Specialist
Former C-level executive at TPI Composites Inc
Agenda
- Global competitive dynamics in wind blade manufacturing
- Threats from cheaper market entrants
- Innovation and transition costs
- Outlook for 2021 and beyond
Questions
1.
What are the nuances of the marketplace for wind blades, and who are the leading blade manufacturers?
2.
To what extent is China differentiated within global wind blade manufacturing dynamics?
3.
Why do you think Chinese wind turbine players have seemingly struggled to make inroads globally?
4.
The trajectory of solar panels is that they were made at prohibitive initial cost and eventually became a commodity. Do you think there is a parallel dynamic now occurring in wind blade manufacturing?
5.
What key industry trends have been developing outside China? How has 2020 impacted the market?
6.
How do market opportunities differ for onshore vs offshore wind? Which might have the stronger long term potential?
7.
Where have wind blade producers enacted the most significant cost savings in offshore? What lessons have these players learnt from the offshore oil and gas industry?
8.
How have regulators worked with wind power suppliers to increase footprints and capacity? Which jurisdictions have favoured wind power the most?
9.
How successfully have wind blade producers managed materials and labour retention costs?
10.
Which costs associated with wind blade manufacturing have players struggled to keep in line or reduce?
11.
How important is IP for wind blade manufacturers? Have they relied on IP to retain market share?
12.
What increased efficiencies have wind turbines been realising with the most up-to-date offerings by OEMs? Are there any other key metrics beyond efficiency we should be tracking to gauge performance?
13.
How can wind blade producers manage transition costs incurred from cancellations and delays? Is a 70% reduction in transitions for 2020 a cause for concern?
14.
Are the delays to EDF Renewables’ USD 374m Nebraska project emblematic of the issues wind power is facing in 2020?
15.
The Treasury offers wind developers a PTC [Production Tax Credit] but the project had to be completed within five years to qualify, which is expiring in the next couple of years. How important is the PTC, and when might the industry be able to go without it and retain a similar degree of growth and penetration?
16.
Do you expect an even tighter supply chain in 2021, with projects trying to capture the PTC and coronavirus exacerbating those delays? How do project delays or cancellations typically reverberate through the supply chain?
17.
How should we frame the market opportunity for GE’s 13MW offshore wind turbine, the Haliade-X?
18.
How has reliability progressed in this industry? MidAmerican Energy recently idled 46 of its Vestas turbines after a wind blade failure in Iowa. This follows three other blade failures in the last year. Is this an indication of something more serious, despite only being a low proportion of the overall fleet?
19.
How would you competitively differentiate Vestas and GE?
20.
There have been historic issues around the disposal of wind blades. How do you expect manufacturers to tackle this issue? Who will be bearing the cost?
21.
When do you expect consolidation to intensify within wind blade manufacturing? Which key players would you expect to be active consolidators?
22.
What key trends or developments should we be tracking across wind blade manufacturing?
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