Energy International Quarterly Issue 8

internationalenergy

quarterly

EnviroMission Limitedaustralian firm is bringing solar tower power to north america and beyond

Port of Milwaukeemetropolitan harbor ushers alternative energy coast to coast

Aggrekoaccessible power generation on a global scale

PMI Ropestrong support for the vertical energy world

may/june 2010

eiq

energy international quarterly may/june 20102

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Transportation With No Worries

solutions• Online Quotes

• Online Driver Apps

• Specialized & Heavy Haul

• Wind Energy

• Vans & Logistics

equipment• Dry Van Trailers

• Flatbed Trailers

• Step Deck Trailers

• Double Drop RGN Trailers

• Multiple Axle Trailers

BELTANATRANSPORT

Beltana Transport is a family owned business that was started in Feb 2001 here in Memphis, TN.

We become Incorporated in 2004, and started Beltana Logistics, LLC in Dec 2008 in order to provide

freight brokerage, storage and distribution services for our customers. It is our mission to provide the

higest quality transportation & logistics services in the industry at a competitive price. Our services

include International Export, Wind Energy, Oversize, Truckload, and Logistics.

It is our mission to provide the higest quality transportation & logistics services in the industry at a competitive price.

beltana transport & logistics, llc 5331 Republic Drive, Memphis, TN 38118

Phone: 901-369-0433 | Fax: 901-369-0340 | Email: [email protected]

901.369.0433www.beltanatransport.com

BELTANATRANSPORT

international export • wind energy • oversize • truckload • logistics

beltana_2.indd 2-3 1/6/10 9:35 PM

energy international quarterly may/june 2010 3

sxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx

Transportation With No Worries

solutions• Online Quotes

• Online Driver Apps

• Specialized & Heavy Haul

• Wind Energy

• Vans & Logistics

equipment• Dry Van Trailers

• Flatbed Trailers

• Step Deck Trailers

• Double Drop RGN Trailers

• Multiple Axle Trailers

BELTANATRANSPORT

Beltana Transport is a family owned business that was started in Feb 2001 here in Memphis, TN.

We become Incorporated in 2004, and started Beltana Logistics, LLC in Dec 2008 in order to provide

freight brokerage, storage and distribution services for our customers. It is our mission to provide the

higest quality transportation & logistics services in the industry at a competitive price. Our services

include International Export, Wind Energy, Oversize, Truckload, and Logistics.

It is our mission to provide the higest quality transportation & logistics services in the industry at a competitive price.

beltana transport & logistics, llc 5331 Republic Drive, Memphis, TN 38118

Phone: 901-369-0433 | Fax: 901-369-0340 | Email: [email protected]

901.369.0433www.beltanatransport.com

BELTANATRANSPORT

international export • wind energy • oversize • truckload • logistics

beltana_2.indd 2-3 1/6/10 9:35 PM


CONTENTS


CONTENTS

ThE POrT Of MilwaukEE

Despite being faced with competition from other Great Lakes ports,

the Port of Milwaukee aims to attract wind-farm component cargo

p. 72

ENvirOMiSSiON liMiTEd

COVER STORY

German structural engineer Jörg Schlaich has developed the con-cept of the solar-updraft tower to a feasible stage, successfully verifying its thermodynamic behavior and executing its structural design.

p. 76


Wind: Planning & Development wind capital group, based in the Midwest, is a successful wind-energy-de-velopment firm positioned for aggressive growth in a number of alternative-energy projects.

tradewind energy llc provides clean, sustainable energy through wind-power projects, providing jobs and op-portunities for communities in America’s Heartland.

crownbutte wind power was founded on the idea that renewable energy would offer the next big opportunity; now it seems the founder’s vision is paying off.

kent power inc. is a Michigan-based electrical-utility and telecommunications construction company that has maintained, and benefitted from, its family-business approach.

Wind: Building & Maintenancewazee companies llc supplies renew-able and traditional forms of energy, as well as crane services, to industrial clients in the utility, aerospace, and large-scale manufacturing markets.

tgm wind services llc is a young Texas-based, energy-concious company that is defining the future of wind-turbine service from nearly 300 feet in the air.

bti wind energy, llc, which began af-ter a tornado destroyed its former business in Greensburg, Kansas in 2007, is helping to rebuild the town as one of the greenest in America.

river valley testing corp. is a multifaceted company offering services in construction-materials quality manage-ment, geotechnical exploration, and con-sulting for clients throughout the country.

vesper wind is drawing on its experi-ence in the aerospace industry as it breaks new ground in wind-turbine-blade analysis and quality control.

14

17

20

22

25

27

31

33

35

CONTENTS

tradewind energy llc, the developer of the largest wind

project in Kansas, received the Kansas

Governor’s Energy Achievement Award.

p. 17


CONTENTS

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39

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44

46

48

50

53

56

Speciatly Productsrocky mountain pellet company inc., based in Walden, Colorado, manu-factures pinewood pellets for environmen-tally friendly home-heating fuel with a low carbon footprint.

w. o. grubb crane rental, inc., headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, com-bines a family-business feel with the latest equipment and marketplace adaptability.

mw industries, inc., based in North Dakota, is an API-certified company that has a steady demand for its custom-fabricated oil-service rigs designed for the most extreme weather conditions.

gas king oil co. ltd. is an Alberta-based, independent gas-station chain, setting itself apart with community giving amid fierce competition.

beltana trasnport llc, which began as a one-truck-freight transport opera-tion in 2001, now has a transportation and logistics business that covers most of North America.

transportation management group, llc, a heavy-haul transport pro-vider, enjoyed a three-year growth period before suffering in the down economy, and is now bouncing back undeterred.

pigeon mountain industries, or PMI, has defined the quality and driven the production of life-safety ropes for a variety of specialties, including high-angle technology and development, since its inception in 1976.

Global Scopeaggreko plc, which operates in 31 countries on 6 continents, is the world’s largest temporary-utility company, with more than $2 billion invested in its fleet.

rud chain, inc., a distributor of heavy-duty rigging equipment, is well positioned to be among the elite manufacturing sup-pliers to the emerging US wind- power industry; the international family enter-prise offers “future-oriented” chain-system solutions.

advanced torque products, llc designs and manufactures torque wrenches for the US military, as well as the aero-space, automotive, marine, and power-generation industries.

Turnkey Servicestanktek environmental services ltd. is a small environmental-engineering company, with the skill and training of a large corporation.

mechanical energy systems is a woman-owned, Michigan-based solar-energy retailer, installer, trainer, and dis-tributor, providing 25 years of experience to its customers.

hunt, guillot & associates, llc offers its project-management and engi-neering services to a variety of industries, from wood products and natural gas to bioenergy and specialty chemicals.

ultragen group ltd., based in Quebec, offers high-quality engineering services in the fields of petroleum refin-ing, petrochemicals, energy, and industrial chemistry.

duke hicks plumbing & petro-leum, inc. has integrated three related petroleum companies, using the resources of each to build convenience stores from the ground up.

Pluseditor’s note energy bulletin

last word

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70

8

10

82

rud chain, inc. has a range of specially designed

products that meet the safety and

logistical requirements of the wind-

farm-development industry.

p. 56

editor’s note

Expertise in :Refining, Petrochemical, Plastics and Aromatics Production facilities.Contact : [email protected]

T + 1 (450) 650-0770F + 1 (450) 650-0780www.ultragen.com

50 rue de Lauzon, Boucherville(Quebec) Canada, J4B 1E6

Our Expertise… Your success

T oday, the energy industry is changing at an unprecedented speed, and new alternative-energy sources seem to be popping up all over the globe. In this issue, we delved deep into the wind industry to explore

the companies that are building wind farms from the ground up. We spoke with companies that are spearheading the planning and development of these wind projects (p. 14), as well as the companies in charge of building and maintaining the physical wind-farm components (p. 25). These businesses all share a strong vision of the future, and that future is filled with wind energy.

We also cover aspects of the energy industry that may have been overlooked in the past. Since the transportation of alternative-energy components, in itself, can leave a significant carbon footprint, we look at alternative logistical options at the Port of Milwaukee (p. 72), including waterway cargo shipping and rail transportation. A standard 18,000-ton cargo ship can carry the load of nearly 700 trucks, allowing wind-farm components and other large-haul equipment to move through the United States with minimal environmental impact. This type of logistical alternative will be vital to the development of North American wind farms in the years ahead.

EnviroMission Limited (p. 76), an Australian-based developer of alternative-energy projects, has plans to bring what is known as “solar-updraft technolo-gy” to the United States. Solar-updraft towers have yet to be utilized in North America, but have been on Europe’s radar for nearly a century. The proposed solar-updraft tower requires no water, produces no carbon emissions, and can

self-sustain for decades. We are presenting this type of visionary project to our readers in hopes that similarly innovative developments will gain momen-tum and eventually come to fruition.

As always, we hope the articles in this issue motivate, inform, and inspire your work. Enjoy.

Molly SoatFeatures Editor

The Port of Milwaukee is changing the way that energy executives approach logistics.


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energy bulletin

DOE Awards $47 Million To Improve Efficiency in IT and Communications Sectors The Department of Energy (DOE) is award-ing $47 million to 14 projects across the country, to support the development of new technologies that can improve energy efficien-cy in the IT and communication-technology sectors. With this funding, the DOE will pro-vide significant energy and cost savings. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is providing funding for research, development, and demonstration projects in three subject areas: equipment and software, power supply chain, and cooling.

The $47 million in federal funds for these projects will be matched by more than $70 million in private-industry funding, for a total project value of more than $115 million. The below projects have been selected for awards:

Equipment & Software • IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

($1.6 million)• SeaMicro Inc. ($9.3 million)• Alcatel-Lucent, Bell Labs ($300,000)• California Institute of Technology

($300,000)

Power Supply Chain • Lineage Power Corporation

($2.4 million)• BAE Systems ($222,000)• Power Assure, Inc. ($5 million)• Hewlett-Packard Company

($7.4 million)• Columbia University

($2.8 million)

Cooling• IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

($2.3 million)• Federspiel Controls, Inc. ($584,000)• Yahoo! Inc. ($9.9 million)• Alcatel-Lucent ($1.8 million)• Edison Materials Technology Center

($2.8 million)

Source: US Department of Energy

Secretary Chu Announces Efforts to Strengthen US Electric-Transmission NetworksEnergy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced award selections for $60 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support transmis-sion planning for the country’s three interconnection-transmission networks. The six awards will promote collaborative long-term analysis and planning for the Eastern, Western, and Texas electricity interconnections, which will help states, utilities, grid operators, and others prepare for future growth in energy demand, renewable-energy sources, and smart-grid technologies.

The transmission planning supported through the awards will develop an open, transparent, and collaborative process that will involve participants from industry, federal, state, and local government agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations. As a result of these planning efforts, each of the awardees will produce long-term resource and transmission-planning studies in 2011, with updated docu-ments in 2013.

The following organizations have been selected for awards:

Eastern Interconnection• Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative: $16 million• Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council: $14 million

Western Interconnection• Western Electricity Coordinating Council: $14.5 million • Western Governors’ Association: $12 million

Texas Interconnection • Electric Reliability Council of Texas: $2.5 million• Electric Reliability Council of Texas for work with Texas government

agencies: $1 million


Eastern Interconnection

Western Interconnection Texas

Interconnection

Late last year, US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the winners of the 2009 E.O. Lawrence Award, honoring outstanding contributions in research and development supporting the Department of Energy and its missions. Established in 1959, the award pays respect to the memory of Dr. Ernest Orlando Lawrence, who invented the cyclotron (a par-ticle accelerator), and after whom two major Energy Department laboratories in Berkeley and Livermore, California, are named.

“The contributions made by these researchers to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States are wide-ranging and meaningful,” Secretary Chu said. “I con-gratulate the winners and look forward to their discoveries still to come.”

The six winners, honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC, earlier this year, received a gold medal, a citation, and $50,000. They include:

• Sunney Xie, Harvard University: Chemistry

• Joan F. Brennecke, University of Notre Dame: Environmental Science and Technology

• Wim Leemans, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: High Energy and Nuclear Physics (pictured)

• Zhi-Xun Shen, SLAC National Accelera-

tor Laboratory and Stanford University: Materials Research

• Omar Hurricane, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: National Security and Nonproliferation

• William Dorland, University of Mary-land: Nuclear Technology


energy international quarterly march/april 2010 11

Government Loan Creates Activated-Carbon FacilityThe Department of Energy has granted a $245 million conditional loan guarantee to Red River Environmental Products, LLC, to build an activated-carbon manufacturing facility near Coush-atta, Louisiana. The company expects to create 500 jobs during construction and 70 jobs once the plant is fully operational.

Activated carbon can reduce a coal-fired power plant’s mercury emissions by up to 90 percent, by absorbing vaporized mercury contained in the flue gas and collecting it in the plant’s partic-ulate-collection device. At full capacity, the plant will produce 150 million pounds per year of powdered activated carbon, which will remove 30,000 pounds of mercury from the flue gas of approximately 160 coal-fired power plants. The plant will use state-of-the-art equipment to reduce its own emissions of volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide, and will also use activated carbon to sequester 80 percent of the plant’s mercury emissions. The design will also save 26 million gallons of wa-ter per year and will generate enough electricity to power 13,000 homes.


2009 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award Winners Announced

Chu Introduces Climate REDI Program At Copenhagen Conference In December last year, at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, on behalf of President Obama, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of a new initia-tive to promote clean-energy technologies in developing countries, called Climate REDI (Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative). The program will accelerate de-ployment of renewable energy and energy- efficient technologies in developing coun-tries–reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fighting energy poverty, and improving pub-lic health for the most vulnerable, particu-larly women and children.

Climate REDI includes three new clean-ener-gy-technology programs and funding needed to launch a renewable-energy program under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund:

1. the solar and led energy access program will accelerate deployment of affordable solar home systems and LED lanterns to those without access to electricity.

2. the super-efficient equipment and appliance-deployment program will harness the market and convening power of MEF countries to improve effi-ciency for appliances traded throughout the world.

3. the clean-energy information platform will establish an online plat-form for MEF countries to exchange technical resources, policy experience, and the infrastructure to coordinate vari-ous activities in deploying clean-energy technologies, and share this information with the world.

4. the scaling-up renewable energy program (s-rep), under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund, will provide policy support and technical assistance to low-income countries developing national renewable-energy strategies.

The combined budget for these programs is $350 million over five years.


Berkeley Lab’s Wim Leemans holds the 3.3-cm sap-phire accelerator module, with which the LOASIS team accelerated a beam of electrons from zero to one billion electron volts. Photo: Roy Kaltschmidt, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.


energy bulletin

Chinese Corporation Delivers $2.25 Million Energy-Efficient Flow-Control SystemNF Energy Saving Corporation, a Chinese leader in providing integrated energy-conser-vation solutions, announced earlier this year that it has delivered 24 sets of its newly devel-oped DN3600 Ductile Iron Butterfly Valve to a large water-supply project in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong in southern China, worth $2.25 million.

Mr. Li Gang, Chairman and CEO of NF Ener-gy, commented, “We are honored to supply our newly developed energy-efficient flow-control system to this important water-supply project, which will greatly improve the water quality in Guangzhou and secure the water supply for the forthcoming Guangzhou Asian Games.”

Source: NF Energy Saving Corporation

Nordic Windpower Raises $38 Million in Funding Led by Khosla VenturesNordic Windpower—which designs, manu-factures, and sells utility-scale wind turbines for community wind and utility markets worldwide—has raised $38 million in a new financing round led by Khosla Ventures, a pre-mier investor in clean-technology companies, along with several other investors.

“This investment represents a significant achievement for Nordic Windpower,” said Patricia Bellinger, chairman of the board of Nordic Windpower. “We are committed to greatly expanding access to our high-quality, innovative, two-bladed wind turbines to com-munities across America and beyond.”

Nordic Windpower will use the funds to scale up its business activities involving the sale, manufacturing, and service of its innovative one-megawatt N1000 wind turbines. Most of the turbines have gone to projects in the United States, including:• schools;• wind farms;• a municipal utility;• a US Army base.

Source: Nordic Windpower

Companies to Create Italy’s Largest Photovoltaic-Panel Manufacturing Plant Three major companies have agreed to join forces to produce innovative, triple-junction, thin-film photovoltaic panels: Enel Green Power, Sharp, and STMicroelectronics.

This marks the first time that three global technology and industrial powerhouses have joined together in an equal partnership to contribute their unique value-add to the solar industry. The plant, located in Catania, Italy, is expected to have initial production capacity of 160 megawatts per year, and it is targeted to grow to 480 megawatts over the next few years. It will represent the single most important production facility for solar panels in Italy. Manufac-turing at the plant is expected to start at the beginning of 2011.

Source: STMicroelectronics; Encel Green Power; Sharp

CONSOL Energy in Partnership to Develop Largest VAM- Abatement Project in USCONSOL Energy Inc., a high-Btu bituminous coal and natural-gas company, and Green Hold-ings Enlow, Inc., a greenhouse-gas-abatement company, are set to develop the largest ventilation air methane (VAM) emission-abatement project in the United States at CONSOL’s Enlow Fork Mine in southwestern Pennsylvania. The VAM-abatement equipment at the mine will capture and destroy the methane released during the mining process.

As an active underground coal mine, Enlow Fork Mind produces approximately 10 million tons of coal a year. The project is designed to reduce the mine’s VAM emissions by the equivalent of 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year and is estimated to be operational later this year. The project will also allow CONSOL to move from its current small VAM-capture program to a commercial-scale effort that, if successful, can be applied at many of the company’s existing underground mines.

