Archive for Alternative Energy
Solar Expansion Losing Some of its Shine
Posted by: | CommentsMuch like the global power management semiconductor market (which has direct ties in with the solar market), expansion in the photovoltaic (PV) market is projected to decline somewhat in 2011, down 6% from 2010. This is due to a couple of reasons. First, production capability is starting to match demand. Another is the German market, which dominates the global solar market. Increasing feed-in tariffs and the expiration of buyer incentives has made the market stagnate. However, China will be doing its part to drive spending, many companies becoming vertically integrated. Most of the top 10 companies are Chinese, which will consume nearly half of total capacity expansion in 2011.
Power Management Semiconductors Gaining Experiencing Decreased Gains
Posted by: | CommentsThe global power management semiconductor market is projected to increase by a double digit margin this year, 13 to 14 percent. That’s down from the over 41 percent we experienced in 2010. However, that’s normal given it was a strong recovery year following a recession. Expansion in this sector is expected due to the demand for more energy efficient battery powered consumer goods. In addition, we are truly on the brink of the alternative energy era. Wind, solar, and a revamped auto industry will only add to the increasing revenue. This year has also seen a shift toward greater integration in power ICs. Some believe that this factor alone will be enough to change the market dynamics and force the restructuring of large companies in order to stay competitive.
American Wind Energy Powering Up
Posted by: | CommentsMove over Henry Ford. Atlantic Wind & Solar is planning to create an automotive-style assembly line for wind turbines. It’s a move that could dramatically boost the wind energy industry in the United States. And it’s one more sign that companies with ties to the American wind industry – especially component manufacturers – should be gearing up for a big boost in demand.
According to the U.S. Energy Department, our country’s share of the wind turbine market has already grown from less than 30% in 2005 to about 50% in 2008, adding roughly 8,400 jobs in 2008 alone. But more is coming. Twenty-eight states have passed laws mandating that utilities get a percentage of their power from renewable sources like wind. Nordex USA – a U.S. subsidiary of a German wind turbine manufacturer – has broken ground on a new plant in Arkansas that will produce 300 turbines a year by 2012. And now Atlantic Wind and Solar is hoping to create an automated fabrication line that would pump out a completed 1.5 Mw wind turbine every hour. That’s 2,080 windmills each year.
Where will Nordex, Atlantic and companies like them get their components? Right here in the U.S.A.
How do I know? Because experts agree that a local supply chain is more important in wind turbine manufacturing and assembly than in many other industries. Over 8,000 components go into a completed wind turbine. Unlike, say, the electronics industry, those parts are not tiny, easy-to-ship microchips. Many are big and heavy, which means transporting them internationally costs big bucks. That makes now the time for component suppliers to lay the groundwork for growth in this expanding market, building up an infrastructure that will get all those windmills turning.
