QUICK NEWS, 10-19: A BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTION FOR WIND; SUN PROFITS FALLING, PARTS HOLDING; BIG WIND BUILDING IN NO DAKOTA

A BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTION FOR WIND
Vestas acquires technology to prevent aerial collisions
Erik Siemers, October 7, 2011 (Sustainable Business Oregon)

"Vestas…has acquired a radar technology that will help prevent aerial collisions with its wind turbines and reduce light pollution from wind power plants.

"The Danish turbine-maker…has acquired the technology assets of Norwegian radar specialist OCAS AS. Terms of the deal were not disclosed."


From melismccar via YouTube

"The OCAS system uses radar technology to detect approaching aircraft and activate warning systems. Strobe lights on the turbines will be activated as a visual warning and an audio warning will be transmitted to the pilot's radio if the aircraft doesn't immediately change course.

"The OCAS technology has been tested and approved by aviation authorities in Norway, Sweden, Canada and the United States…It has been installed at more than 60 sites in Europe and North America."


SUN PROFITS FALLING, PARTS HOLDING
PV Component Profits 70% Lower in Q4’11, but Module Suppliers Still Hold Lion’s Share
12 October 2011 (IMS Research)

"PV component profits are set to fall by 70% year-on-year in Q4’11…[A] new analysis from IMS Research…of the polysilicon, wafer, cell, module and inverter industries found that that collapsing prices throughout 2011 will cause gross margins for the whole PV industry combined to slide by 17 percentage points to just 12.4% in Q4’11…

"…[D]espite this worrying news, margins and profit will actually increase sequentially in Q4’11 as much of the collapse in margins had already happened earlier in 2011…PV module suppliers [felt] the brunt of the [2011] price collapse…[but] they still hold the lion’s share of PV component profits…[W]ithin the PV module supply chain, polysilicon suppliers currently enjoy some of the highest margins but their profits are still less than half those generated by module suppliers…"

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"Of the five industries studied, IMS Research found that inverter suppliers now enjoy the highest gross margins, despite the recent oversupply and price reductions that the industry has suffered. Despite accounting for a relatively small part of PV system hardware costs, the research found that inverter suppliers will generate 17% of total industry profits in 2011…

"…IMS Research predicts further gloom for the industry and forecasts that margins will slide further in 2012 and will reach just 10.4% in the first quarter of next year…"


BIG WIND BUILDING IN NO DAKOTA
ND wind power set for big expansion
Christopher Bjorke, October 8, 2011 (Bismarck Tribune)

"North Dakota's wind energy capacity will likely grow by more than a third in 2012, driven by renewable energy standards and the uncertain future of a federal incentive.

"The state's operating wind farms have the capacity to generate 1,378 megawatts of electricity. Between projects that are under development now and some that are likely to go forward soon, the state could add almost 500 additional megawatts…[making] 25 percent of the nameplate capacity of [South Dakota] electricity…generated by wind…[F]ive projects…are under construction or…[expected] to be soon started and completed by the end of 2012."

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"Next year could be a busy one for the wind industry across the country as developers work to complete projects before a key incentive is scheduled to expire. The federal production tax credit gives companies 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, but it is uncertain whether Congress will renew the subsidy in light of struggles in Washington over spending…

"The American Wind Energy Association has called for a four-year extension of the tax credit, arguing that its expiration in 2004 led to a drop in wind installations of 77 percent…[T]here are 7,354 megawatts of generation capacity under construction across the country, more than any time since 2008…[with] the Dec. 31 deadline to qualify for the tax credit [imposing] 'a hard end date…'"