Source: CONSOL Energy Inc.

VAM-emission-abatement equipment at the Enlow Fork Mine.


Duracell Teams with College to Explore Wind PowerDuracell, which powered Times Square’s “2010” numerals on New Year’s Eve with human-generated power, continues to affirm its dedication to the new generation of alter-native energy. The company has teamed with Iowa Lakes Community College in Esther-ville, Iowa, and its nationally recognized wind program, where tomorrow’s wind-power technicians are trained to build and service the structures that will power the future while using Duracell rechargeable batteries.

“Iowa Lakes Community College is providing students with training and an education in a sector that is only beginning to be recognized as the frontier of power,” says Rick June, Dura-cell vice president and general manager, North America. “With a greater emphasis on corpo-rate responsibility, Duracell, through its Smart Power initiative, is committed to fostering partnerships like this one and providing power to consumers in new and innovative ways.”

Source: Procter & Gamble

Heat-Transfer Fluid Selected for New Solar Power PlantSolutia Inc., a market-leading performance- materials and specialty chemicals company, is supplying Therminol VP-1 synthetic heat-transfer fluid for Solnova 4, a new 50-mega-watt concentrating solar-power (CSP) plant in Sevilla, Spain. The plant will be managed by Abner, a provider of integrated and innovative solutions in the field of energy.

Solutia’s Therminol heat-transfer fluid is used to absorb concentrated sunlight and heat up to about 400 degrees Celsius. The heated Therminol is then used to generate steam that drives power-generating turbines.

Abener has chosen Therminol VP-1 for this project due to its superior ability to meet demanding requirements of high-temperature systems and Solutia’s 20-plus years of experi-ence in solar projects.

Source: Solutia Inc.

Companies Launch Home Energy Manager PrototypeDirect Energy, Whirlpool Corporation, Best Buy, Lennox International, and OpenPeak—all leaders in their respective industries—have developed a one-stop, cost-saving, home-energy-management solution that’s easy for consumers to use. The Home Energy Manager (HEM) will run on OpenPeak’s OpenFrame device—a compact, touch-screen communications center—enabling consumers to easily control their home energy use and costs.

A prototype was unveiled earlier this year at the 2010 Consumer Electron-ics Show in Las Vegas, and plans for the prototype include a 12-month pilot in consumers’ homes in Hous-ton this year. According to prelimi-nary data, the HEM prototype could save consumers up to 25 percent per month on their energy bills. The HEM is also designed to serve as an information and entertainment center in the home, provid-ing access to news, weather, health, social networking, music, and movie applications.

With the HEM, consumers will be able to manage their energy spending proactively by setting pre-determined budget limits and ensuring that appliances operate within specific parameters. Alerts will warn consumers when they are close to reaching their budget threshold for the month and offer personalized recommendations about how to reduce costs for the rest of the billing period. Consumers will also be able to program the system directly or remotely to avoid energy consumption during peak periods.

“The Home Energy Manager has the potential to do for home energy management what the iPhone did for communication,” says David Dollihite, vice president of product development at Direct Energy. “We believe the Home Energy Manager will become the de facto platform that empowers consumers to look at energy use in a fresh, new way and modify their consumption behavior.”

Source: Direct Energy

Carbonetworks Leads Carbon- and Energy-Software Market Carbonetworks—a leading provider of performance-management software for energy, greenhouse gas, and sustainability solutions—helps organizations manage and reduce their impact on the environment by identifying the most cost-effective ways to reduce. Its software-as-a-service solution easily integrates with existing systems for rapid, cost-effective deployment. And earlier this year, the company announced it has implemented more than 8,000 sites across its global customer base.

“This is an exciting milestone for us as we mark a decade in the evolution of the Carbonetworks software platform,” said Michael Meehan, president and CEO. “The number of site deployments on the Carbonetworks platform speaks to our ability to support customers—ranging from For-tune 500 companies to public-sector organizations to mid-sized organizations—as they achieve greater control of their information to drive business performance.”

Source: Carbonetworks

Michael Meehan


wind: planning & development

with four wind-power farms in missouri, and projects in play for more than 2,000 megawatts on farms across 16 states, Wind Capital Group is fast be-coming a key wind-energy resource in the Midwest. Well funded and blessed with strong leadership, Wind Capital, which is headquartered in St. Louis, formed more than four years ago and is now the dominant pro-vider of wind power in Missouri. “It’s an exciting time to

be in wind development,” says Dean Baumgardner, ex-ecutive vice president of technical services and construc-tion. “As a nation, we can do so much more.” These are boom times for wind-power developers. In 2008, 42 percent of all new electric-generation capacity was from wind, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Wind producers brought 8,500 megawatts online and jobs in wind rose from 50,000 in 2007 to 85,000 in 2008.

wiNd CaPiTal grOuPSt. Louis-based company becomes Missouri’s go-to wind-power provider

by adolfo pesquera

at a GLance

location:st. louis, mofounded:2005 employees:75

The foundation is poured for one of the 100 wind turbines that will make up Wind Capital Group’s Lost Creek Wind Project

The little town of King City in northwest Missouri exem-plifies how the wind industry is changing the country. “I live on a gravel road, and the road is in the best shape it’s been because they have to maintain it to get their heavy equipment through,” says Brenda Spiking, co-owner of the Aberdeen Steak House in King City. The 260 workers that moved into the area to build the Lost Creek Ridge wind farm south of town are also spending their money in the community. “We see 15 to 20 people a day in our restau-rant that are from Lost Creek,” Spiking adds. “They buy gasoline here. They rent property. They buy groceries.” Scheduled to come on line in the summer of 2010, Lost Creek is the second project Wind Capital has under-taken in the King City area. The company’s very first project was north of town—the Blue Grass Ridge, a 57-megawatt wind farm. Blue Grass Ridge began produc-ing power in the spring of 2007, says Nancy Southworth, a spokesperson for Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI). With financing from John Deere Wind Energy, Wind Capital was able to build Blue Grass Ridge, and AECI agreed to buy power from it and two other Wind Capital wind farms for 20 years, Southworth says.

AECI provides power throughout rural Missouri and into parts of Iowa and Oklahoma for 875,000 cooperative members. “We are committed to alternative energy [for] our members,” Southworth says. When Lost Creek Ridge

We are well positioned to be successful. We are well funded, we have an experienced staff, [and] we are showing that we are capable of putting iron in the ground.

—Dean Baumgardner, executive Vice President

of technical Services & construction

www.windcapitalgroup.com

wind: planning & developmentwind capital group

wind capital groupwind: planning & development

is completed, AECI will purchase all of its power, bringing its wind-sourced energy to 312megawatts. As of October, wind provided 1.5 percent of AECI’s total energy output, and, according to Southworth, the cooperative anticipates that output will increase significantly from new capacity and improvements in existing capacity. “The completion of Lost Creek and enhancements made to existing projects will significantly increase the amount of wind power from Wind Capital Group’s projects that we’ll be able to pro-vide to our members next year,” Southworth adds. Wind Capital was the brainchild of Thomas S. Carnahan, the son of former Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan. Thomas Carnahan took notice that wind-energy projects were happening across the Midwest, but Missouri was getting left behind. So he tapped into his experience in politics, law, and land management to launch Wind Capital. The team he assembled includes CFO Ciaran O’Brien, a Chicago-based Wind Capital investor who was previously with Airtricity, a Dublin, Ireland-based wind-energy company (for which he led more than $2 billion in equity and debt fundraising). With O’Brien’s assistance, Wind Capital’s major outside investor is now Ireland-based NTR plc, which invests in wind, solar, and bioethanol projects. NTR is credited for securing the ma-jority of funds for the Lost Creek Ridge development—$240 million in project debt financing. Lost Creek was among the first wind projects to qualify for the federal investment-tax-credit cash grants, un-der the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “This is an example of what can happen, even in the toughest of economic climates, when you have the right quality of project pipeline in place,” says NTR chief ex-ecutive Jim Barry. Baumgardner appreciates the interest that overseas-based companies have in United States’ wind projects. How-ever, Wind Capital also looks to include US companies wherever it can, he says. Wind Capital’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. On an April tour through Jefferson City, Missouri, Vice President Joe Biden made note of the fact that Jefferson City-based ABB Transformer Factory was selling step-up transformers to Wind Capital, as part of its $300 million Lost Creek project. Now a mid-sized company in comparison to its competi-tors, it would seem that the stars are all aligned in Wind Capital’s favor. “We are well positioned to be successful,” Baumgardner says. “We are well funded, we have an ex-perienced staff, [and] we are showing that we are capable of putting iron in the ground.” EIQ

WIND CAPITAL GROUPProject timeline company timeline

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Company founded in St. Louis by Tom Carnahan.Bluegrass

Ridge Wind Farm (56.7

megawatts)

Cow Branch Wind Energy Center (50.4

MW)

Conception Wind Farm (50.4 MW)

Buffalo Creek Wind Farm (200 MW)

Loess Hills Wind Farm

(5 MW)

Bent Tree Wind Farm (400 MW)

Lost Creek Wind Energy

Center (150 MW)

Opened Chicago project finance office.

Signed turbine sup-ply agreement with General Electric.

Built team to 60+ employees.

Initiated relationship with John Deere.

Opened new St. Louis corporate headquarters.

Opened Madison, WI engineering and construction office.



TradEwiNd ENErgy llCProviding clean energy and economic opportunities in america’s Heartland

by sheena harrison

tradewind energy llc believes clean energy is about more than just providing a green alternative to traditional power sources. For this up-and-coming wind power company, clean energy is about using cutting-edge technology to provide cost-efficient power while creating economic opportunities for the region in which the com-pany works.

“The people who work here feel good about the product that we sell and the positive impacts that we have on our communities,” says Rob Freeman, CEO of Lenexa, Kansas-based TradeWind Energy.

Since 2001, TradeWind has worked to sell large-scale wind-energy projects that provide wholesale energy to utility companies. To date, it has managed to develop the largest wind-energy project in Kansas, called Smoky Hills Wind Farm, which produces 250 megawatts of power per year, or enough to power 75,000 homes. And the company is working to develop more than 30 projects on at least 700,000 acres of land in 11 states. If completed, these projects would represent $16 billion in capital investment, generate 8,000 megawatts of energy per year, and power 2.5 million homes.

TradeWind believes its projects do more than just generate clean energy; the projects also have potential to create new jobs and tax revenue for the communities in which they are located. For instance, it is estimated that TradeWind’s Smoky Hills Wind Farm will contribute more than $100 million to the Kansas economy during the next 20 years. That kind of economic boost is attractive for many of the communities that TradeWind seeks to work with, since they often are looking for ways to diversify their agricul-tural or manufacturing economies. “It’s something we en-joy about the business,” says Geoffrey Coventry, senior vice president of operations for TradeWind. “It’s nice to see the kind of change you can bring about in the community with this kind of economic development.”

TradeWind was founded by Coventry, along with Matthew Gilhousen, who serves as senior vice president of proj-ect development. At that time, the technology for wind

power was becoming more advanced, which allowed the cost of wind-power production to decrease. Coventry and Gilhousen—who previously worked in e-commerce and environmental engineering—believe those factors created an ideal entry point into the wind-energy market.

Although most utility customers in the country live on the coasts, Coventry and Gilhousen saw a prime oppor-tunity for wind-power growth in the Heartland, where wind is plentiful enough to produce lower-priced energy.

at a GLance

location:lenexa, ksemployees:60area of specialty:development and management of wind-energy projects

TradeWind executive vice president Frank Costanza (left) and senior vice president of operations Geoff Coventry in their LEED-certified office building.

“It is one of the most unique resources in the world,” Cov-entry says, “and it runs directly through the middle of the United States.”

In 2003, TradeWind appointed Freeman as CEO. Previous-ly, he was senior vice president of global capacity services for Aquila, Inc., a major energy company based in Kansas City. Freeman says he wanted to develop alternative-ener-gy projects during his time at Aquila, and TradeWind gave him the opportunity to pursue his interest.

In TradeWind’s early stages, friends, family, and local investors provided funding for planning and development of the company’s wind-power projects. Then in 2006, the company entered into a partnership with Enel North America, Inc., a subsidiary of Italian utility company Enel SpA. This partnership provided TradeWind with the capital and infrastructure it needed to begin developing projects in such states as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Colo-rado. In particular, Enel helped TradeWind to complete Smoky Hills Wind Farm.

TradeWind has committed itself to using high-tech soft-ware and hiring highly trained specialists to create effective wind-power projects and select future project sites. For example, the company has developed custom mapping software and uses a form of radar called Sodar, which uses sound to measure wind speed. TradeWind also has hired four meteorologists—two of whom hold doctorates—and a staff biologist who leads the company’s environmental studies. That staff expertise, along with data collection from more than 100 meteorological towers owned by TradeWind, helps the company determine possible new project locations, as well as monitor wind turbines that currently are producing power.

While being green is TradeWind’s business, the company makes sure it pays more than just lip service toward be-ing environmentally friendly. Its headquarters is located in a LEED-certified building, which has a few small wind turbines out front that provide electricity. And last year, TradeWind replaced 10 of its company vehicles with Chev-rolet and Ford hybrids.

As TradeWind continues to grow, Coventry says the com-pany’s leadership is determined to continue making a positive impact on the environment and the communities TradeWind partners with. “It’s something we take a lot of pride in,” Coventry says. “We’re committed to building a great company here.” EIQ


tradewind energy llcwind: planning & development

Trusted PartnersSome qualifications that set TradeWind Energy apart as one of the premier wind-project development companies today:

Full ServiceThe company has assem-bled a diverse, talented team of meteorologists, biologists, and engineers.

Financially StrongTradeWind is backed by Enel North America, Inc., one of the largest publicly held utility companies.

ExperiencedThe senior management team has more than 80 combined years of experi-ence in utility-scale and independent power-project development.

The people who work here feel good about the product that we sell and the positive impacts that we have on our communities.

—Rob Freeman, ceO

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CrOwNbuTTE wiNd POwErnorth Dakota company creates a complete and profitable business model for the wind-power industry

by cristina adams

when timothy simons founded crownbutte Wind Power in 1999, he was betting that renewable en-ergy in general—and wind power in particular—promised to be the next big market niche. Attitudes toward global warming and carbon emissions were changing, concerns about climate change were being taken seriously, and there were no wind projects under development in the Dakotas or Montana. The time was ripe, so he jumped in feet first.

“He knew that when the US decided to become a world leader in renewable energy, he would be standing prepared with a pipeline of projects from greenfield all the way to shovel-ready,” says Dr. Terry Pilling, Crownbutte’s execu-tive vice president.

A publicly traded wind-energy company, Crownbutte focuses on the development, ownership, and operation of wind-energy projects, largely in the North Dakota/Montana region. When it first opened for business, Crownbutte pursued brownfield (underused or empty industrial facilities that are open for redevelopment) and turnkey development projects. One of its early endeav-ors involved a 2.6-megawatt wind project—the first utility-scale wind project in either of the Dakotas—that Crownbutte built and then sold turnkey to an electric cooperative. Following that success, the company then developed a 19.5-megawatt project in Montana and sold it to Montana-Dakota Utilities.

But those were the early days, and Crownbutte has been in the business long enough to rethink its philosophy. “From this point forward, we want to develop, construct, and then own and operate our projects, rather than follow our previous develop-and-sell model,” says Pilling, a physicist who left academia to join the company in 2008.

The new merchant model means that Crownbutte will leave behind the traditional method of negotiating power purchase agreements with utilities, and instead sell its power directly to the grid via the Locational Marginal Pricing mar-ket established through the Open Access Transmission Tariff. In other words, Crownbutte is cutting out the middle man and going directly to the buyer, just like a utility. Of course, it’s not possible to do this all over the United States, but there are definitely electricity markets where the direct sale is alive and well—and benefitting the bottom line.

at a GLance

location:mandan, ndfounded:1999employees:7area of specialty:development, ownership, and operation of wind-energy projects

Corwnbutte Development ProcessTo begin the development of a utility-scale wind farm from scratch, Crownbutte goes through an extensive development process to ensure suc-cessful completion of the project:

➊ Identify the transmission capability suitable for a park of a specific size within the larger but widely scattered transmission system.

➋ Conduct topographical studies to determine the most promising locations by using the available meteorological data.

➌ Configure an initial park array to determine the parameters of the park with regard to transmission capability.

➍ Procure the necessary land-lease options for the properties under the park’s footprint.

➎ Install site-specific meteorological instrumen-tation (allowed by the land-lease options).

➏ Accumulate sufficient, long-term meteorologi-cal data at the site.

➐ Retain a certified consulting meteorologist to prepare a financeable wind report.

➑ File an interconnection application with the appropriate system operator.

➒ Apply for local, state, and federal permitting as necessary, based on the size and location of the project.

➓ Prepare the final site designs for the collector system, service roads, junction boxes, and foundations.

Once these steps are complete, Crownbutte can secure project-financing partners, purchase wind turbines, and kick off construction.



“Even though it’s still difficult to get initial project financ-ing based on the merchant model, it’s much better from a profitability point of view,” Pilling says. “As time goes on, we believe this model will become the new standard in renewable-energy operation.”

Wind power may not be a field for those with little pa-tience, but Crownbutte’s perseverance has certainly paid off. The company currently has projects in all stages of development, 10 of which have a meteorological tower on site. Of those 10, 6 have submitted interconnection appli-cations, 3 are in the current system impact study, 2 in the defining last stage, and 1 is set to begin construction.

