South Carolina has the infrastructure to establish a wind-energy cluster across the state. And with new initiatives under way to create a trained workforce for the industry, the state can become a wind-energy hub for North America.
Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, director of business development at the Clemson University Restoration Institute, said Thursday during the Southeastern Coastal Wind Conference that a world-class port, regional collaboration and a business-friendly environment will help position the Palmetto State as the industry leader.
After moderating a panel that discussed existing supply chain suppliers in the Southeast, she said the growth potential is huge.
“The U.S. must diversify its energy sources, and wind energy will play a central role in that,” Busch said. “South Carolina and the Southeast are uniquely positioned to serve this fast-growing industry. These are exciting times for the state.”
Central to the industry’s growth, and the economy of the state, is a trained workforce of technicians and engineers to fill the jobs the industry will create.
Clemson has partnered with technical colleges across the state to develop certificate and other programs vital to workforce development. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, Clemson has established the Center for Workforce Development to help provide a labor force with the specific skills manufacturers and suppliers need.
“The role of the university is to help provide a talent pool to enable these emerging industries to be competitive in the marketplace,” Busch said. “The companies will have jobs to fill, but they will require a trained workforce.”
The two-day conference at the Charlotte Convention Center features discussions about policy and the market across the Southeast, regional assets and highlights, and the supply chain and manufacturers.
Speakers include Jim Lanard, president of the Offshore Wind Development Coalition; Peter Mandelstam, president of Arcadia Offshore Wind and Liz Kress, principal engineer for renewable energy at Santee Cooper. Click here to view the full agenda.
Nick Rigas, director of renewable energy and director of the Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility at the Restoration Institute, discussed wind energy research and development in the Southeast.
A key component to the industry’s development is the world’s most-advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility under construction at the Restoration Institute in North Charleston.
In November 2009, Clemson and its partners were awarded a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, which was combined with $53 million of matching funds, to build and operate the large-scale testing facility for next-generation wind turbine drivetrains.
When complete, the facility will be capable of full-scale highly accelerated testing of advanced drivetrain systems for wind turbines up to 15 megawatts. The facility is scheduled to open in two phases beginning in the second half of this year.
The grant’s objective is to accelerate development of new technology into the wind market to reduce the cost of energy, Rigas said. The facility will be complemented by a graduate engineering center, where students and researchers will collaborate with private partners.
“New technology requires advanced testing capability,” Rigas said. “Manufacturers need advanced, reliable testing to move their products to market as quickly as possible. Such innovation will move the offshore wind industry in this country forward.”
Rigas spoke on a panel that included Sam Shelton, principle research engineer at the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute; and George Hagerman, director of research at the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium.
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Offshore WIND staff, March 12, 2012