a firm federal policy on the national level, those factories and jobs will go overseas.” Following is a look at key poli-
cies for the wind industry, according to AWEA.
Production Tax Credit The Production Tax Credit (PTC)
provides a $0.021 per kWh credit for electricity produced commercially from a wind energy facility during the first 10 years of its production. The PTC was extended for three years through the American Recov- ery and Reinvestment Act in Febru- ary 2009. “We think 39% average growth
per year for five years is pretty im- pressive,” said Elizabeth Salerno, director of industry data and analy- sis at AWEA. “In the past decade, we’ve seen booms and busts when the PTC was allowed to expire. When PTC was not interrupted, look at what the industry did. It
grew by leaps and bounds.”
National Renewable Electricity Standard A renewable electricity standard
(RES) would use market mechanisms to ensure a growing percentage of electricity is produced through renewable sources. Twenty-eight states have an RES policy, but one does not exist at the national level. The Senate’s American Clean Energy Leadership Act contains a 15% RES by 2020, allowing 4% to be met through energy efficiency improvements. The House of Representatives
passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act in June 2009. The bill contains a 20% RES by 2020, al- lowing 8% to be met through energy efficiency improvements. AWEA is calling for a 25% RES
by 2025, with a near-term target of 10% by 2012.
Renewable Energy Transmission Highways According to AWEA, one of the
biggest obstacles to the growth of wind energy in the U.S. is the lack of a modern interstate transmission grid to deliver carbon-free electric- ity throughout the country. The American Clean Energy Leadership Act contains transmission planning, paying and permitting provisions, and the American Clean Energy and Security Act calls for a federal policy on electric grid planning.
METAL
ing source at Winergy takes 12 to 16 months and starts with a simple ques- tion: Can the facility make the part? “Then we send out a request for
quote to see, from a cost standpoint, if it makes sense,” Gangulee said. “If it does, we’ll ask for a first proto- type sample. The sample undergoes testing for three things: mechanical properties, chemical composition and dimensional checks.” Winergy’s two potential U.S. cast-
ing sources are currently in this first sample testing phase. Following that, the metalcasters will go through a production approval process in which Winergy will place an order of more than one part to look at the reproducibility and repeatability. “We are looking for companies in
the $50-$100 million range that can make investments to increase capac- ity and improve existing equipment, particularly the reclamation of sand,” Gangulee said. “There are two things a casting facility can ask itself: one, do we have the size of flask for this? And two, how many castings can we produce?” U.S. casting sources have been
making investments to improve their efficiency. For instance, wind com- ponent caster Cast Fab Technologies, Cincinnati recently installed a 50-ton crane to handle heavier castings, as well as to improve process flow. Both Hodge Foundry and Cast Fab have made investments in personnel to increase their throughput and design and technical service to customers. ATI Casting Service, La Porte, Ind., is poised to put its second facility in casting production when needed.
Strong Year for Wind But Not Metalcasters
As the wind energy industry began
to pick up steam in the U.S. in the early to mid-2000s, several domestic casting sources made an entrance into the market, hoping to seize the op- portunity of a growing industry until the financial crisis hit during the last quarter of 2008. “For about 15 months [from the end
AWEA is calling for a federal policy for wind energy generation, saying it will help build a manufacturing infrastructure for the turbines in the U.S.
40 Metal Casting Design anD PurChasing
of 2008], our customers’ orders were half or less than their typical load,” said Ross Bushman, president and chief operating officer of Cast Fab. ATI Casting Service had the same experience. The company purchased a metalcasting facility to increase its
May/June 2010
Photo courtesy Nordex.
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