It could be that its location in Mandan, North Dakota, has something to do with its success, although the company has plans to expand throughout the country. According to Pilling, wind speeds in North Dakota and Montana are among the highest in the United States, while turbulence and variation in wind direction are very low. This trans-

lates into more power generation per turbine. And while coal continues to be the region’s primary source of power, with more than 92 percent of the market, wind is gaining ground.

So is Crownbutte. Of several dozen projects from the region currently in transmission-impact studies, two of Crownbutte’s projects were the only ones fast-tracked to the definitive planning phase because there was available transmission—and upgrades weren’t necessary.

“This tells us that we are really the only company that understands the limitations of the current transmission system, as well as the feasibility of entering the merchant market,” Pilling says, adding that this will undoubtedly change over the next 5 to 10 years. And as that changes, Crownbutte will adapt its strategy in anticipation. “It’s always smart business to keep a close eye on the physics and the politics of the industry,” Pilling says, “and thereby stay just ahead of the crowd.” EIQ

From this point forward, we want to develop, construct, and then own and operate our projects, rather than follow our previous develop-and-sell model.

—Dr. terry Pilling, executive Vice President

crownbutte wind powerwind: planning & development


Crownbutte focuses on the development of North American windfarms.


wind: building & maintenance

kENT POwEr iNC.Midwestern firm opens communication and diversifies into the renewable-energy sector

by cristina adams

at a GLance

location:kent city, miyear founded:1978full-time employees:20 – 40 at headquarters; 200 in the field

back in 2005, when hurricanes katrina and Rita hit the US Gulf Coast, Kent Power sent crews from its Michigan headquarters to the devastated region. Mov-ing from state to state, the crews worked to repair systems and get power lines up and running; some stayed in the area for up to 10 months until power and some semblance of normalcy was restored.

According to Troy Kent, the company’s president and son of its CEO, this kind of action isn’t unusual for the compa-ny. It is, after all, a family-owned and family-run business, and management attributes at least a part of its success to

just that kind of service, dedication, and attention to detail. “What sets us apart from the competition is our commit-ment to maintaining the family-business approach,” Kent says. “It means that we have a strong employee base and we retain key individuals throughout their careers.”

That has been the story behind Kent Power’s success in an industry that is both fiercely competitive and hard to break into. Back in the late 1950s, Richard Kent’s father and two uncles founded Kent Electric. In the 1970s, the trio parted ways in business, and the younger Kent took the oppor-tunity to purchase the company’s outside-line division in

Kent Power’s installation of anchor bolts for a 100kW wind turbine.


kent power, incwind: building & maintenance

1978. Since then, Kent Power has moved into communica-tions, natural gas, steel fabrication, and renewable energy, while cementing its position as a leader in large-scale electrical-utility construction.

“We expanded into these arenas to help diversify our work-flow, our customer base, and our resources,” Kent explains.

“While the energy divisions continue to be our base rev-enue generators, the communications and steel groups are building a strong foundation for the future.”

Currently, Kent Power’s customer base is made up of 80 percent utility, 10 percent industrial, and 10 percent com-mercial. From its 185,000-square-foot Michigan headquar-ters, which includes office and warehouse space, the com-pany directs and oversees its projects. Its footprint might be deep in the Midwest, but its services are in demand around the country. On any given day, there are 20–40 employees at headquarters, and 200 crew employees in the field who might be erecting a cellular tower in Florida, servicing a substation in Ohio, or installing medium-duty wind turbines in Illinois.

Kent Power’s original (and flagship) divisions are com-prised of power lines and substations. In both of these groups, management emphasizes its quality of service, its safety record, and its ability through strategic planning, ensuring that projects are completed on time and on bud-get. That’s no simple feat, particularly when you’re talking about constructing a 345-kilovolt electrical substation or repairing miles of power transmission lines.

In 2003, the company ventured into natural-gas construc-tion and has been steadily gaining market share since. This kind of underground construction of natural-gas lines has offered up some exciting challenges. One such project was the completion of a turnkey methane line in 2006, which

involved the installation of 7.2 miles of six-inch plastic main cross-country and along residential roads to feed an Allay plant in Muskegon Country, Michigan. True to its promise, Kent Power completed the project ahead of schedule and was awarded additional projects by the client.

But Kent Power hasn’t stopped there. It now has a cel-lular division, a steel-services division, and a renewable-energy division, all of which promise to become stars in their own right. Renewable energy, in particular, has become significant in light of global concern over climate change. As Kent points out, talking about renewable en-ergy is one thing; taking action and doing what’s needed is another. That’s why, in 2007, Kent Power began look-ing for ways to reduce its carbon footprint through the use of renewable-energy systems. Kent Power plans to walk the walk by wielding its expertise and its technol-ogy to ensure that it contributes to the renewable-energy movement.

“Growth in the renewable-energy and utility sectors are at the top of our list,” Kent says. “We plan to make great strides using technology and safety processes to improve communication and performance.”

Even though the electrical-utility industry as a whole has experienced a slowdown in the current economic climate, Kent points out that the company hasn’t slowed its pace—there are always new opportunities and new relationships. It’s exactly this kind of energy—supported by a commit-ment to innovation, expertise, and service—that drives the company’s success.

“We have always been focused on process improvement and utilizing the best practice and best equipment for the task at hand,” Kent says. “Customer service and customer satis-faction are always job number one.” EIQ

What sets us apart from the competition is our commitment to maintaining the family-business approach. It means that we have a strong employee base and we retain key individuals throughout their careers.”

—troy Kent, President

Kent Power Inc.: By the NumbersCustomer Base80 percent utility10 percent industrial10 percent commercial

185,000Number of square feet at its Michigan headquarters, which includes office and warehouse space, where the company directs and oversees its local and national telecommuni-cations-infrastructure projects.

20 – 40Number of employees at its headquarters on any given day.

200Number of crew employ-ees in the field, servicing outside-plant projects for Kent Power’s clients across the country.

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Koyo_Energy_International_ad_half_page_horizontal_05.pdf 1 12/4/09 9:40 AM

Wazee Companies | 2020 West Barberry Place | Denver, CO 80204(800) 299-8658 | (303) 623-8658 LOCAL | (303) 623-2097 FAX

www.wazeeco.com

(800) 299-8658 | (303) 623-8658 | www.wazeeco.com

For the past 85 years Wazee Electric Company, under Colorado State Electrical license #21, has served the Rocky Mountain Region. Our area of focus is industrial work. Primarily, electric motor service and repair focusing on larger motors, up to 20,000 hp.

Wazee Crane, started in 1961, manufactures overhead bridge cranes and has a dedicated team of crane technicians who are leaders in repairing overhead crane motors and controls.

In 2007, Wazee Wind was launched to meet the growing demand for on-site wind generator repairs and maintenance.



wazEE COMPaNiES, llCServing the heavy-industrial market with cross-trained technicians and diversified project management

by christopher cussat

at a GLance

location:denver, co employees:55sales growth in last year:15%+web site:wazeeco.com

no matter how successful a company is, it could not exist without the people who comprise it. Per-haps that fact is no more evident than at Wazee Companies, LLC, where those behind the company’s success are part of a long-standing tradition of family values and friendship.

Wazee Electric (Wazee’s first entity) was founded in 1921 as an electrical contractor. Wazee president Trevor Arm-strong notes, “Our primary scope at that time was to work on basically anything and everything electrical—including residential, commercial, and industrial.” During the World War II era, Armstrong’s grandfather purchased the compa-

ny and it immediately began to branch out and expand its offerings, working on welders and motors as well. “That point in time is really when I think we became more of an industrial-type company verses a general contractor for electrical,” Armstrong adds.

Today, Wazee mitigates challenges in both renewable and traditional forms of energy for their clients—heavy-indus-trial players that the company classifies as utility, aerospace, and large-scale manufacturing entities.

There are actually three subsidiaries that comprise the parent company. Wazee Electric (WE) is still an electrical contractor for the industrial arena, doing highly special-ized electrical work. This includes motor controls, motor rewinding and repair, and any sort of custom generators. Wazee Wind (WW) does up-tower repair of generators and electrical components, as well as equipment-hoist inspection and repair. Finally, Wazee Crane (WC) manu-factures and services overhead traveling-bridge cranes.

According to Chris Donahue, Wazee’s field-service and wind-division manager, WW has the potential to be the fastest-growing division in the company. “We definitely see the wind division as probably our biggest mover in the next 5-to-10-year span,” says Donahue, who believes that the federal administration’s push for renewable energy has helped propel this growth. Wazee was able to effectively utilize its experience from its long history and inject itself into the renewable-energy arena at full force. “We just took our expertise from the work we’ve been doing for 85-plus years with motors and generators on the ground, and applied it to the specific niche of doing similar up-tower work,” Donahue says.

Wazee approaches innovation through a network of knowl-edge sharing with established partnerships is its industry. The North American Wind Service Alliance (NAWSA) is a membership group that is comprised of 10 privately owned companies that are broken down by region and spread throughout North America. All of the companies meet regularly each quarter to bounce ideas back and forth. “By having that alliance, we’re able to do effective marketing, establish consistent industry approaches, and evolve our internal training to make sure we’re up to date on all the newest technology,” Donahue adds.

Donahue believes Wazee’s competitive edge comes from the company’s ability to draw expertise and skill sets from all three of its divisions. “For example,” he says, “if our wind group is doing up-tower work and a specific motor or generator needs servicing, we will assist in bringing the generator or motor down, transport it back to our motor shop, and then draw upon our capabilities to handle that motor’s rewind or reconditioning repair ourselves.” He adds that Wazee cross-trains all of its technicians, and that it productively utilizes its NAWSA partnerships. “Our NAWSA alliance also gives us a very competitive edge

Trevor Armstrong, president


wazee companies, llcwind: building & maintenance

because we’re able to draw upon the resources of our NAWSA partners,” Donahue says. “If we have a big project coming up, we’re able to borrow anywhere from 3 to 50 technicians from other NAWSA companies to handle it.”

Armstrong agrees, adding that Wazee is very vertically integrated. “If there’s an issue that comes up inside of the industrial realm that we serve, almost always, we can solve it internally.” Perhaps this efficient and adaptive structure

Wazee’s specialized electrical-repair work includes traditional motors (shown above) as well as wind turbines and wind-powered engines.

If there’s an issue that comes up inside of the industrial realm that we serve, almost always, we can solve it internally. —trevor armstrong, President

gives Wazee one of its most impressive attributes—a 48-hour response time. “Once we’re contacted, we can get to the site very quickly because all of our shops within the alliance are in a 10-hour-drive circle,” Armstrong says. “So if there’s an issue with a tower, we can be on-site within 48 hours anywhere in North America.”

Since both of their families owned electrical contracting companies, Armstrong and Donahue basically grew up in the field and started working in the electrical industry at early ages. When they later met in college, a natural connection was formed. This lasting friendship and strong business partnership has directly contributed to the con-tinuing success of Wazee.

These two friends plan to grow Wazee even further, sus-taining and advancing the company’s legacy of diversified energy and industrial offerings, renowned work, and family values. “I just want to continue to provide the same service and the same quality that we have for 88 years,” Armstrong says. EIQ



TgM wiNd SErviCES llCSuccess of aerial-utility platforms skyrocket in north america

by annie fischer

kevin darby, vice president of tgm wind ser-vices LCC, doesn’t know why the company he founded in 2009 with his father, Bud, is the first of its kind in the United States, but he does know this: it won’t be the last. According to Darby, TGM’s two aerial utility platforms—the tallest in North America, and shorter than only one other platform worldwide (in Finland)—are without a doubt the future industry standard for providing safe, ef-ficient service for wind turbines.

“We’re basically the guinea pig here,” Darby says, laugh-ing. “People are waiting to see how it turns out. I expect that even by the end of 2010, we’ll have some competition here in the United States.” Manufactured by Bronto Skylift, a global market leader in truck-mounted hydraulic platforms, the TGM models can access areas 296 feet, or 90 meters, above ground. When elevated, they can withstand winds of up to 28 miles per hour, and the platforms’ weight capacity for operators and materials reaches 1,000 pounds. TGM service technicians

can drive the device directly to a turbine, and with one-button automatic leveling of the outriggers, the aerials can be positioned, set up, and elevated in 10 minutes—a considerable advantage over competitors using traditional methods like cranes or repelling systems. Additionally, Darby points out, the nine-foot-wide self-contained plat-forms are equipped with integrated electricity, air-pressure, and water connections, so it’s never necessary to attach to the wind turbine, which offers owners relief from in-creased liability. “We can do everything from the basket,” he says. “It’s basically like a really big cherry picker—an extremely sophisticated, extremely safe cherry picker.”

Those services include blade and tower inspections; blade, tower, and nacelle cleaning; repairs and any work on the exterior part of the turbine; and tower painting and refurbishment. Phased array ultrasonic technology provides customers with accurate and detailed blade as-sessments, and findings are digitally documented via both images and text. The logistics division provides complete door-to-door service, and TGM is fully staffed with lead

at a GLance

location:abilene, txyear founded:2009employees:10specialty:cleaning, repair, and refurbishment of wind turbines

Maximum working height Maximum working outreach Safe working load

s 78 HLA 78m 34m 200/440 kg

S 90 HLA 90m 33m 200/440 kg

S 104 HLA 104m 33m 400/700kg

Strategic Partner for TGM Wind Services: Bronto Skylift The Bronto Skylift S 104 HLA is the highest truck-mounted aerial platform on the market. HLA stands for High Level Articulated and represents the ultimate in high-rise access. All Bronto Skylift HLA units have excellent maneuverability, making swift road transport possible while giving access to large cargo like wind generators.

Technical data of Bronto Skylift products


tgm wind services llcwind: building & maintenance

We recognized the need for a better, safer option in turbine service, and these aerials allow us to drive cost down and efficiency up. It only made sense to capitalize on the opportunity.

—Kevin Darby, cofounder & Vice President

pilot and escort-vehicle teams, completely equipped to provide proactive reliability.

With more than 75 years of experience in providing service to the US military and the North American oil industry, the owners understand better than most the need for efficiency. For them, entering the wind industry is a simple extension of that value. “We have one of the largest national wind-industry markets right in our backyard—more than 2,500 turbines within 70 miles,” Darby says of the company’s Cen-tral Texas home base in Abilene. “We recognized the need for a better, safer option in turbine service, and these aerials allow us to drive cost down and efficiency up,” he says. “It only made sense to capitalize on the opportunity.”

Following the initial capital investment, a relatively low overhead just makes it a volume game, and more aeri-als means more profit; TGM anticipates six by 2011, a growth projection of 200 percent. Considering the devices have been available in Europe for a number of years now (mainly as a rental option), TGM eventually wants to offer a leasing alternative, as well. As for international expan-sion, Darby fully expects the company to be operational in Canada by the end of 2010, and it’s also looking at offshore opportunities near the North Sea and the Irish Sea. “We’d like to implement there so we’ll be ready for offshore op-portunities here when they arise,” he says.

Another notable quality of TGM’s approach is its eco-friendly cleaning process. “It’s popular now to use power

TGM’s aerial-utility platforms can reach 296 feet above ground and can withstand winds of up to 28mph.

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washing, but that just dilutes the oil on the turbines, and there’s no way to manage the water flow when it hits ground,” Darby explains. “Instead, we use a mist—there’s no runoff, and if for some reason the chemicals make it to the ground, they neutralize within 27 days.” If scrubbing is required, TGM collects, transports, and disposes of any hazardous materials. “Since our equipment is rigged with a water line, we could use pressurized water if we needed to, but our mist provides more consistent service,” he says.

The main focus now for TGM is on growth. It currently employs 10, including the aerial technicians, a senior operations manager, an assistant operations manager, and administrative assistants who handle receivables. Each aerial unit will employ three to five operators, so Darby expects to hire 15–20 more employees by the end of the year. “We’ve got a lot of interested folks, and the faster we can get [the aerials] manufactured and across the pond, the better,” he says. “We’re ready to get to work.” EIQ

TMG’s aerial-lift system can be positioned and elevated in less than 10 minutes, allowing for a time-efficient turbine installation.

a message from talbert logistics

Talbert Logistics’ strategic alliance with TGM Wind Services has proven to be successful in North America. TGM utilizes a proactive approach toward services which has been beneficial to both of our companies.

tmg wind services llcwind: building & maintenance


Moodie Implement CompanyMontana’s #1 Supplier of Products & Service

Lewistown, MT 59457 406-538-5434

Havre, MT 59501 406-265-5518

Chester, MT 59522 406-759-5010

Great Falls, MT 59404 406-761-2005

Now your wind energy solutions provider and a proud

distributor of Endurance Windpower Products!

We Harvest the Windtm

Harvest the Wind Network is made up of qualified dealerships across North America with the ability to:

-Conduct professional site assessments-Put together investment pro forma for project

-Suggest the most elite and quality turbine-Coordinate certified installation crews

-Service and maintain your project-5-year service plans sold with turbines

-Warranty with all products-From 5kW - 2.1 MW, we have the turbine that’s best for your project

877.225.3570www.weharvestthewind.com

[email protected]

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EIQbleeds.pdf 1 1/11/10 12:17 PM



bTi wiNd ENErgy, llCIn the wake of tragedy, family-owned company redefines itself and its community as one of the greenest in the nation

by daniel casciato

on may 4, 2007, greensburg, kansas, was devastated by a powerful tornado that ripped the town apart. Along with other businesses, the tornado completely destroyed BTI Greensburg, a family-owned, fourth-gener-ation John Deere dealership.

