CanWEA conference boasts good turn out

The 2007 edition of the Canadian Wind Energy Association's annual trade show provided tangible evidence of the country's expanding wind market. The spacious exhibit hall accommodated 160 exhibitors, up from 120 last year and just 28 in 2004. Much of the floor was taken up by row upon row of company exhibits touching all aspects of the wind business, from lawyers, insurers, consultants, and engineering firms, to coating and lubricant vendors, component manufacturers, electrical equipment suppliers, maintenance companies and construction contractors. But as always it was the large turbine manufacturers who dominated the space. This year's conference attracted a record 13 utility-scale turbine makers, including the five who are competing in Hydro-Quebec's 2000 MW call for tenders. They included American GE Energy, Enercon and Repower Systems from Germany, and home-grown AAER Systems and EKUA, a consortium of Quebec component makers supplying the parts for a turbine inspired by former Dutch company Lagerwey, the rights to which have been licensed to Americas Wind Energy Corporation. Those companies were joined by a good mix of international names: Clipper Windpower, DeWind, Mitsubishi, Nordic Windpower (page 29), Siemens, Vestas and Vensys Energiesysteme. A newcomer to the list was Innovative Windpower GmbH of Germany, a subsidiary of the Dubai-headquartered Innovative Energy Group and manufacturer of a 1.25 MW machine (page 30).