MOVING WIND

Transporation Problems Challenge the Wind Industry; Transportation session at AWEA's Windpower 2010 in Dallas highlights the complexity of logistics.
Tom Gray, July 7, 2010 (Renewable Energy World)

"Transportation is one [wind] industry segment that does not get its due…yet it involves some of the greatest challenges in wind farm development…The current size and scale of wind turbine components presents a daunting challenge to the trucking industry…While railroads and barges can provide attractive and energy-efficient alternatives for part of a turbine component's journey, trucks will likely be needed for the balance…"

[Jay Folladori, Vice President, Heavy Specialized for Landstar System:] "The wind industry has pushed superload permits to astronomical numbers. Four to five are needed for each load -- last year, 22,000 were needed for 5,000 wind turbines. Transportation preplanning is critical to delivery. There are many obstacles, including overhead objects, height requirements, and weight limits…"

Try turning this. (click to enlarge)

"…[A] long-term national energy policy that provides greater certainty in the market is urgently needed [because the ] cost of the very large trailers needed to haul wind equipment is substantial…

"Katie Farmer, Vice President of Industrial Products Sales for rail company BNSF, described some of the major advantages of rail in transporting wind equipment…BNSF works collaboratively with turbine manufacturers to encourage transportation-friendly designs and conducts clearance verification, checking routes along the way before large components are shipped."

Try unloading this. (click to enlarge)

"River barges have a substantial edge in the size of the cargo they can deliver, according to Gabriel Forir, Director of Sales for shipper American Commercial Lines…Forir urged turbine and component manufacturers to try to identify factory sites with riverfront access…America's inland waterway system capacity, he added, is currently only 40% utilized, leaving plenty of room for growth. Forir also touted innovations in blade hauling that now allow up to 18 blades to be stacked in a single barge -- an amount that he said takes stevedores and cranes just two and a half hours to load…"

[Doug Miller, Vice President of Transportation and Logistics, Lonestar:] "We want to plan, plan, plan—it allows us to compete and stay efficient ... as soon as you say 'this looks like a great place for a wind farm,' that's when the planning needs to start. The wind business is a logistics business, and always has been."