In the aftermath, the small, southwest-Kansas town de-cided to rebuild itself as the greenest city in America. BTI Greensburg was inspired, and its president, Kelly Estes, and his brother, general manager Mike Estes, served as leaders in the town’s newfound initiative. Canadian-based Endurance Wind Power donated a wind turbine to BTI, to power its construction site and facility. Not only did the turbine power the site, but it became part of the 54 points that led to a LEED Platinum certification once the building was completed. This ultimately spearheaded the initiative to start BTI Wind Energy, LLC.

The Esteses joined forces with Endurance to function as its master distributor in North America for Endurance Wind Power turbines, and is now positioned as an indus-try leader in wind technology, sales, and service. Con-

tinuing its strong family tradition behind the company, Kelly recruited his daughter, Haley, to manage BTI Wind Energy’s business-development and marketing initiatives. In addition, Haley’s cousin, Brad, joined her to oversee the company’s wind operations. BTI also recruited some of the best experts in the industry, such as Andrew Trap-anese, who serves as the director of project development. As the company grows, it intends to add more experts as needed.

With Endurance’s help, as well as BTI’s local support, instal-lation crews, and overall quality service setting it apart from the competition, BTI has developed more than 200 distribu-tor locations across 44 US states and 7 Canadian provinces. To build on the traditions of the Midwest farming commu-nity, BTI trademarked the motto: We Harvest the Wind.

Its national network of dealers, known as the Harvest the Wind network, has specific accreditation including site-assessor certifications, investment-consultation certifica-tion, and a series of trainings from orientation to more advanced courses. These dealers include wind specialists We Harvest the Windtm

Harvest the Wind Network is made up of qualified dealerships across North America with the ability to:

-Conduct professional site assessments-Put together investment pro forma for project

-Suggest the most elite and quality turbine-Coordinate certified installation crews

-Service and maintain your project-5-year service plans sold with turbines

-Warranty with all products-From 5kW - 2.1 MW, we have the turbine that’s best for your project

877.225.3570www.weharvestthewind.com

[email protected]

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ur)

Annual Energy Production

Endurance Wind Power (s343)BTI Wind Energy functions as the master distributor throughout North America for Endurance Wind Power turbines. Below are specifics on one of BTI’s best-selling home wind-power systems.

Endurance Wind Turbine (S343)Configuration:

3 blades, horizontal axis

Rotor speed: 166 rpmWeight: 600 lbs

at a GLance

location:greensburg, ksfounded:2008employees:20 sales growth in the last year:50%


bti wind energy, llcwind: building & maintenance

Needed: Wind-Industry Standards for Small VenturesMoving forward, the greatest challenge BTI Wind Energy faces is that there are no current standards for small wind-industry manufacturers. Haley Estes always tells consumers before they purchase a turbine, even if it’s not with BTI, to do some research and have a company demonstrate its turbine’s power production, safety, and reliability. However, she’s hoping for a set of standards to be devel-oped soon to protect consumers.

“Reputable manufacturers like Endurance are establishing a Small Wind Certifi-cation Counsel to protect our industry,” she says. “In a year’s time, we expect to have a set of standards developed to protect the consumers so companies can’t lie about their power production.”

We believe we have a superior wind-energy product because of its high quality, as well as a life cycle and life span that’s longer than many competitors.

—Haley estes, Business Development

& Marketing Director

across the country have the same core values that we have, which is that the customer is number one and that we make sure we are taking care of them,” he says.

Each distributor organization is equipped to take all proj-ects from conception to completion and provide complete service support for the life of the turbine. Additionally, every turbine is sold with a five-year service plan and a five-year warranty. While building this business, the Estes family knew installation was also crucial to the turbine’s lifespan. The Harvest the Wind network dealers have Endurance-trained installation crews deployed to each project. These crews are insured, are bonded for large projects, have licensed electricians to complete the details, and adhere to the same mission of taking care of the cus-tomer first.

The final key differentiator that sets BTI apart is the turbine itself. “The product of Endurance is absolutely incredible,” Haley says. “Since we’re the exclusive dealership network for Endurance, we believe we have a superior wind-energy product because of its high quality, as well as a life cycle and life span that’s longer than many competitors.”

The future looks promising for BTI Wind Energy. Mike credits that to the shared values between BTI Wind Energy and the parent firm’s agriculture side. “Our grandfather and father built BTI on strong Midwest values and ethics,” he says. “We have a very high commitment to customer service and support. We placed huge emphasis on that. That’s why we’re excited to take what we learned on the agriculture side and transfer it to wind energy. It really comes together nicely because customers on the small wind area haven’t received a good support and service system. We’re out to change that model.” EIQ

who perform site assessments for customers to ensure that the wind turbine is properly installed and gets the most production possible.

“The wind specialists truly add value to the entire project by helping the customer understand the grants and incen-tives available to them, and by working with the utility company to complete interconnection, along with any other issues that may arise,” Haley says. “The wind special-ists can handle it all. They‘re not afraid to say no to a loca-tion if there’s not enough wind or if it doesn’t make sense for the customer.”

According to Mike, local support in the places the com-pany services is critical to the company’s success. There are two certified service technicians per territory, each manufacturer-trained by Endurance. Additionally, BTI and Endurance have partnered with local community colleges that conduct the training so the service technicians can earn college credit. “All of the dealers that we work with



rivEr vallEy TESTiNg COrP.three brothers break out on their own to embrace a service-minded business model

by cristina adams

at a GLance

location:neenah, wiemployees:20–35area of specialty:geotechnical exploration and consulting, and construction-materials quality management

twenty years ago, the three barker broth-ers, working in different but complementary industries, decided to go the entrepreneurial route and start their own company. Howard, the eldest, was a concrete expert, George worked in the construction industry, and Alex was a geotechnical engineer. So, naturally, the three got together and founded a construction-materials-quality management and geotechnical-consulting business, and they named it River Valley Testing Corp (RVT).

According to Alex Barker, president of RVT, the founders had grown tired of working for companies whose primary focus was limiting liability and hitting their internal bottom line, instead of the client’s success. “We believed that a bet-ter business model would be to listen to the client’s needs,” Barker says. “Then we could craft recommendations and a scope of service that balanced construction costs with the risk tolerance of the design and construction team.”It sounded like a good idea, so the brothers seized the

moment. That was in 1990. Since then, the company has grown at a steady pace, adding clients, projects, and em-ployees to its ever-growing pedigree. And although How-ard left RVT in 2000 to pursue other opportunities, the two remaining brothers, Alex and George, stayed to guide the company on its course to success.

So what exactly does it mean to offer construction-mate-rials-quality management? Plenty, if you’re a contractor or a design firm. As Alex Barker describes it, these services encompass a broad range of testing and quality assurance. On the most basic level, RVT will assure that the construc-tion materials meet a project’s required specifications. That can include testing the strength of the soil that a build-ing’s foundation will rest on, testing the actual foundation material, or testing a structure’s framework and strength. However, it also involves working with clients to identify and resolve a project’s potential blips or issues before they become serious problems. “We have found that addressing

RVT personnel confer between test samples of a wind-turbine base mat

concrete placement.

river valley testing corp.wind: building & maintenance

possible issues early on lowers the construction cost of a project,” Barker says.

In one building project, for example, the RVT team spot-ted plumbing lines that seemed to be in the wrong place and pointed it out to the contractor. As it turned out, even though plumbing wasn’t where it should have been, it was relatively easy to rework prior to construction. Had the mistake not been spotted, Barker estimates it would have cost thousands of dollars to rip up the floor post-construction, move the pipes and lines, and then repour the foundation.

On the geotechnical side, RVT gets the call before the foundation-design phase of construction to determine how to size a foundation to properly support a building. This bit of modern technology involves drilling deep into the ground and collecting soil samples. In addition, RVT engi-neers can offer input on construction-related issues, such as groundwater control and site preparation.

RVT’s strategic long-range plan called for significant growth and to lead the construction industry in building better-quality structures at a lower cost. This strategy was the catalyst for launching two new divisions: quality-man-agement services, focusing on quality management during the construction process, and RVT energy division, focus-ing on power-plant facilities and wind energy.

Until recently, the company’s scope has been largely re-gional; its engineers are licensed to work in eight states throughout the Midwest. However, over the past year, RVT has geared up its team to provide services at a variety of locations around the United States, as it bids on projects from Virginia to California.

More often than not, RVT is competing against larger na-tional firms in those bids. But Barker says that’s not a huge worry—RVT’s size is its great advantage. “We provide the knowledge and depth of service of the larger firms, but with the versatility and personalization of a smaller firm,” he says.

That’s probably why the company was tapped to work on the first phase of the Fowler Wind Farm in Indiana. At the time, it was the largest wind-farm construction project—222 turbines—in the country. The challenge was an ac-celerated construction schedule that required RVT to get its personnel to the project and start testing services on record short notice—within two weeks of being awarded the job. To ensure that its team would hit the ground run-ning, RVT sent an advance team to the site to nail down the details, hire and train extra field crew, and find accom-modations for its transplanted employees.

“We take pride in our responsiveness to clients,” Barker says. “So every day becomes a juggling act to move our person-nel from project to project, in the most efficient manner. It requires good communication to keep things flowing smoothly.” EIQ

We provide the knowledge and depth of service of the larger firms, but with the versatility and personalization of a smaller firm.

—alex Barker, cofounder & President


wind: building & maintenace

-4.000

-3.500

-3.000

-2.500

-2.000

-1.500

-1.000

-0.500

0.500

1.000

1.500

2.000

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0.545 1.573

0.831

1.641

-0.716

3.536

0.212-1.735

-2.169-3.662

vESPEr wiNdInnovation has created a forerunner in the wind-turbine-blade analysis market

by cristina adams

at a GLance

location:reston, va, and oak harbor, waemployees:6area of specialty:wind-turbine blade measurement, analysis, and quality control2009 revenue: $600,000 projected 2010 revenue:$2.5 million

how does it feel to be the only company in North America that offers certain kinds of services? Just ask Eric Lundberg. As president and cofounder of Vesper Wind, he knows exactly what it’s like to be standing on the edge of a field that, for now, is vast and empty—except for Vesper, which is currently the go-to company for wind-turbine-blade analysis, quality control, and inspection on the continent.

Wind-turbine technology is a highly specialized field; nar-rowing it down further to blade measurement, inspection, and analysis winnows out the competition and shrinks the field to the size of an urban container garden. And that’s a good thing for Vesper, which has steadily expanded both its revenues—from $600,000 in 2009 to a projected $2.5 million in 2010—and its list of clients since first opening for business in October 2008.

According to Lundberg, one of the secrets of Vesper’s suc-cess so far is the founders’ backgrounds in a broad range of industries. Lundberg has worked in aerospace, laser-based

automation, and even special effects for the motion-picture industry, while Vesper cofounder Michael Draszt racked up experience in metal fabrication and composites manufactur-ing, which included work on projects for NASA’s Space Shuttle program. “Large complex shapes are the norm in the aerospace industry,” Lundberg says. “As a result, we have been able to adapt aerospace techniques, and innovate com-pletely new techniques that meet the unique requirements of wind-turbine-blade production.”

In short, their collective experience, while impressive, has also allowed them an extraordinary perspective on how to approach and solve problems that are unique to wind-turbine blades. And that’s good for business.

The idea for Vesper came about when Lundberg and Draszt, who were both working on various pilot projects for GE Wind, recognized the need within the industry for expert, dependable inspection and quality control of wind-turbine blades. With encouragement from GE and industry suppli-ers, that need became their opportunity. “Our experience

Advanced AnalysisA key criteria of blade quality is conformance to the nominal aerodynamic and structural shape. Vesper has devel-oped the most advanced measurement and analysis process available for wind turbine molds and blades. Below, a map of surface shape deviation of a standard blade tip. The colors indicate the magnitude of deviation from the blade design specification in millimeters (mm).

vesper windwind: building &

maintenance

10.0009.000

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0.000

Max Thk: -5.3

Chord: +5.6

Chord: -1.3 Chord: -6.2Chord: -2.2

LE Rad: +1.7

LE Rad: -2.8

LE Rad: +4.6

LE Rad: +7.4

Max Thk: -7.1

Max Thk: -8.4 Max Thk:

-9.8

gave us insights into how we could accomplish the inspec-tions and ensure quality—insights that may not have been evident to others looking at the same issues,” Lundberg points out.

And there are no small issues when it comes to wind tur-bines. Consider first the financial outlay: Blades account for roughly one-third of the cost of a turbine. Never mind their size. The blades used for commercial power generation, for example, are huge, ranging in length from 30 meters (about 100 feet) to 62 meters (about 205 feet). Moreover, the design of the blade’s shape is what converts wind into mechanical power, which, in turn, generates electricity. If the blade shape differs from the design, the turbine will suffer from efficiency and production slowdowns—which means less electricity for customers and less revenue for the turbine owner.

Because of the blades’ large size, measuring their shape has, until now, been challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. Now, thanks to new techniques developed at Vesper, turbine owners can know that their blades are uniquely designed to achieve optimum performance once assembled as part of a turbine. It’s a niche that only Vesper has occupied so far, and its scope of customers testifies to the company’s unique position in the field. In fact, Vesper now works with the entire wind-turbine-blade supply chain, from tooling suppliers (which make the molds for blade production) and blade manufacturers to OEMs like GE.

“What sets us apart from other companies that provide metrology [measurement] and inspection services is our focus on wind-turbine blades,” Lundberg says. “They are a completely different animal; there is no other product manufactured in such a large quantity [tens of thousands per year] that are so large in size and complex in shape.”

About 70 percent of Vesper’s work is done on-site; the remaining 30 percent is devoted to research and develop-ment, with an eye on better production processes and blade designs. Naysayers notwithstanding, Lundberg be-lieves the future of the wind turbines is bright, and that the market is in for dramatic changes over the next decade.

As for Vesper’s own horizon, expansion is likely to happen sooner rather than later. In the next 18 months, the com-pany plans to expand its operations into Europe and South America, a move into Asia is set to follow in two years—not too bad for a company that’s not even two years old.

Despite Vesper’s success, Lundberg admits that the in-dustry as a whole has been hampered by a lack of available financing for equipment and normal business functions, thanks to the ailing economy. Even so, he views it as a short-term obstacle, and the future still looks long and promising. “We’re fortunate to be in a growth area of a growth business,” he says. EIQ

Calculated StatisticsVesper performs blade statistical analysis for all new designs. Above, an airfoil analysis of data showing multiple blade cross-sections is shown. The calculated ‘Maximum Thickness’ and ‘Leading Edge’ (LE) Radius (in millimeters) are being compared to the design specification. The color bar legend indicates the devia-tion from the blade-design specification in millimeters.

• MOST ADVANCED BLADE & PRODUCTION ANALYSIS

• TOOLING SETUP AND CERTIFICATION• inspection; plug/mold truing; certification of conformance

• BLADE ANALYSIS• shape/angle of attack; airfoil; leading edge

• IN-LINE PRODUCTION CONTROL • 15 min. blade inspection; statistical process control;

process capability indexing (Cp, Cpk)

KNOW YOUR BLADES& MAXIMIZE TURBINE PERFORMANCE

OPTIMIZING WINDTURBINE PERFORMANCEVESPERWIND.COM+1.703.232.1560

THE LEADER IN TURBINE BLADE ANALYSIS AND QUALITY CONTROL


speciality products

rOCky MOuNTaiN PEllET COMPaNy iNC.colorado-based company is following europe’s lead with energy derived from pine pellets

by cristina adams

at a GLance

location:walden, coyear founded:2007employees:50area of specialty:manufacture of super-premium pinewood pellets for home-heating-fuel market

john frink had been in the recycling indus-try for more than 20 years when he decided the time had come to start his own company. For many of those years, he worked in auto recycling, using and recycling various products from cars, such as antifreeze, batteries, steel, and oil. Then in 2007, Frink sold the company he then owned, and he found himself in the unlikely position of thinking about a career change.

Instead, he discovered that vast forests of lodgepole pine trees were dying across the state of Colorado, thanks to an infestation of mountain pine beetles. Nearly 1.5 million acres of dead and dying trees were left lying where they fell. That started him thinking, and he began researching how the unused resource could be utilized. He looked at turning the wood into fence posts, pickets, chips, and

other marketable wood products. But in the end, he settled on pellets, founding Rocky Mountain Pellet Com-pany Inc., for which he serves as president. “I saw such a large resource going to waste and starting thinking about what could be done with it,” Frink recalls. “Wood pellets seemed to be an industry with the greatest growth poten-tial and the best use of the resource.”

For those who are new to the concept, wood pellets are made from the wood, not the bark, of the tree and can be used for various functions. But their main use is as home-heating fuel in pellet stoves and central-heating furnaces. They’re made by compressing wood fiber—in the case of Rocky Mountain Pellet, from the dead pine trees—with the right amount of moisture. They are, as Frink points out, one of the most environmentally friendly sources of energy, as

Rocky Mountain Pellet’s plant in Colorado is able to store inventory before processing, ensuring a high-quailty product.

rocky mountain pellet company inc.speciality products

Anna Ryan: [email protected]

all natural products that become condensed wood pellets burn cleaner and hotter than regular wood chips. What’s more, while many pellet makers use sawdust and ground wood chips to make their product, Rocky Mountain Pellet uses no by-products in its pellets. According to Frink, many pellet mills are located near sawmills; as a result, by-products from those mills are often mixed in with the wood used to make the pellets. Not so at Rocky Mountain Pellet—its pellets are all natural, all wood. “We wanted to be independent of sawmills and other mills,” Frink says.

