JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #116 - October 2017 - 37

market news WIND ENERGY
Vestas selects DowAksa to support rapid global growth of wind energy
DowAksa will produce laminates for
DowAksa in Turkey, Vestas will partner
carbon fibre spar caps using an advanced
with an established and proven manufacprocessing technology that ensures the
turer in a key local market with a strategic
strength, stiffness and lighter weight
geographic location that will facilitate
needed for more productive, reliable and
access to both emerging and mature adefficient wind turbine operation.
jacent regions," said Vestas Senior Vice
President Jan W. Rietdijk.
DowAksa, a 50/50 joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company
As the leading manufacturer of wind
and Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii A.Ş.,
turbines in the nearly $180 billion
expects to provide more than $300
global wind energy market, Vestas has
million worth of parts for carbon fibre
put nearly half a century of experience
pultruded spar caps over the projected
to work installing more than 60,000
four-year contract. The parts will be
turbines in 75 countries. The company
manufactured at the production facility
seeks to maximize electricity producin Yalova, Turkey. DowAksa is using a
tion efficiency for its customers by imspecially-designed pultrusion process
proving turbine performance to provide
with Dow polyurethane technology to
a best-in-class levellized cost of energy.
reduce cost and improve performance.
DowAksa's new PU-based technology
These high-strength, light weight parts
will enable more efficient production
will initially serve Vestas customer
of electricity from some of the longest
installations in Turkey and Europe, with
blades on the market today, as well as
additional capability to supply instalblades designed for future onshore and
lations in the Middle East, Africa and
India, taking full advantage of Turkey's
proximity and logistics advantages to
efficiently serve these regions.

Carbon fibre demand is growing in the
wind energy sector to manufacture wind
turbines that will generate electricity at
costs that meet or beat traditional generation technologies such as coal, natural
gas and hydropower. However, as wind
blades become longer, it is essential to
reduce their weight while maintaining
their strength and stiffness to maximize
energy production efficiency. New technology adoption to serve both new and
existing wind turbines will be critical as
wind turbine installations are currently
growing at an annual rate of more than
7%, toward a projected 20% share of the
global electricity generation portfolio in
2040.
www.vestas.com
www.dowaksa.com

Innovation in world´s largest floating wind farm by Siemens Gamesa can open new offshore areas
Siemens Gamesa announced this end
lightweight nacelles, Siemens Gamesa's
lies in cost-competitive concepts with
of June that five turbines of six-megalarge direct-drive wind turbines are parbottom fixed foundations.
watt-class have been installed on floating
ticularly suited for floating foundations.
www.gamesacorp.com
foundations in Stord, Norway, at the 30
MW "Hywind Scotland" project - the
The Hywind concept has
world's largest floating wind farm.
already proven its effectiveness in 2009, when Statoil
From the deep fjord outside Stord on
and Siemens Wind Power
the west coast of Norway, the floating
successfully installed a 2.3
wind turbines will be towed to Scottish
MW Siemens Wind Power
waters. The world´s largest floating wind
turbine at the first fullproject will be located 25 kilometres off
scale floating wind turbine
the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire,
project worldwide, Hywind
Scotland, at water depths between
Demo.
90 and 120 meters. The floating foundations in the Hywind project are
The most important key
ballast-stabilized and anchored to the
success factor for the future
seabed with mooring lines. With their
of floating wind turbines
N°116 October 2017

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Wind energy

"DowAksa will provide Vestas more
supply certainty and innovative product
offerings by using new carbon fibre
composite technology to improve wind
turbine efficiency. By working with

offshore electric power generation.
This agreement will also help Turkey
raise the bar for local content creation
in wind power projects as a significant
amount of laminates for carbon fibre
spar caps in wind turbine blades now
will be domestically produced. Before
the agreement, these parts were imported from other countries. DowAksa also
anticipates major expansion at its Yalova
facility as Vestas pursues additional
wind energy projects in Turkey, as well
as other opportunities in the region.

http://www.vestas.com http://www.dowaksa.com http://www.gamesacorp.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #116 - October 2017