Wind Factory Watch: Offshore Wind: Virginia

Wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa and shipbuilder Northrop Grumman officially launched the Offshore Wind Technology Center in Chesapeake, Va., last week with the aim of developing a new 5-MW offshore turbine design. The companies said their goal is to combine Gamesa's multi-megawatt turbine experience with Northrop Grumman's knowledge of the relatively harsh operating environment at sea.

The Center currently is staffed by a team of nearly 50 engineers who will be responsible for designing and testing two prototype turbines.

AWEA Chief Operating Officer Britt Theismann was on hand for the launch event, commenting: “Offshore wind development is the next big thing for the American Wind industry, and this center is a major milestone in our progress to harness these vast resources to power our economy and put people to work. Through this new center, Gamesa and Northrop Grumman are creating a new and revolutionary addition to the wind energy supply chain, right here in America. This facility is another example of the many jobs and economic benefits the wind industry is bringing to this country. Wind power is clean, affordable and homegrown.”

“We needed to find the best partner for the marine environments, someone capable of meeting Gamesa's high performance standards, and we found that partner in Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding,” said Dirk Matthys, Chairman and CEO of Gamesa North America. “This venture will enable Gamesa, already one the world's leading designers, manufacturers, installers and maintainers of land-based wind turbines, to put our technology to work to design the first generation of offshore wind technology that will meet the rising demand for clean, sustainable energy.”

Previous posts in this series:

Wind Factory Watch: Schuff Steel: Kansas, 1/12/11
Wind Factory Watch: Vest-Fiber: Missouri, 12/29/10
Wind Factory Watch: Northern Power Systems: Michigan, 12/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Four that got away, 12/2/10
Wind Factory Watch: Draka: Kansas, 11/11/10
Wind Factory Watch: URV: Michigan, 10/22/10
Wind Factory Watch: Saertex: North Carolina, 10/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Goldwind: Montana, 10/15/10
Wind Factory Watch: Mass Tank: Massachusetts, 10/14/10
Wind Factory Watch: Vestas: Colorado, 10/13/10
Wind Factory Watch: Moventas: Oregon, 9/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Energetx: Michigan, 9/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Avanti: Wisconsin, 9/3/10
Wind Factory Watch: Second Wind: Massachusetts, 9/2/10
Wind Factory Watch: TPI Composites: Massachusetts, 8/26/10
Wind Factory Watch: Blade Dynamics: Louisiana, 8/25/10
Wind Factory Watch: Vestas: Colorado, 7/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Eagle Claw: Oklahoma, 6/30/10
Wind Factory Watch: Alstom: Texas, 5/27/10
Wind Factory Watch: Beckmann Volmer: Arkansas, 5/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Ingersoll Machine Tools, 5/15/10
Wind Factory Watch: ZF Industries: Georgia, 5/10/10

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