“The key to our success is quality and consistency.”

Once the logs are chipped, the wood is dried and fed through various mills at the company’s 20,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Walden, Colorado. Following the cooling process, the pellets are then loaded into 40-pound bags and shipped to locations as far away as Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Kansas. For now, Rocky Mountain Pel-let counts retailers and wholesalers among its customers, including national chains like ACE Hardware and Suther-land’s, as well as Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI), the company’s largest distributor. Through UFPI’s market-ing and sales staff, the Rock Mountain Pellet’s product is sold to lumber locations around the country and to big-box stores and smaller retailers. That kind of exposure both helps to grow Rocky Moun-tain Pellet’s business and to raise awareness around the country of the advantages of using wood pellets. As Frink points out, European countries have already discovered the advantages of wood pellets. “The Europeans have done a good job of diversifying their home-heating-fuel industry,” Frink says. “The United States is playing catch-up, and we’re helping to lead that charge.”

Not surprisingly, the spike in oil and natural-gas prices over the past several years has helped spur interest, both commercially and residentially, in wood pellets. They’re less expensive, they burn efficiently because of their low humidity content, and, thanks to their compact size, they’re both easy to transport over long distance and easy to store. “Products like these will break our cycle of de-pendence on foreign oil and provide us with a more inde-pendent alternative for home-heating fuel,” Frink says.

The company is also looking at ways to market and sell the by-product created by the bark of the pine trees. As the bark is fed through a chipper, it creates a by-product that Frink believes could be used for horse bedding or land-scape material. It’s just a question of which product will sell better. In addition, Rocky Mountain Pellet plans on eventually breaking into the industrial market. While the company’s current focus is on residential use of its pellets, industrial use could prove both popular and profitable.

“We’re just now learning about how pellets can be used in an industrial setting, which they already do in Europe,” Frink says. “As that market segment grows, we’ll be there to help supply industrial pellets.” EIQ

Super Premium Qualification ResultsBulk Density 40-46% 44.70%Fines <0.5% 0.16%Ash 0-0.5% 0.35%Moisture </=6% 3.99%BTU/lb 8421

How Rocky Mountain’s Pellets Perform

We’re just now learning about how pellets can be used in an industrial setting, which they already do in Europe. As that market segment grows, we’ll be there to help supply industrial pellets.

—John Frink, Founder & President


speciality products

w. O. grubb CraNE rENTal, iNC.a tradition of excellence in crane-lift services accross north america

by erica archer

at a GLance

location:richmond, vaemployees:260area of specialty:crane rental, steel erection, and rigging

w. o. grubb crane rental, inc. has been com-bining strong family ties with a national reach ever since the 1960s, when it was founded by Willie Grubb, father of current president Bill Grubb. Back then, a customer asked if Willie had a boom to fit a cable backhoe. Willie said yes—then rushed home to build one. Forty-seven years and five branches later, the family spirit of hard work and innovation remains strong, says Michelle Grubb, W. O. Grubb’s sales and marketing manager. “We’ve been fortunate to have so many people who’ve been here for 25 years or more, many tracing back to when my grandfather ran the business.”

W. O. Grubb primarily serves the Mid-Atlantic region and the Northeast, with many clients in the heavy industrial

and energy sectors. But during the wind-farm construction boom of the past few years, the company took its cranes as far as Texas and Iowa.

Transporting the cranes required for wind-tower erec-tion and maintenance is not a simple operation, but W. O. Grubb brings almost 50 years of experience to the job. Some of the larger cranes require between 20 and 30 truckloads of components, and many of these cranes require other cranes to assist in their assembly. A crane’s transport logistics becomes more complicated with each state that it passes through, because of the differing transport regulations and permitting. “It’s a huge logisti-cal undertaking to be able to get the required permits

Twelve of W. O. Grubb’s cranes working on an emissions upgrade at a power

plant in Virginia.


w. o. grubb crane rental, inc.speciality products

A close-up of a wind jib at-tached to a W. O. Grubb 1600 crawler crane, allowing for an easier and more cost-effective erection of wind turbines.

20 – 30Number of truck-

loads of componets required for the con-

struction of some larger cranes.

w. o. grubb crane rental, inc.speciality products

ATLANTIC CAPITAL COMPANIES INC.CRANE, HEAVY EQUIPMENT

& FINANCE SPECIALIST

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WWW.ACC-CAPITAL.COM

Atlantic Captial Companies, Inc.10429 Success Street, Ashland, VA 23005Phone: 804-798-8840 • Fax: 804-798-9505

Email: [email protected]

ATLANTIC CAPITAL COMPANIES INC.10429 Success Street, Ashland, VA 23005Phone: 804-798-8840 • Fax: 804-798-9505

Email: [email protected]

ATLANTIC CAPITAL COMPANIES INC.CRANE, HEAVY EQUIPMENT

& FINANCE SPECIALIST

CRANES ARE OUR SPECIALTY

FINANCING OPTIONS TO FIT YOUR NEEDSIMPORT / EXPORT TRADE WORLD WIDE

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New Tadano Mantis Crane dealer forVirginia, Maryland, D.C. & Delaware

from each state and local governmental agency,” says Jim Price, W. O. Grubb’s vice president of operations. “Even though all of the cranes are broken down into smaller components, there are some very large parts that need to be transported, each requiring specialized permits that have long lead times.”

Despite the intricacy of crane transport, the demand for wind-farm-capable equipment like lattice-boom crawl-ers makes the trip cost effective for both company and customer. “The further you go with one of these big cranes, the higher the cost to the customer, because the transportation into a particular wind site is a big portion of the cost of crane service,” says Price. “Transporting all the parts and pieces to the site and putting them together is a major task and requires careful coordination to ac-complish it efficiently.”

The company’s service to the wind market and other cus-tomer segments has helped propel it over the competition. In 2009, W. O. Grubb was named the 17th largest North American crane-rental company by American Cranes & Transport magazine, up one rank from the 2008 list. During the construction downturn, the majority of W. O. Grubb’s business has been in the power market, major infrastruc-ture, and government-related work. Military bases in Maryland and Virginia also remain a reliable source of work. “There’s never been one dominant market segment in our business,” Michelle notes. “That’s part of being suc-cessful—being able to change and adapt with the economy and to our customer’s needs, because we provide service in a diversity of markets for many different companies.”

However, the market offers considerable challenges. “Dur-ing this time of economic uncertainty, construction com-panies are doing well if they can maintain their customer base and avoid digging a financial hole for themselves,” Price says. “For our planning purposes, we’re anticipating that it’s going to be the third or fourth quarter of next year before business begins picking up again.”

Michelle says the company is known for keeping its equip-ment up to date. During the wind-farm-building boom, the company began selling off some smaller, older truck cranes and investing more in larger cranes. With a wind-farm building drop-off, the larger cranes remain useful for power-industry construction. “You can always use a larger crane as a smaller crane if needed,” Price adds. “We could see the economy beginning to slide at the end of 2007, so we started to strategically sell off assets and reduce our costs. In retrospect, it was a good move.”

Amid the red-tape jungle of the Beltway, Price says that W. O. Grubb is responsive to rapidly changing regulations and certification requirements on its project sites. “We maintain an operation that can quickly respond to a cus-tomer’s needs,” Price says. “We need to constantly stay out in front of the ever-changing regulatory requirements so

that we can help our clients to be successful on any of their projects.”

W. O. Grubb’s edge is not only its adaptability, Price con-tinues, but its customer service. “W.O. Grubb has always been a customer-service-driven company; that’s the com-pany’s culture and philosophy,” he says. “I believe that’s the primary reason many of Grubb’s customers have been loyal to Grubb over the years. We sell efficient service and our customers depend on Grubb to help them to meet their budget and schedule project goals.” EIQ

We need to constantly stay out in front of the ever-changing regulatory requirements so that we can help our clients to be successful on any of their projects.

—Jim Price, Vice President of Operations



Mw iNduSTriES, iNC.Providing custom-built, american Petroleum Institute-certified rigs for quick repairs in extreme conditions

by erica archer

at a GLance

location:kenmare, ndemployees:40area of specialty:custom-built oil service rigscertifications:iso-9001; api

freezing weather, late-night calls, oil money on the line—there’s a lot riding on each of MW Indus-tries’s oil service rigs. The North Dakota firm builds the rigs to meet customers’ needs, as well as the vagaries of local regulations. “Our motto is ‘Quality and Performance, Better Than the Rest,’” says Tom Mau, vice president of operations. “We really pride ourselves on our workman-ship on our rigs.”

Founders Bob Mau, Greg Wiedmer, and Tom Mau opened the company in March 2006. Bob, president, brings more than 30 years of oil industry experience, while Tom, vice president of operations, comes from an extensive background of fabrication, welding, and manu-facturing oilfield equipment. In addition, Wiedmer, vice

president of sales, has worked for more than 15 years in rig design and operations.

Today, MW produces four series of service rigs—300, 400, 500, and 600 series. The entire unit is assembled at MW’s plant using Kimble Custom Chassis and CCC for chassis. Other parts such as the E-brake, clutches, and sprockets/chains are purchased from vendors. “The bigger the series [number of the MW rig], the deeper the well you can service—that pretty much sums it up,” Tom explains. “As the series graduate up, they have bigger drawworks, more horsepower, taller masts.”

The smallest unit, the 300 series guyless free rig, uses large swing-away outriggers for quick setup. The three larger rig

MW’s 500 Series is one of four first-class oil rigs used in the field.


mw industries, inc.speciality products

series all use guylines and are designed and built for bigger jobs and deeper holes. “Setup time for the 300 series guy-less free rig is minimal, as you can back it in, deploy the outriggers, and be working within a half an hour,” Tom says.

“Time is very critical and costly for oil companies.”

With years of experience in the industry, the founders understand the elements of a first-class oil rig. Tom lists the features that he believes are essential: “Our mast is wide for wind resistance,” he says. “We’ve got a heavy-duty carrier, and of course our drawworks is heavy-duty. We’ve incorporated a lot of safety features into our rigs… They’re fast-rigging-up rigs, and they’re fast-working rigs. We’ll work with [customers] and their state to make sure that the rig we’re manufacturing for them will meet all of the requirements of their state, and [any] states that they’re going to be working in.”

By obtaining professional ISO-9001 and API certifications, MW sets itself apart from the crowd. The company has obtained the following API certifications:

• 4F-9151 – Drilling and Well-Servicing Structures; • 7K-0170 – Drilling and Well-Servicing Equipment;• Q1-0506 – Specification for Quality Programs;• TS-0321 – Sector-specific Quality-Management Systems.

Certification processes can be time-consuming and paper-work-intensive, Tom says, but they can also bring a compa-ny to the next level of quality. By auditing paperwork and setting quality standards, professional certifications can create regularity and ensure consistency. “[The processes] really [do] bring a lot of structure within your company, and makes you make sure you’ve got all the documenta-tion in order and all your t’s crossed and i’s dotted, and that’s what you need to be when you’re in the manufactur-ing business,” Tom says.

Customers buy from all over the United States and Canada, and Tom says he’s not aware of any other rig builders in the northern United States. The company’s northern location also ensures that the rigs are designed for tough weather conditions. That sets MW’s products apart from those designed by companies in warmer climates. “We’re always dealing with the elements of really frigid weather, from 20 below [zero] to 100 degrees, so our equipment is suited to meet those needs,” Tom says. “We’re trying to make the best piece of equipment for an all-around climate.”

The company has turned around about 15 rigs a year; Tom Mau estimates the current production speed to be about four weeks per rig. “We’re not mass producing,” he says,

“but we definitely do know that we’re kicking out a product that’s totally hands-on and thoroughly gone through a qual-ity-control program and is superior to any other.” EIQ MW’s rigs feature a heavy-duty carrier and a wide mast for wind resistence.

We’re always dealing with the elements of really frigid weather, from 20 below [zero] to 100 degrees. So our equipment is suited to meet those needs.

—tom Mau, Vice President of Operations

a message from classy imports

Mohamed Jessa, president of Classy Imports, Inc. in Calgary, would like to take this opportunity to thank all Gas King owners for their patronage. We have competitive pricing on all our products. We service gas stations, car washes, and convenience shops. Do not forget to call us for all your shop supplies .

403-291-6661, [email protected]

gaS kiNg Oil CO. lTd.community-minded business culture creates customer loyalty

by erica archer

gas-station chain gas king oil co. ltd. in Alberta, Canada, doesn’t fight in the corner-to-corner price war. But that doesn’t mean that the company lacks competition. “Competition is pretty fierce,” says president Brent Morris. But Gas King sets itself apart with a trio of weapons—advertising, loyalty programs, and a history of community giving. And with the company’s market niche being community involvement, Gas King lives up to its motto: Fueling the Needs of Our Community. In Gas King’s local market, gas prices within one urban area are usually static, according to Morris. Price wars do exist, but on a smaller scale; location is key, as is brand image. To build the company’s brand, Gas King has print and radio ad presence—including its own Gas King radio jingle. “We’re definitely the largest independent south of Calgary,” Mor-ris says. “We’re not really even on the major [companies’] radar. We’re not a threat because we’re not that big.” Morris opened the Gas King chain in 1985 with his fa-ther, Don Morris. The chain built on Don Morris’ early holdings in the retail gas industry. In the early ’90s, the Morrises began adding convenience stores and car washes to their offerings. Don Morris passed away in 1992, leav-ing the business to his family; in 2000, Brent Morris took the helm. There are a total of six locations—two of the stations are full-service, two are self-service, and two are both. Most of the locations are fairly urban: Lethbridge’s population is 85,000, and Medicine Hat’s is 60,000. The Picture Butte station, though, is located in a smaller town. During oil booms, staffing can be a problem, but the eco-nomic downturn and oil’s slightly lower prices have been

Classy

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gas king oil co. ltd.speciality products

at a GLance

location:lethbridge, abemployees:100area of specialty:independent local gas-station chain

helpful in that area. “We couldn’t keep them because the oil patch was paying them so much,” Morris says. “But this year it’s been easier. The oil patch has slowed down.” One advantage of the gas station business is constant de-mand: Morris says that even during the highest oil prices, Gas King saw only the tiniest dip in sales. When gas rose above CND $1.40 per liter, he saw a “tiny bit” of a drop. “If gas prices go up, it maybe drops a little bit, but business is pretty steady for the most part,” he says. Gas King picks up its fuel from Alberta’s three major re-fineries. Independent gas stations negotiate the purchase of gas from major oil companies, which produce more gasoline than can be sold through their own network. In-dependent stations buy up their excess in transactions that are profitable for both sides. To bolster repeat business, Gas King recently added a customer-loyalty program. Administered by Idaho-based KickBack Loyalty Points, the program lets custom-ers earn points with each purchase that can be redeemed

for anything that Gas King sells.

But Gas King is perhaps best known for its charity and community support; however, the largest piece of Gas King’s image comes from the company’s donations to local charities and causes. The company has given mer-chandise and gift certificates to more than 50 organiza-tions during the past year. Events and causes as various as Operation Red Nose, Lethbridge Regional Hospi-tal’s Christmas Tree Festival, and Lethbridge College Spaghetti Western have all been beneficiaries. Even the local summer fair and rodeo has an entertainment stage bearing the name Gas King Stage.

“We don’t get a lot of tourists, but we do get a lot of local business,” Morris says, “and they see that we donate to var-ious organizations, including the Lethbridge Bulls baseball team and the Lethbridge Hurricanes hockey club, as well as the air show that comes to town.” Community-giving efforts like these have helped Gas King become successful despite the competitive nature of the industry. EIQ

We don’t get a lot of tourists, but we do get a lot of local business and they see that we donate to various organizations.

—Brent Morris, President


speciality products

bElTaNa TraNSPOrT llCMemphis-based company hits its stride in transporting oversize freight across the country

by cristina adams

at a GLance

location:memphis, tnemployees:22area of specialty:transportation and logistics for oversized freight2009 revenue: $3.25 million

few stories are as moving as those about the pursuit—and achievement—of the great American dream. That’s why the story of Andrew Oberle’s success, and the success of his company, Beltana Transport, is such an insiration. The Queensland, Australia, native first came to the United States in 1998, with the goal of driving trucks, earning a few dollars, and seeing various sights around the country at the same time. It turned out to be one of those defining experiences. Instead of touring and then heading home, Oberle decided to stay in the United States. So he put his affairs in order, packed his bags, and moved permanently in 2000.

Later that year, he purchased his first truck with money he’d earned driving for another company. His goal was to start his own business, but the time had to be right. “He wanted to work for himself, but it had to be the right op-portunity,” says Woodie Hood, Beltana’s operations man-ager, who joined the Beltana team in 2007. “It had to be a springboard for growth.”

Oberle didn’t have to wait long. By 2001, he had his first customer, a DVD-printing and -distribution warehouse, and was in business. Soon there was enough work to re-quire two trucks, and in 2003, the company was hauling medical supplies for a new customer on a dedicated run from Tennessee to Indiana to Pennsylvania. Then came another growth spurt and the purchase of six more trucks, and in 2004, Oberle opted to make Beltana a limited li-ability company.

From 2004 to 2007, Beltana’s fleet expanded to include 14 trucks and 30 trailers; and in 2006, the company began moving oversized freight, such as wind-turbine blades and towers, for wind-power customers like GE Wind.

Since then, it has seen growth on a fast track. These days, Beltana is a diversified, family-owned business that can take on pretty much any hauling job. With a home base in Memphis, the company covers virtually every aspect of transportation, except intermodal, moving freight throughout the lower 48 states in a variety of vehicles, from vans and flatbeds to double-drop RGN (removable goose neck) and eight-axle trailers. Hauling oversize freight has become an increasingly important—and prof-itable—aspect of the business; the company moves large equipment for a range of industries, including farming, aerospace, railroad, and wind energy.

