Volkswagen to Invest One Billion Euros in Wind Energy

According to the German language edition of the Financial Times, Volkswagen will become a large investor in two offshore windparks in the North Sea. The investment accomplishes two objectives: to help the car manufacturer meet its renewable energy goals for 2020 as well as give a boost to Germany's flagging wind power sector.

While Germany has been a leader in solar energy the past decade, wind power has been a different story. Ambitious projects to build wind power farms in the North Sea have suffered from the lack of investors who saw the proposed projects as too risky. Volkswagen had been in talks with wind power developers for several years but had hesitated to commit to the industry. But the moves of other companies, including the American private equity firm Blackstone, helped open the door to increased investment. Blackstone closed a deal on one wind farm last month. Now WV is set to invest in two wind power farms, including one 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Bokum (pictured left), an island off of Germany's northwestern coast.

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Vestas Receives a 202 MW Order from E.ON Climate & Renewables North America for 112 V100-1.8 MW Turbines for the USA

The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a five-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2012 and commissioning is expected in mid-2012.

“We are excited to again work with one of the leading wind-power operators in the world to move this project forward,” said Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc. “E.ON chose a turbine that is specifically designed to capture the lower wind speeds of this area.”

Once finished, the project will provide enough electricity to power more than 60,000 American homes in a year. It also will create construction and turbine-maintenance jobs.

The contract includes Vestas’ Active Output Management (AOM) 4000 maintenance program. The AOM 4000 program guarantees turbine availability and includes all planned and unplanned maintenance services. AOM 4000 also includes continuous remote monitoring and surveillance of the project via the VestasOnline SCADA system.

Vestas last worked with E.ON on the 180 MW Papalote Creek wind power plant in San Patricio County, Texas, which was finished in 2009 and consists of 109 V82-1.65 MW turbines. This order marks Vestas’ sixth North American deal announced in 2011, totaling 976 MW among three turbine types.

Augrid's Carbon Composite Technologies Signs Licensing Agreement with Convection Strategies, LLC

Augrid Global Holdings Corporation apprised that its subsidiary, Carbon Composite Technologies (CCT) has signed a world-wide Licensing Agreement with Convection Strategies, LLC (CSLLC). The two companies have worked for nearly two years to prepare marketing literature and perform physical testing of several composite fiber architectures for presentation to the several major wind turbine blade manufacturers.

CCT's patented technology allows the manufacturing of 100 meter and larger blades which are becoming required for use in wind farms being deployed in the oceans. The larger blades provide more electricity with a fewer number of towers and CCT's patented process for construction and curing allow for the blade to be manufactured as one piece and cured without the use of an autoclave, dramatically decreasing the time and material costs, resulting in a significantly less expensive final product.

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Styron Expands EMERGE Advanced Resins Portfolio

Styron, the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, has made addition to its EMERGE Advanced Resins family in North America. The EMERGE PC/PET 9100CR Advanced Resin is a polycarbonate blend with superior chemical resistance properties, designed specifically for medical equipment housing applications.

“With an increased emphasis on managing the risk of hospital acquired infections (HAIs), medical professionals have enhanced their standard operating procedures for infection control,” said Martin Lindway, Styron’s global marketing manager. “One of the controls in place is the selection of newer chemicals and cleaning procedures for durable medical equipment.

“The challenge is that the chemicals used in this process are harsh and can attack plastic surfaces leading to crazing, cracking, and even initiating product failure. To combat this, Styron has developed a novel polycarbonate blend – the first in a series – with advanced chemical resistance properties to resist potential antagonists.”

Feedback from trials of EMERGE PC/PET 9100CR Advanced Resin indicates that it provides a unique aesthetically-pleasing appearance and enhanced environmental stress-crack resistance, while maintaining the toughness needed for housings. EMERGE PC/PET 9100CR is available in Natural and custom color options to help produce opaque housings with aesthetically-pleasing appearances.

Vector Aerospace Signs Engine Services Agreement with John Hopkinson and Associates Ltd

Vector Aerospace Corporation a leading providers of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services informed about the signing of a service agreement between Vector Aerospace Engine Services-Atlantic, Inc (Vector) and John Hopkinson & Associates Limited, based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The three-year service agreement requires Vector to provide John Hopkinson & Associates Ltd. with comprehensive fixed-wing engine repair and overhaul support for the Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) JT15D and PT6A series engines from its P&WC Distributor and Designated Overhaul Facility (DDOF) located in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The work performed in Summerside will be augmented by Vector’s four other North American satellite centres located in Atlanta, Georgia; Calgary, Alberta; Dallas, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

John Hopkinson, president of John Hopkinson & Associates Ltd., says, “We are very proud to be entering into this Service Agreement with Vector Aerospace.” John Hopkinson & Associates Ltd. is Canada’s oldest and largest aircraft brokerage and aviation consulting firm; having been in business for over 40 years. JH&A have facilitated the purchase or sale of over 3,500 new and pre-owned aircraft during that time period and continue to be an industry leader in providing both individuals and corporations with comprehensive service from the planning stages, right through to the completion of the transaction and beyond. The timing of this agreement coincides with the firm’s acquisition of 25 Cessna Citation Ultras purchased from Embraer.

Elastomeric Coating Bag Which Can Protect Planes from Bombs in Passenger Luggage Designed

Academicians from the University of Sheffield working within University spinout company Blastech Ltd and an international team of scientists have designed a bag, which can protect planes from bombs in passenger luggage.

The bag, named the Fly-Bag, features multiple layers of novel fabrics, composites and coatings and is designed to be filled with passenger luggage and then placed in the hold of a plane. If there were a bomb in the luggage in the bag which exploded during the flight, the resulting blast would be absorbed by the bag due to its complex fabric structure, preventing damage to the plane. Fundamental to the design of the bag is the internal elastomeric coating and impregnation of fabric with Shear Thickening Fluids (STF).


STFs work by increasing in viscosity in response to impact. Under normal circumstances, the particles in STFs repel each other slightly, however following sudden impact, the extra energy in the system proves stronger than the repulsive forces, causing the particles to clump together in structures called hydroclusters, which bump into each other, consequently thickening the fluid.

Ahlstrom Starts Production of Specialty Reinforcements for the Wind Energy Market in China

The production of glass fiber reinforcements, which is used among other things to strengthen wind mill blades, will be started by the fourth quarter 2011 at Ahlstrom's Binzhou plant in the Shandong province on China's eastern coast. Ahlstrom will install multiaxial machines to its existing Binzhou site, which currently manufactures transportation filtration materials and employs 170 people.

"China has become a global power house in wind energy and through this investment we can better serve our global and local customers in the country. This gives us a good platform for further growth in the fast growing wind energy markets in China and elsewhere Asia," says Laura Raitio, Executive Vice President, Building and Energy.

The wind energy market is estimated to grow at an annual rate of approximately 15 percent in China in the next five years. In 2010, Ahlstrom's total net sales grew by almost 50 percent in the Asia Pacific-region and the company made an acquisition of a filtration plant and announced a joint venture in China for the production of masking tape substrates and medical papers. In addition, the company announced an investment to wallcover materials manufacturing in China on June 14, 2011.

Ahlstrom's Building and Energy Business Area currently serves the European, North American and Asian wind energy markets from its plants in Mikkeli, Finland and Bishopville, South Carolina, USA.