UK - American-owned wind Tturbine factory to be built

Aeronautica Windpower, LLC has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Norwin A/S of Denmark to manufacture new, commercial-size wind turbines in the United States for the North American and Caribbean markets. The Plymouth, MA company expects to ship its first turbines later this year.

In an industry dominated by foreign manufacturers, this announcement positions Aeronautica as the first US owned company that will build ‘sub-megawatt’ class (101 to 1000 kilowatts) wind turbines in the states.

Headquartered in ‘America’s Hometown’ of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Aeronautica plans to focus on the ‘American Built’ theme in its advertising and marketing. Company officials believe that many projects around the country will opt to ‘Buy American’ turbines if given the choice.

A new factory within the New England region is being planned to supplement the company’s existing refurbishing facilities in Plymouth. Once the new plant is running at full capacity it will directly employ between 80 and 100 people. Hundreds of additional jobs will be created from the manufacture of subcomponents and assemblies, which the company plans to source from within the New England region and across the country.

Proposed manufacturing facility will be powered by wind turbine:
Training, testing and research and development efforts will involve many of the region’s colleges and universities. The company plans to erect one of the 750 kW turbines at its manufacturing facility in order to generate its own power, thus creating a green energy ‘breeder’ manufacturing facility. Aeronautica is currently raising the capital required for expansion and is negotiating for space at several locations around the region. Company officials hope that a portion of the Economic Stimulus money distributed from the Federal government may be obtained for this purpose.

The new plant will manufacture 225 and 750 kilowatt turbines, the size used by schools and other municipal facilities, shopping centers, industrial parks, and ‘community wind’ projects. Unlike the massive wind turbines used at wind farms in the Midwest, these ‘Queen-sized’ machines are designed to fit on smaller land parcels in more populated areas, thereby powering the facility directly (Distributed Generation). A select number of these machines will be made available at discounts to schools and colleges across the nation under a unique program specifically for facilities with good wind resources. For each 750kW turbine made and installed in the states, over 1.6million gallons of foreign oil is displaced -- the equivalent of a line of oil tank trucks more than three miles long.

Combined with new Federal economic stimulus plans and the Obama administration’s support for renewable energy Aeronautica believes the future is very bright – even in a down economy.

“It is only fitting that the roots of a new US manufacturing sector would take hold in the place where our nation began,” said Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray. “Expanding our economic base to include cutting-edge manufacturing and technology is going to allow Massachusetts to emerge from this dark fiscal hour with a new outlook for a stronger, brighter future. I commend Aeronautica for its commitment to our area and our workers.”

Company spokesperson Brian Kuhn, explained the reasons behind expanding Aeronautica’s manufacturing operations in the northeast. “There is a large market for wind power in the region, because of our high power costs and the availability of ‘commercial grade’ wind in many locations. Shipping costs into the area are high and lead times are long. And new energy bills around the country continue to make wind power very attractive; we think we are seeing the formation of a ‘perfect storm’ for this product.”Kuhn noted that Massachusetts’ new 2008 Energy Bill, which goes into effect shortly, is considered by many in the wind industry to be the best model around the nation.

Norwin spokesperson Ole Sangill expressed enthusiasm about the new relationship, saying, “We are excited about working with Aeronautica Windpower to bring our proven turbine designs into the North American marketplace. As wind power continues to develop in this region of the world we believe we have just the right turbines for thousands of commercial, industrial and municipal applications.”

Norwin’s turbines have been in operation since the early 1980s. While Norwin has licensed its certified designs to other manufacturers in Denmark, China, India and Europe until now their machines were not manufactured in North America.

Both Aeronautica and Norwin believe that the current climate for wind energy in North America will continue to develop into a large market, a view shared by the US National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. A recent study by that group points to tens of thousands of potential sites around the country.

In an otherwise sagging national and state economy, Aeronautica finds itself participating in one of today’s most explosive growth industries, Kuhn noted. Last year, more than 30% of the world’s new electrical generation capacity came from wind power, with the United States taking over the role as world leader in installed wind-generated capacity. The company anticipates its sales will act as a stimulus for the current economy while simultaneously greening the planet.