One of Beltana’s most recent projects was hauling a Boeing 727 from North Carolina to Massachusettes for the filming of a new Hollywood film.

“Since we began hauling oversized freight in 2006, we have made it our main focus, and right now we are concentrat-ing on expanding our oversize operation,” Hood says. “It is constantly providing new challenges that most carriers are not able to meet.”

In addition to moving freight, Beltana acts as a middleman, offering storage services to some of its customers and then shipping it on to third parties as needed. As it happens, a few of those clients are international, mostly from Aus-tralia and New Zealand; they purchase equipment in the United States and then contract Beltana to pick it up and store it. Once there is enough equipment to fill a 40-foot shipping container, Beltana employees load the container and arrange for dock-to-dock transportation, which in-cludes clearing customs—no small feat. And companies looking for freight brokerage services need look no further than Beltana Logistics, LLC. Formed in 2008, this subsid-iary provides freight brokerage, storage, and distribution services for customers. And they’ve managed to keep it all in the family—it’s owned and run by the founder’s wife, Janice Oberle.

With a full-time office staff of four, a fleet of 25 trucks and 45 trailers, and 17 drivers, there are very few jobs Beltana can’t handle. And even though the recession has affected the transportation industry, along with everyone else, the company is weathering the storm. “We hope to see a change in the freight rates, as well as the amount of freight being shipped,” Hood says. “The old supply-and-demand standard never fails. There are more trucks out there right now than there is freight to be delivered.”

While the recession may temporarily slow Beltana’s explo-sive growth, it certainly won’t stop it. Even in these slow economic times, the company enjoys healthy returns. In 2008, for example, gross revenue came in at $2.4 million; projected revenue for 2009 is $3.25 million.

How does Beltana account for this increase, when so many businesses around the country are tightening their belts, slashing their rates, and handing out pink slips? In a phrase: quality of service. “Our ability to provide quality of service, especially in last-minute pinches, sets us apart from our competitors,” Hood points out. “When it’s 5:00 p.m. or midnight, and most companies are closed or booked, we can get the job done.” EIQ

Bill Signs Trucking quickly accommodateschallenges as an innovative leader in Heavy Equipment hauling throughout the U. S.BST’s field of expertise includes power plants, alternative energy, aerospace, marine,construction, mining, military and plantrelocation. For BST, complicated projectsrequiring advanced logistics are routine.

Lakeside CATo contact, or request a quote:Call Dispatch at: [email protected]@BILLSIGNSTRUCKING.COMTONYC@BILLSIGNSTRUCKING.COMwww.billsignstrucking.com

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speciality products

TraNSPOrTaTiON MaNagEMENT grOuP, llCarizona-based heavy-haul service provider moves forward despite setbacks

by annie fischer

at a GLance

location:rillito, azfounded:2005area of specialty:oversized and overweight freight movements in us, mexico, and canada2008 sales:$7.2 million

steve rawlins frequently received calls from people he’d never met, asking for freight references. He didn’t pay much attention—just handed off the appropri-ate information and went back to work. Then he recog-nized the situation for what it was: an opportunity to de-velop his own business and to more effectively utilize his skills and contacts. Rawlins decided it was time to secure his future. “I wasn’t getting any younger,” he says.

Shortly after receiving the papers for for his new com-pany Steven J. Rawlins, Inc., the founder got a call from a former employer at Sunland Construction, asking if Rawlins knew anyone who could handle the transport of 200 loads of natural-gas pipe from Utah to Arizona. He submitted some rates for review, and then he went about figuring out how he could actually make it happen. Raw-lins consulted Carl Harrison of Harrison Trucking, and together they came up with the necessary trucks, trailers, and drivers, should Sunland decide to proceed. The call came in; Rawlins was in business.

Less than a year later, that business expanded. Fed up

with the way freight brokers treated the heavy-haul trans-port industry, Rawlins elected to lead by example. “I’d seen firsthand how they took advantage of carriers and drivers—like pieces of meat to be used and abused at their whim,” he says. “I knew I could build better relations.”

He also suspected the project might be too big for one person to tackle, so Rawlins went back to Harrison and his brother, Drew. Together, in 2005, they founded Transportation Management Group, LLC (TMG), a full-service heavy-haul transportation provider, specializing in oversized and overweight freight movements through the United States, Canada, and Mexico. TMG’s reach extends to manufacturing, construction, and energy industries, in-cluding pipeline and utility companies. It’s also positioned to enter the field of wind development, and one of the projects slated for 2010 includes the transport of wind-tower flanges.

The company recognizes that time management is the key to success in the heavy-haul industry, and it strives to im-plement the most advanced technological tools, including

TMG transports a Bradley Tank for the Department of Defense.


transportation management group, llcspeciality products

high-speed internet and computer systems, as well as soft-ware that increases efficiency in dispatch, databases, and accounting. Additionally, TMG is dedicated to instilling a sense of personal authority for those on the payroll. “All of our employees are expected to be creative in the develop-ment of their positions,” Rawlins says. “This gives them the room they need to expand their horizons, and promotes both personal and business successes.”

Of course, word of mouth doesn’t hurt. Rawlins estimates that nearly 35 percent of his business comes from refer-rals. For these efforts, TMG saw immediate results—the company’s success exploded. From 2005 to 2006, sales increased from $237,000 to $716,000; in 2007, those numbers climbed to $1.5 million; and 2008 brought more than 400-percent growth, with sales reaching $7.2 million.

Then the economy bottomed out. “When the downturn hit, we had four offices and 18 employees,” Rawlins says.

“We were projecting sales of $18 million for 2009, then lost more than $1.2 million for January alone.”

The economic climate isn’t the industry’s only challenge, though. Others, according to Rawlins, include:

credit terms“We see that the receivables department is extending out what used to be 30-day net pay to 45 and even 60 days,” Rawlins says. “More and more, we pay our carriers prior to receiving payment for services rendered from some of our customers.”

competition TMG has a unique niche in the market, but the competi-tion for providing logistics services is greater than in the past—meaning more rate requests, but also more concerned clients. “It’s a double-edged sword,” Rawlins explains. “Shipping costs can and will break deals.”

lowered ratesMany companies now operate in negative cash deficits and must lower prices to ensure cash flow. This drives down freight rates, which forces many specialized carriers to either park their equipment or close the doors entirely.

state agencies“We also notice that states continue to increase operating costs of the transportation industry, including permitting, in order to subsidize their budget shortfalls,” Rawlins says.

“Yet they continue to offer less service, shortening hours or shutting down permit offices on various days.”

TMG has now scaled back to two offices and a handful of employees, but Rawlins and his partners remain un-deterred. “Our position is simply to continue to expand and acquire,” Rawlins says. “We anticipate sales in 2010 between $7 million and $12 million. The future of this company is dedicated to growth.” EIQ

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➎

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Flat and step-deck trailers➊ Spread axle flat➋ Three-axle stretch flat➌ Spread axle step deck➍ Three-axle step deck➎ Three-axle double drop➏ Three-axle stretch

double drop

RGN, Lowboy trailers➊ Eight-axle step deck

configuration➋ Eight-axle heavy

step deck configuration➌ 10-axle heavy step deck

with two-axle jeep con-figuration

➍ 200 ton trunion axle configuration

➎ Eight-axle RGN➏ Seven-axle RGN➐ Eight-axle RGN

Bunk and dolly, Multi-axle RGN, Lowboy trailers➊ 19-axle carrier

configuration➋ 11-axle configuration➌ 12-axle configuration➍ 12-axle configuration➎ 13-axle configuration➏ 13-axle configuration➐ 12-axle configuration➑ 13-axle configuration

Product Specifications from TMGTransportation Management Group is a full-service heavy-haul transporta-tion provider that specializes in oversized and overweight freight movements throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Below are specifics on the types of trailers that TMG has available to industrial clients.


speciality products

PigEON MOuNTaiN iNduSTriESSafety-rope developer allows customers to reach new heights in tower installation and maintenance

by daniel casciato

at a GLance

location:lafayette, gafounded:1976employees:38area of specialty:life-safety-rope and -equipment manufacturing and distributing

in 1976, pigeon mountain industries (pmi), a life-safety-rope and -equipment manufacturer and distribu-tor, was just a small company founded by and comprised of three “cavers” and one rope machine. As cavers, the three were avid rope users. As a result, they needed a good rope for ascending and descending during caving adventures. But back in those days, good ropes were hard to find. Un-satisfied with their options, the trio started making their own rope for themselves and their friends. The found-ers maintained regular jobs to help support their caving habits and their interest in rope manufacturing. They also remained active as cavers and as rescuers, and the business grew primarily through word of mouth.

After an accident in New York City, during which some firefighters perished when the rope they were using parted, PMI was named in an industry white paper as an example of preferred life-safety rope. Awareness of the difference between “commodity rope” and “life-safety rope” suddenly skyrocketed, and PMI sales followed suit. Now, millions of meters of rope later, its customer base not only includes caving and rescue but utilities workers, riggers, rope access technicians, and other life-safety applications.

“PMI leads the work and rescue markets in industry aware-ness, knowledge of product use, and familiarity with ap-plicable standards and regulatory requirements,” says Loui McCurley, vice president of the company. “Several key PMI employees are actively engaged in the markets that PMI serves, including rescue, rope access, work at height, climbing, and caving, and these employees help to provide a bridge to those markets.”

PMI maintains a close relationship with other industry pro-fessionals, and closely monitors regulatory issues through close participation with standards organizations and indus-try associations. PMI is also a member of several standards-setting organizations, including the American National

Standards Institute, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the National Fire Protection Association, and the International Organization for Standardization. “We support and participate in industry organizations, includ-ing the Cordage Institute, American Society of Safety Engineers, and Mountain Rescue Association,” McCurley adds. “We even helped found the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians in our efforts to promote safety in work at height.”

Through the distribution side of its business, PMI supplies retailers and trainers with a broad range of high-angle safety equipment. The equipment it offers is used to keep workers safe while working at height, and for high-angle rescue. It also produces life-safety ropes in its factory in LaFayette, Georgia, where it also manufactures various other products.

Early on, PMI partnered with SMC, a US manufacturer of high-quality carabiners, descenders, and other hard-ware for life-safety applications. This proved to be an ex-cellent choice, and PMI and SMC remain partners today. PMI was also responsible for first importing the products of a French company, Petzl, into the United States.

Vice president Loui McCurley climbs a wind turbine using PMI’s safety rope.

This relationship lasted a dozen years or so, but in 1999, PMI and Petzl went their separate ways. This, too, proved to be a positive move for PMI, as it permitted the company to focus on the quickly developing regulatory requirements in the United States during a time when European stan-dards were heading in a very different direction.

“One of the greatest challenges in the world of life-safety equipment is the influx of low-price competition from offshore suppliers whose products do not always comply with appropriate US standards and regulatory require-ments,” McCurley says. “PMI is a US manufacturer with an ISO 9001 quality-assurance program. We buy the highest-quality materials from the most reliable sources, and have maintained consistency with these suppliers for many years as we continue to pursue quality as a priority. That said, we are committed to excellence in both product and service, and intend to maintain our emphasis on quality in both.”

PMI also has an educational arm, Vertical Rescue Solutions (VRS), which specializes in helping customers preplan for worker rescue, and in preparing both workers and profes-sional rescuers in simple, effective methods for post-fall rescue. VRS specializes in courses for safety and rescue solutions offered by PMI, including tower safety, personal escape, and rescue after a fall. VRS works closely with OSHA Region 8 Training Center in providing instruction for its wind-turbine-safety courses.

McCurley says that the key to PMI’s long-term success is continued involvement and support of its retail dealer network. “We’ll continue to bring all our resources to bear to prioritize the development of strong, positive relation-ships with our dealers by providing resources, information, and tools to enable their success,” she says. “We’ll strive to accommodate the needs of both workers and rescuers at height, with sensitivity to their unique needs in terms of both safety and compliance.” EIQ

PMI leads the work and rescue markets in industry awareness, knowledge of product use, and familiarity with applicable standards and regulatory requirements.

—Loui Mccurley, Vice President

For 18 years we have representedmost of the major manufacturers of equipment for work at height and technical rescue.

From our centrally located facility in Northwest Arkansas, our goal is to provide customers with the most reliable equipment, professional training, and knowledgeable andpersonal service to assist them in meeting their specific needs.

Toll Free: (888) 677-2213Fax: (479) 925-7702Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

14531 E. Hwy 12 - Rogers, AR 72756

Right Training Right Equipment Right Response!


global scope

aggrEkO PlCGlobal giant offers temporary utilities and round-the-clock service

by erica archer

at a GLance

headquarters:houston, tx and glasgow, ukemployees:3,500area of specialty:temporary utilities for power and temperature controlannual revenue:$1.8 billion

founded in the netherlands in 1962, and now headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, Aggreko plc is the global leader in temporary power, temperature control, and oil-free compressed air. The company, which achieved £950 million (about $1.8 billion) in revenue globally and $380 million in the North American market during 2008, operates in 31 countries on six continents. With more than $2 billion invested in its fleet, Aggreko offers rental power generators, mobile air-conditioning and heating units, oil-free air compressors, and other temperature-control equipment to industries of all kinds.

Despite providing power for high-profile events like na-tional football championships, the Olympic Games, and

major golf championships, the vast majority of the com-pany’s business comes from industry. Aggreko often works hand-in-hand with utility companies during both planned and unplanned outages. For instance, during power short-ages in the early 2000s, Aggreko provided backup power generation for New York City and temporary utility ser-vices to the California market.

“Not only do we provide technical experts who work with our customers for planned outages, we also provide 24/7 response nationwide,” explains Joe Janney, Aggreko business development manager for North America. “Our business model is set up to help people who require quick deployments of power and temperature control.”

Aggreko generators provide pre-commissioning power as turbines near completion.

aggreko plcglobal scope

In the nuclear industry, Aggreko Process Services (APS) deploys process engineers to work closely with nuclear-plant personnel. Past applications include drywell cool-ing and maintaining the temperature of the spent-fuel pool during facility maintenance, as well as oil-free compressed air to generate positive air pressure in the container vessel during ILRT reviews. “APS solutions are compliant documented and include safety-critical applica-tions,” Janney notes.

In addition, Aggreko Cooling Tower Services (ACTS) of-fers large-scale temporary cooling towers for use in utility plants. Although these facilities are often cooled by natural

water bodies, government agencies may restrict their abili-ty to use this water during droughts. When water levels are low, the heat dissipating from the facility can cause a larger rise in water temperature, negatively affecting aquatic life. If facilities are restricted on water use, Aggreko can provide a system that cools the plant’s discharge water and returns the cool water to the plant intake, reducing or eliminating dependency on natural water bodies. As an example of Aggreko’s large cooling capability, the company recently provided and installed a 267,000-gallon-per-minute cooling-tower package in 17 days.

Over the past three years, Aggreko has expanded its ef-forts within the wind-energy sector of the power market. The company considers itself a “life-cycle partner” for all phases of wind-farm construction, commissioning, and maintenance. “The wind industry is interesting because it really does have a life cycle to it,” Janney says. “Aggreko starts [offering services] literally from the moment it’s breaking ground, and we continue working with our wind-farm clients during operation and maintenance.”

During site setup, Aggreko provides power to the tem-porary trailers and other equipment until local utilities are able to provide power. Wind-farm groundbreaking and cement pouring usually takes place early in the year so that towers can be built and pre-commissioned during the warm seasons. Because cement requires specific tem-peratures to cure, Aggreko provides concrete-pad heating and electricity to cement blankets. If towers are erected during the early part of the year, cables can become brittle and snap; in these cases, Aggreko will provide heat to the towers while crews position the wires. When towers are erected in the summertime, Aggreko provides temporary air-conditioning to cool the towers for workers, which allows customers to meet OSHA requirements for safe working environments during extreme summer heat.

Aggreko’s wind-farm pre-commissioning and commission-ing services have both seen an explosion in interest due to changing tax regulations. During the pre-commissioning phase, Aggreko temporary power is often employed. If a wind farm does not have transmission-grid power, Ag-greko provides the field generators and mobile transform-ers at a range of voltages to test the turbine equipment.

Aggreko starts [offering services] literally from the moment they’re breaking ground, and we continue working with our wind-farm clients during operation and maintenance.

—Joe Janney, Business Development Manager for north america


Because European wind-power technology runs at 690 volts, American wind farms that use European equipment must use transformers and small generators, which can be provided by Aggreko, to match the voltage output.

Developers often waited for utility-power connections to commission farms, but the TARP stimulus package and Production Tax Credit (PTC) have created a boom in Aggreko’s commissioning services. Under the TARP plan, developers that start farms before the end of 2010 can choose a 30-percent immediate cash payout or multiyear write-offs provided by the PTC. Once the towers have been certified as operating to specifications—even if they are not connected to a grid for distribution—the farm’s owners can apply for the TARP check or PTC credit. The financial incentives justify the hurry, Janney says. “[Consid-er] the interest [income] on, say, a $30 million TARP pay-ment on a $100 million wind farm,” he says. “If you miss a day, a week, a month, there is a clear effect. You’re losing money. So it is a cost-effective operation now to have Ag-greko to provide the equipment and technical services to commission their wind farm.”

Aggreko has also collaborated with wind-farm developers and manufacturers to develop a way to absorb the enormous energy load of the turbines and the capacitance of turbine cabling. The solution involves load banks, but other details are proprietary. “Aggreko’s technical specialists have formu-lated many applications that prove we truly understand how these wind farms operate, and we’ve provided solutions to our customers that are highly successful,” Janney says.After deployment, Aggreko continues to provide services throughout the 25-year average lifespan of a wind farm. The company offers temperature- and environmental-con-trol packages when blade or tower maintenance, repair, or remediation is required. Repairs to fiberglass blades re-

CLIENT PROFILEThe following shows the monthly-average number of clients served at Central Boston Elder Services, Inc.

Financial HighlightsThe following shows Aggreko’s revenue growth over the past five years. (In millions of dollars)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09

8,0006,218

2005

Half yearFull year

103146

195250

307

581

257

332

426

2006 2007 2008 2009

Aggreko generators and heaters increase the tem-perature within a turbine blade, creating the condi-

tions required to internally remediate the blade.

a message from baldwin filters

Baldwin Filters offers heavy-duty lube, air, fuel, coolant, hydraulic, and transmission filters. Baldwin provides a full line of filtration products for over-the-road commercial vehicles, off-road construction, mining, and logging equipment, as well as industrial, agricultural, automotive, and marine applications. Baldwin Filters’ application coverage is strengthened by the ability to consistently manufacture filters designed to meet or exceed the quality, performance, and sup-ply requirements of original equipment and aftermarket customers.

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Extra-heavy-duty Guard Dog Cable Protectors work perfectly with Aggreko Power Generators to protect valuable electrical cables from damage while providing a method of safe crossing for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Hinged lid allows easy access to cables. Protectors fit multiple cable sizes and are easy to set up, disassemble, and store. www.cableprotector.com

quire heat of 180 degrees Fahrenheit to cure, and Aggreko offers temperature control, plus or minus five degrees, for an eight-hour post-cure remediation; this method allows simultaneous repairs to multiple blades on a tower hub.

“You need a company that can understand the customer’s process, not just drop off equipment,” Janney says.

Although providing power to such a wide variety of indus-tries is challenging, Aggreko feels that it rises above the com-petition in the market. “Aggreko has a strong track record with the utility industry,” Janney says, “and it will continue to provide innovative solutions to our customers’ temporary power- and temperature-control challenges.” EIQ


global scope

rud ChaiN, iNC. Iowa manufacturer makes great strides in the wind-power industry

by adolfo pesquera

at a GLance

location:hiawatha, iaemployees:31area of specialty:rings, chains, and other heavy-duty rigging gear

rud chain, inc., a north american distributor of lifting and lashing hardware, could claim to be at the forefront of heavy lifting when alternative-energy advocates look around for allies to promote non-carbon solutions. A subsidiary of Germany-based RUD Ketten, which was founded in 1875, RUD Chain is synonymous with high-quality steel chains for hoisting and secur-ing, tire protection, and snow and off-road applications. Thriving for 30 years, it now showcases 500 worldwide patents.

Greg Luerkens, managing director of operations in North America, relocated the company two and a half years ago from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to nearby Hiawatha. The new facility houses hundreds of specialty items in the RUD product line for distributors across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. And while wind-energy applications were not RUD’s forte when it began competing in the United States against domestic rigging and lifting-product producers, it certainly has become something they pursue.

“Wind-related sales are not a major part of a business, but

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rud chain, inc. global scope

that segment is growing, and finding new markets plays into our business strategy” Luerkens says.

RUD Chain’s location could have a factor in that. Iowa is emerging as a major center for developing wind-power technologies. According to the Iowa Wind Energy Associa-tion, there are a number of crane companies specializing in wind-tower erection, along with 47 wind farms located in the state that operate more than 1,100 wind turbines. All this activity is good news for companies like RUD.

RUD sells its product through a few select distribu-tors, who then sell to buyers that put the products to use in any number of industries. “The total penetration that RUD Chain has had into the wind-power market is impossible to estimate,” Luerkens says. But Randy Rule, branch manager for Williams Fasteners & Supply (one of RUD’s distributors) in Cedar Rapids, can measure the company’s impact. “We’ve been dealing with RUD Chain for three years now,” Rule says. “We’re up to $6.5 mil-lion annually in wind sales now.”

One reason for this could be RUD’s exceptional products. High-quality load rings—the primary RUD product found in the wind-energy industry—are relied upon to lift or secure heavy equipment of all kinds. They have three uses in the wind-power industry: lifting heavy components during manufacturing; lashing heavy components for trans-port; and lifting and stabilizing heavy components during construction.

To Luerkens, RUD has distinguished itself from US competitors through its dedication to testing and docu-menting the durability and safety of its products. “Our products all have verifiable load ratings,” he says. “A lot of companies say that, but they don’t have the engineering reports to back it up.”

Also distinguishing the company is its safe and proficient handling of its 20-ton wind towers. “Many truckers pre-fer RUD Chain gear for lashing cargo, because if one of the drivers is pulled over by law-enforcement for routine inspections, they do not have to worry about any issues with their lashing products,” Rule says. “This is because RUD products meet and exceed the requirements. Once the officer sees they are using RUD, they don’t even bother them.”

Luerkens emphasizes that “safety is critical when handling the wind towers weighing 20 tons. And they are getting bigger,” he says. “The industry has been around awhile, but at the same time it is evolving. The bigger the tower is, the more productive. So there’s a real drive to make these towers bigger. Where that will end, I don’t know.” And lift-ing the loads is no easy task, either. “It’s not just a matter of latching on the chains and hoisting,” Luerkens continues.

“Consideration has to be given to the angle of lift—the number of points from which you are lifting.”

The company also benefits from its parent company’s experience in the German wind-energy industry. RUD is working with the German American Chamber of Com-merce, and is pursuing a strategy of developing relation-ships with gearbox- and turbine-component manufacturers, steel fabricators, tower transporters, safety engineers, erectors, and tower manufacturers.

As a quickly emerging energy industry, wind power has a long way to go toward maturity. Consequently, many of RUD’s distributors are only beginning to look at their wind-power-compatible products to open new markets. F.D. Lake Machinery Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is another RUD distributor. Mike Posey, its president and general manager, says that for decades its customers have been tool and die shops supplying components to the automotive industry. And with the auto industry’s decline, Posey is looking for new markets. “We are trying to de-velop additional markets, wind power being one of them; RUD has got some interesting products,” he says. “As we’ve gotten more involved in their full line, it has been beneficial in opening some doors.” And as RUD continues to develop and expand its wind-power services worldwide, it seems only natural that more and more distributors will feel the same way. EIQ

National Industrial Supply CompanyBest Practices for Wind Farm Construction; Focus Rigging

NIS has a full line of rigging equipment in stock for installation of wind turbines, including; lashing points, shackles, lifting lugs, wire rope slings, roller blocks, spreader beams, alloy chain slings, high performance round slings (less than 1% stretch under load), tag line cord, fall protection equipment and rescue equipment.

www.nischain.com | 248-588-1828 ext: 1028

a special message from nis

NIS has been distributing RUD prod-ucts for more than 15 years and is proud to include RUD’s line of lashing points in “Best Practices for Wind Farm Construction; Focus Rigging.” As NIS becomes a market leader in supplying rigging equipment to the wind-farm construction industry, RUD’s years of experience in the European wind in-dustry will continue to provide a global perspective and technical advantage. For more information call (248) 588-1828, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.nischain.com.


turnkeyservices

advaNCEd TOrquE PrOduCTS, llCVeteran-owned manufacturer finds success in the military marketplace

by cristina adams

at a GLance

location:kensington, ctemployees:7area of specialty:design and manufacture of small- and large-scale torque wrenches,

when george castle founded castle technologies, there was no doubt he was aiming for success. But he couldn’t have predicted that his company’s products would one day become mainstays at US military bases around the world. Or that industry giants like Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, and Sikorsky Aircraft would rank among his best customers. In little more than 20 years, the company, now known as Advanced Torque Prod-ucts (ATP), has grown from one patented product—a hy-draulic torque wrench—to become a leader in the design and manufacture of torque wrenches, calibration systems, and torque-measuring devices.

“Basically, if something needs to be put together, no matter how large or small the application, one of our wrenches can do the job quickly, easily, and accurately,” says Dan Castle, ATP’s manager of sales and marketing and son of the founder.

ATP designs and manufactures a unique line of torque wrenches, with capacities ranging from 10 inch-pounds to 40,000 foot-pounds—and everything in between. That includes very small wrenches, known as click-outs, as well as large-scale complex wrenches, or torque multipliers, used to tighten rotor nuts on helicopters. But while many

An ATP employee services an Engel Machine using ATP’s 25000 digital torque wrench, which has a final torque of 2,200 ft./lbs.


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companies produce torque wrenches and hydraulic torque systems, ATP’s products are set apart from the competi-tion thanks to its emphasis on weight and accuracy.

On average, ATP’s wrenches are about two-thirds lighter than, and twice as accurate as, the competition. Because the company’s wrenches employ a Wheatstone Bridge and are direct drive, using what’s called a sun-gear ap-proach, they retain their accuracy in extreme tempera-tures, both hot and cold. Moreover, digital controls pro-vide accuracy and repeatability that is virtually second to none. Thanks to the latest technologies, the complete product line has software-interfacing capabilities and is also interchangeable with a variety of tooling, making it the most adaptable product out there. And that makes ATP’s customers happy, which, as Castle points out, is really the bottom line. “We continuously serve our cus-tomers by developing concepts and products to solve their problems,” says Castle, who joined the family business in 2008.

It also means that while wrenches are the company’s bread and butter, ATP also provides a complete line of precision-calibration systems and torque-measuring devices. These verify the accuracy of a torque wrench, which is critical as they need to be calibrated on a regular basis. ATP, for ex-ample, requires that its wrenches be calibrated once a year.

In addition, ATP designs and manufactures products to suit a customer’s specific needs, whether it’s a custom fit or a retrofit. That can mean fabricating metal or plastic parts for miscellaneous applications, or parts that can refit the company’s own wrenches for any application. According to Castle, many of the torque applications that ATP services are unique; as a result, the company devel-ops adaptive tooling to suit specific applications, often at a customer’s request.

“To date, there hasn’t been an application that we haven’t been able to adapt our wrenches to,” Castle says. “We pride ourselves on a quick response time to our customers’ needs, and we go out of our way to help them with any problem they might have.”

a message from ccm

CMM congratulates ATP in its success. When it comes to helping ATP meet the deadlines for delivery, it turns to CMM for machining and CNC. CMM is a medical quality contract manufacturer that pro-duces parts and components in accordance with strict quality system requirements. From general assemble to Class 10,000 Clean Room assembly, packaging, inspection, and testing capabilities, as well as warehousing, CMM is equipped to handle all of your needs. The end result is that CMM customers receive the highest-quality products, manufactured in a quality-driven environment.

With that kind of flexibility, it’s no surprise that ATP’s biggest market is the aerospace industry and, within that, the US Army. In 2005, the Army discovered that ATP’s wrenches addressed some safety issues in its torqu-ing systems; it was the beginning of a beautiful business friendship. Since then, three ATP wrenches and one engine kit have received a National Stock Number, a number as-signed by the federal government to every piece of equip-ment and material that it uses or buys—and one more wrench is awaiting final approval.

But a coveted spot in the US Army’s toolbox isn’t the only thing ATP has to boast about. Not only are its torque prod-ucts lighter and more accurate than your average wrench, they’re also better for the environment because they aren’t hydraulic. Most wrench manufacturers sell hydraulic wrenches, which are powered by oil, and their systems re-quire tubes and pumps to run properly. By contrast, Castle points out, ATP’s wrenches are all mechanical multipliers that don’t require any oil, and their digital controls run on rechargeable batteries.

Impressive and steady growth amid the global economic downturn is another feather in ATP’s cap. In 2007 and 2008, the company grew at an annual rate of 20–25 per-cent, and management predicts similar growth in 2009.

“We are constantly refining our processes and procedures, and looking to stay ahead of the competition,” Castle says, explaining ATP’s continued success. “And we insist on going the extra mile to achieve total customer satisfaction and customer success.” EIQ

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turnkey services

TaNkTEk ENvirONMENTal SErviCES lTd.Ontario-based environmental-service provider adapts to its surroundings

by annie fischer

at a GLance

location:pickering, onfounded:1999employees:5 area of specialty:environmental site assessments, precision leak detection, and storage-tank removals

according to thomas burt, president and CEO of Ontario-based TankTek Environmental Services Ltd., environmental engineering is increasingly recognized as a value-added service rather than a regulatory burden. This market shift opens the gates for a surge of enterpris-ing service providers; this surge in turn calls for distinc-tion among current providers’ approaches. For TankTek, though, the distinction is already established: a simple, effective combination of big-business professionalism and small-business client care.

Founded by Burt in 1999, TankTek initially focused on precision leak testing for underground storage tanks (USTs)—any tank located all or partially underground, designed to store gasoline, petroleum products, or chemi-cal solutions—but widened its scope soon thereafter. Ten years later, TankTek employs five full-time technical and field-staff employees, and Burt puts gross revenue over the past two years between $750,000 and $850,000. Cur-rently, the company offers the following suite of services throughout the greater Toronto and Ontario areas:

environmental site assessments: TankTek han-dles Phases I, II, III, and IV of regulated site assessments, to both identify and remediate actual and potential sources of soil and water contamination, in the most cost-effective manner possible. “The remediation methods we imple-ment can result in significant savings for our clients,” says Burt, who specifically points to in-situ remediation, a less disruptive method that seeks to treat contamination with-out excavating the soil.

precision leak detection: The need for early leak detection in USTs and the lines connected to them is crucial in minimizing environmental impact and clean-up costs; left unchecked, the volume of leaked product and the subse-quent expenses both escalate rapidly. TankTek’s testing oper-ations include the application of a slight vacuum to the UST, which is monitored in three different ways for maximum sensitivity. “We’ve witnessed an increasing number of clients addressing environmental concerns as they are discovered—and not postponing the inevitable,” Burt explains.

storage tank removals: If a leak is detected, Tank-Tek removes the remaining product as soon as possible,

Tanktek removes a 3,500-gallon UST from a former gas station in Ontario.

then manages and monitors the repair or removal of the UST (and associated piping) to ensure proper handling and disposal. The company also manages the removal of above-ground storage tanks and abandoned USTs.

In the past, tank removals and remediation projects ac-counted for a significant portion of revenue, but since many single-wall steel tanks have been upgraded, this area is slowing. Instead, TankTek is redirecting its revenue ef-forts back toward precision leak detection—the need for which will likely increase due to recent legislation that requires more frequent testing. This diversification is a strength Burt wants potential clients to recognize.

“Although we’ve been in business for ten years, we still find it challenging to make our peers and potential clients aware of all of our services,” he explains. While TankTek doesn’t typically compete for projects with larger organi-zations, marketing its array of services to corporations for subcontracting work is more difficult, as those companies are often used to dealing with bigger names.

TankTek, though, considers its size as one of its greatest assets. It allows the company to maintain a sharp focus on customer service, providing detailed proposals and constant communication through all phases of the project. “When-ever possible, we offer various options to our clients and provide the information they require to make the optimum choice,” Burt says. “We strive to deliver all test certificates or reports on time, and our clients are immediately updat-

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ed with any foreseen delays.” The commitment pays off—Burt says the majority of TankTek’s projects come through referrals from past clients or subcontracting peers.

It also lends itself to a close-knit work environment, and staff members frequently meet up before or after work to play squash or work out. Flexibility of roles and signifi-cant training opportunities are also considerable benefits for the company’s employees, and Burt says they are encouraged to assume a level of responsibility with which they are comfortable.

Furthermore, the company’s size has proven advantageous amid the economic downturn. Whereas large firms with large overhead have laid off employees or instituted hiring freezes, TankTek has expanded staff numbers, as well as education and training. The company experienced a slight slowdown in business, with some clients postponing proj-ects until conditions improve, but Burt expects that Tank-Tek will be in an even stronger position than before when the economy picks up.

“We anticipate taking on larger projects, as well as continu-ing to build great working relations with other consultants and contractors,” Burt says. “Maintaining our level of cus-tomer service and reputation, we’ll focus on increasing our share of the market.” EIQ

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turnkey services

MEChaNiCal ENErgy SySTEMSSolar-system installers keep an eye on the future of the green-collar workforce

by erica archer

at a GLance

location:canton, miemployees:11 area of specialty:retailers, installers, trainers, and distributors of solar-energy systems

Specializing in high-efficiency energy solutions for retrofit and new-construction heating and lighting needs, Me-chanical Energy Systems (MES) is not only the headquar-ters for the distribution of solar-energy systems but it is also educating and training the next wave of green-collar specialists. Woman-owned and with more than 7,000 in-stallations under its belt, MES is indeed an innovative and forward-thinking company. The office building is an active solar-demonstration center. Everything MES promotes is used daily, proving that the practical application of solar energy works reliably in Michigan.

Thirty years ago, mass exodus from the solar industry oc-curred due to the OPEC dropping oil prices and the remov-al of federal rebates, forcing virtually every solar company in Michigan to close. Donna Napolitano, currently presi-dent of MES, and husband Joe, vice president of a Fortune 500 solar company and mechanical contractor, bought customer lists from defunct companies. Servicing those orphaned solar installations, they grew their business by providing solid, reliable, and quality service. Today, MES is moving toward building a large distribution and dealership network and expanding commercial applications through its eco1Energy Distributors affiliation.

Currently, Michigan imports almost all of its energy sources, Napolitano notes. The state imports 80 percent of its natural gas, 100 percent of its coal, and 97 percent of its petroleum, according to a September 2008 report by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth. Heating water is the second-highest residential cost, and solar hot water alone can reduce fossil-fuel water-heating costs by 75 percent annually in Michigan. Heating a pool with solar energy in the sum-mer is a no-brainer, removing 100 percent of seasonal heating costs for 15–25 years.

Natural daylighting is the mode of office and showroom illumination. Natural daylighting has long been docu-mented as essential to an improved work environment, performance, and employee health. MES is heated by solar space heating, supplying heated fresh-air exchange while the bathrooms have solar hot water. All these aid in providing a healthy-air work environment, free from tight-envelope syndrome and recycled impure air. Office equipment is backed by a solar-electric system. “We offer this as a demonstration area for customers to come in and see, touch, and feel what solar can do for them and see how it works in Michigan,” says Donna.

Hot water to your home

HeatSafe Solar Collectors

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Energy station• Digital temperature control and monitor• High-efficiency brazed-plate heat exchanger• Patented anti-fouling protection

A Complete Energy StationThe EnerWorks Spectrum Pre-Heat system, provided by Mechanical Energy Systems, uses solar energy to become the primary source of hot water in residential and small commercial applications. This system allows customers to gain nearly 40% of their home heating and hot water needs via solar en-ergy as an alternative to systems that use expensive pollution-creating fossil fuels.

“2009 has been an excellent year for MES, and 2010 is even more promising,” she says. The local electric utility, DTE Energy, is offering rebates and energy rate deals on solar-electric installation. Starting in March 2010, the state will be offering an efficiency rebate on solar water heaters. The state incentives, plus the federal 30-percent tax credit, make solar energy hard to resist. Solar hot water has not had the attention it deserves and is a great application, even in Michigan. MDOT and MES will be working on a feasibility study for solar hot-water systems for all rest areas throughout Michigan. Energy Works Michigan, a nonprofit organization promoting alternative energy and education, recently chose MES as the general contractor to

mechanical energy systemsturnkey services

Chelsea, MI 2.30 kW

Pigeon Falls, MI 10.35 kW

Chelsea, MI 2.30 kW

Oshkosh, WI 3.52 kW

Dalton, PA 34.50 kW

Jeffersonville, OH 6.78 kW

Indianlo, IA 8.43 kW

Hastings, MI 12.34 kW

Springfield, IL 6.78 kW

Woodville, WI 4.00 kW

Rosemount, MN 8.28 kW

Ames, IA 7.43 kW

Green Bay, WI 5.64 kW

Jonesville, MI 4.32 kW

Ely, MN 14.32 kW

Millstone, NJ 9.93 kW

Evansville, WI 20.17 kW

Rochester, MN 2.78 kW

Bangor, PA 3.76 kW

Canton, MI 8.28 kW

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our thanks to Mechanical

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install working photovoltaic and light wind-energy systems at 10 Southeast Michigan schools. Because of MES’ dedica-tion to alternative energy, it was selected to install a solar-electric system on the governor’s residency. “Education is the key,” Donna says. 75 percent of MES’ customers are repeat or referrals from past clients. In addition, by participating in the American Solar Energy Society’s annual National Solar Tour, MES dem-onstrates technologies for consumers and holds in-house seminars like “Finding Your Green Path,” which married green efficiency advocacy with budget consciousness. The company’s goal is to pass the years of experience for-ward and assist in creating green jobs. A new generation of companies whose growth will be based on proven and reliable energy-efficient products, and fully supported by the experience of eco1Energy Distributors, will bring a valuable resource of solar-energy jobs to Michigan and surrounding states. “Michigan needs to keep its revenue here to better support our economy, industry, and resi-dence,” Donna says. “Solar is that viable option.” EIQ

A system consisting of 36 photovoltaic panels can produce up to 8kW, fully powering a standard residential home like this one in Garden City, MI.


turnkey services

huNT, guillOT & aSSOCiaTES, llCLouisina-based engineering firm adapts to the current market environment

by cristina adams

at a GLance

headquarters:ruston, lafounded:1997employees:100 area of specialty:engineering consulting and project-management services

there aren’t many companies that keep a staff of multidisciplined engineers on the permanent payroll waiting for that next big capital project. For one thing, it’s expensive; for another, it would take time and plenty of legwork to hunt down engineers with the kind of knowledge and hands-on experience that, say, a biomass-power company might require. That’s where Hunt, Guillot & Associates, LLC (HGA) comes in.

Founded in 1997 by Trotter Hunt and Jay Guillot, this Louisiana-based firm offers engineering consulting and proj-ect-management services to a long list of major industries, including natural gas, pulp and paper, specialty chemicals, bioenergy, wood products, public works, and more. And with more than 100 engineers and project managers on staff, many of whom can boast more than 30 years’ experience in the field, HGA is clearly geared up to do business.

For the past few years, that business has come largely from the natural gas, bioenergy, and specialty-chemicals sectors, according to cofounder Trotter Hunt. “The bulk of our recent work has been in industrial capital projects, such as specialty-chemical plant design, biomass power

studies, and natural-gas storage facilities,” says Hunt, who joined his father at HGA in 2008, after working for four years in marketing and five years with other engi-neering firms.

It looks as though the natural-gas sector will likely remain a dominant source of revenue for the company, due to a recent natural-gas find near HGA’s headquarters in Ruston, Louisiana. On the flip side, however, the company doesn’t want to be pigeonholed or to rely too heavily on one mar-ket. “We don’t want our revenue to become dependent on one industry,” Hunt says. “So we’re continuing our business development efforts in all industries, but adjusted accord-ing to the current market environment.”

Thanks to the proliferation of forests in the area, HGA first made its name doing work for the wood-products and pulp-and-paper industries. The company then developed a base of expertise that was—and is—applicable to bio-energy and biofuels. Since then, HGA’s growth has been exponential, as it has gained a solid foothold in myriad industries and a reputation for quality work delivered on time and on budget.

HGA’s circular stacker is a proven method for fully auto-mated storage and reclaim of biomass fuel.

hunt guillot & associates, llcturnkey services

One recent project involved a study for a major utility in the Southeast, in which HGA evaluated six coal boilers at three different sites for possible conversion to wood biomass fuel. The study covered numerous elements and scenarios, from permitting implications and boiler modi-fication to fuel receiving and handling options. Deliver-ables included a conceptual engineering package, which featured the client’s best options, as well as capital cost estimates and identification of potential key issues.

“Our team now has proposals out to several other major utilities that are considering similar studies,” Hunt says.

“These studies help them understand their options in ad-vance of the pending federal renewable-energy legislation.”

Over the years, HGA has grown to more than 100 engi-neers and project managers, and its geographic reach has expanded, as well. To date, clients in more than 23 US states, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East have tapped HGA for its services. Even so, Hunt says, working in North America remains its principal focus.

Interestingly, HGA’s growth hasn’t been exclusive to in-dustry or geography. In 2004, the company formed a new subsidiary, HGA Staffing, to provide placement services for contract or direct-hire personnel. As Hunt tells it, this business came about as a result of client requests. Their cli-ents needed experts in this location or that one, and when the calls for help turned into a steady stream, HGA saw an opportunity—and seized it.

“Most of our placements are for a specific assignment that’s technical in nature, and we have a pool of resources we can tap into,” Hunt says. “This allows our customers to have a more flexible workforce.”

Looking ahead, HGA is doing well at a time when many other firms have folded. Revenue in 2009 was flat versus 2008, but projections for 2010 are vastly more optimistic, with a forecast for 20 percent growth. “We believe this is aggressive but achievable,” Hunt says. And judging from the firm’s list of accomplishments, achievement is what HGA is all about. EIQ

Services Provided:• Grassroots plant design and development• Reactor, distillation, and exchanger design• Utilities, pumping, and piping design• Intermediate storage and tank-farm design• Environmental controls and permit

applications• Assist with debottlenecking and trouble-

shooting• Process simulation (aspen, chemcad, hysys,

pro II, and more)• Six sigma/lean manufacturing• Equipment sizing and rating• System hydraulic evaluation• Utilities optimization and capacity evaluation

The bulk of our recent work has been in industrial capital projects, such as specialty-chemical plant design, biomass power plants, and natural-gas storage facilities.

—trotter Hunt, cofounder


turnkey services

ulTragEN, lTd.consulting engineers find a niche designing pressure vessels and piping networks for the enrgy industry

by daniel casciato

at a GLance

location:boucherville, qcindustries servedrefinery, petrochemical, and chemical annual sales:$14.5 million employees:116founded:1989

for steve surveyer, success has always been based on several fundamental principles that have served his company well since its founding in 1989: offering highly skilled engineering services with an eye towards low cost, client satisfaction, and speed of service. In order to fulfill such an exacting demand, his full-service engineer consulting firm, Ultragen Ltd., based in Boucherville, Québec, had to be highly selective in the hiring of its staff.

“The management of Ultragen wished to maintain its reputation within the industry, as the leader in technol-ogy, quality, and speed of services rendered,” Surveyer says.

“The founding partners share this common desire and goal, and base their management decisions with this in mind.”

Ultragen, which services eastern Canada and the United States, functions as a full-service EPCM consulting engi-neering firm, with expertise in the refinery, petrochemical, and chemical industries. It offers services in all engineer-ing disciplines: process, mechanical, piping, civil, structure, instrumentation, electric, project management, cost con-trol, estimation, planning, and construction supervision.

The company has always been managed with a long-term outlook in mind, according to Surveyer. This meant that the company was more orientated towards evergreen services rather than large projects. The capability to handle large projects came with time, as the inventory of evergreen clients grew and their demand of services multiplied. This allowed the hiring of sufficient staff to

Ultragen installed a new 27,000 USGPM cooling water tower within an existing plant for Greenfield Ethanol.


ultragen group ltd.turnkey services

handle major projects. The company’s recent success has moved from being centralized around its two founding partners to its surrounding staff. The group of highly skilled and motivated engineers has established such an excellent reputation within the industry that they have often been targeted for hiring of staff to fill vacant client plant positions.

Ultragen, Surveyer says, prides itself in the quality of its staff, and in the internal training provided them to enable continuous skill upgrading. “Ultragen has also established a reputation in the industry as a company that is able to deliver a project within tight schedule constraints, such as turnarounds or emergency shutdowns,” he says.

While growing his company from its original staff of four to more than 100 employees and annual revenues exceeding $14 million since 1989, Surveyer says the most valuable advice that he and his partners have received was the feedback from their very own staff. “We’ve been wise enough to listen to comments, suggestions, and concerns coming from our staff of engineers, designers, and admin-istrators,” he says. “These suggestions ranged from minor to major in nature. This remains an ongoing source of valu-able feedback and advice to the managing partners.” The results of this feedback include the implementation of a company pension plan, performance bonus plan, several administrative procedures, and the purchase of advanced software in various engineering fields.

Heading into a new decade, Surveyer has his eye focused on two main challenges in the long run. The first one is to keep the expertise and technical edge of its resources in

line with the evolving needs of the industry. The second one is to implement and maintain a structured business-development approach oriented to strategic markets around the world. “This second challenge has lead to the creation of Ultragen International, which is dedicated to international business development,” he says.

The energy industry is evolving for many reasons, accord-ing to Surveyer. For example, he says, there is the mate-rialization of new state-of-the-art technologies, emerging environmental laws, the shift in crude oil production and refining to other regions of the world, emerging technologies and markets for biofuels, waste-to-energy technologies, and the reduction of greenhouse emission.

“It is evident that engineers are key players in the future of the energy industry,” he says. “Their contribution will be deemed crucial on economical, environmental, and social development.”

Ultragen is eager to respond to these challenges by offer-ing its clients strong and reliable technical services. In the long run, this means staff training, knowledge manage-ment, and the commitment of the top management. “Fur-thermore, we believe that it is time for Ultragen to repeat its successful model abroad,” Surveyer says. “For the last 20 years, Ultragen was able to sustain a constant growth and to establish long-term partnerships with local partners. We are convinced that in order to maintain this growth, Ultragen has no choice but to reinforce its involvement in international projects. In this light, Ultragen International was created with the mission of developing long-term partnerships and business relationships with international clients and partners.” EIQ

Ultragen has also established a reputation in the industry as a company that is able to deliver a project within tight schedule constraints, such as turnarounds or emergency shutdowns.

—Steve Surveyer, Director & cofounder

This FCCU revamp of the internals of a reactor/regenerator is one of Ultragen’s most recent projects.

Sectors of activity Geographical distribution

5,000

2005

68 86 100 121 116

2006 2007 2008 2009

10,000

15,000

$20,000Revenue and Employee Growth

60%Quebec

55%Hydro-carbons

20%Lubricants

15%Biofuels

10%Other

25%Canada

15%Other

A Closer LookThe Ultragen Group func-tions as a full-service con-sulting engineering firm, with expertise in the refinery, petrochemical, and chemical industries. Below, a statistical snapshot of the company.

Source: Ultragen


turnkey services

dukE hiCkS PluMbiNg & PETrOlEuM, iNC.creating commercial fueling systems from the underground up

by daniel casciato

at a GLance

headquarters:chattanooga, tnfounded:1960employees:38area of specialty:installation of of commercial plumbing and fuel systems

at duke hicks plumbing & petroleum, inc., an emphasis is placed on quick project turnaround with ethi-cal, fair, and safe conduct. Specifications, codes, laws, and environmental standards are always adhered to at this Chattanooga, Tennessee-based commercial plumbing and fueling-systems installation firm.

“We guarantee our work and pride ourselves on quality installation and service,” says Michele Webb, vice president and wife of owner Michael Webb. “We listen to our cus-tomers and to our employees for improving our products and services. We have integrated quality software and tech-nology that allow us to readily track income and expenses on jobs and work orders.”

Additionally, the company has access to general contrac-tors, electricians, parts, and technicians 24 hours a day. As a result, it has a fast response time and job turnaround. Michele says that the company values its human resources and believes in taking care of them through employee benefits and an open door policy. “Our employees make the company,” she says. “If it wasn’t for them, there’d be no company. We respect them and listen to them, and we ex-pect of them to be conscientious and safe. There’s constant day-to-day communications and feedback with Michael and the employees, and with our primary vendors. We know that they make or break us, so we pay close attention to safety, and we try to recognize them and help them and their families as much as we can.” The company also offers

Complete Service ProvidersDuke Hicks is part of an integrated management group that includes First Choice Services and Fu-ture Era Construction. Together, the three compa-nies provide:

• Sales and service of petroleum equipment• Installation and service of commercial plumbing

and fueling systems• Start-up and training• Commercial electrical installation and service• General contracting


duke hicks plumbing & petroleum, incturnkey services

its employees ongoing training and safety programs that eliminate job-loss time, she adds.

Duke Hicks Plumbing & Petroleum was started by its namesake, Duke Hicks, in 1960. Back then, the company was called Duke Hicks Plumbing & Heating. Michael started working for Duke in 1978, and soon the company began work in the gasoline arena. In 1990, Michael pur-chased the company from Hicks and changed the name to Duke Hicks Plumbing & Petroleum, Inc. The company’s areas of specialty include:

• installation of commercial plumbing and fueling systems;• specialized blueprint development;• concrete;• canopies;• job-site preparation and cleanup;• environmental remediation;• remodels.

Michele describes the company as a turnkey opera-tion. “We can build a convenience store from the under-ground up,” she says. “Available to us are: general contract-ing, electrical, plumbing, service technicians, paving, and parts. We do not have a wait time if a job is evaluated by a plumber or technician and needs an electrician—we can have an electrician available as needed. Also, the company uses quality parts and installation techniques.” Michael is a leader in the industry, she adds. “He has contacts and authority in over a 2,000-mile radius. If you use us, the job will be done right and we warranty it.”

Duke Hicks is part of an integrated management group that includes First Choice Services and Future Era Con-struction. Together, the three companies provide sales and service of petroleum equipment, including instal-lation and service of commercial plumbing and fueling

systems, start-up and training, commercial electrical installation and service, and general contracting.

“Being a distributor of many well-known product lines helps us keep costs and service times down,” Michele says.

“The ability to integrate electrical contracting with our pe-troleum, plumbing, and service companies greatly reduces downtime and consolidates project management.”

Being active in their industry and even in their own com-munity is very important to the Webbs. The company is a member of the Petroleum Equipment Institute, a trade asso-ciation whose members manufacture, distribute, and service petroleum-marketing and liquid-handling equipment. Also, Michael is on the City Board of Appeals committee in Chat-tanooga, and was recently selected to be on the board of development for the Chattanooga State Community College Building and Construction Institution of the Southeast.

“He is one of the field liaisons helping to implement this new program,” Michele says. “Through this new program, students will be able to earn a trade degree, which can later expand into a construction-management degree through the University of Tennessee. Michael has been helping with the guidelines and with the curriculum.”

In helping her husband grow the company, three key learn-ing experiences have always stuck with Michele: provide quality products and service, be sure to use effective cost accounting, and listen to customers and employees. “We are thankful for the years of service and employment we have been able to provide,” Michele says. “We strive to keep all employees working and productive. In a down economy, it is important to bid, bid, and bid some more. We also are working on the best productivity we can achieve, and we are prayerful that we will be able to con-tinue offering the same in the future.” EIQ

We listen to our customers and to our employees for improving our products and services. We have integrated quality software and technology that allow us to readily track income and expenses on jobs and work orders. —Michele Webb, Vice President

By the Numbers

1990Year the firm was pur-chased by Michael Webb

3Number of integrated companies: Duke Hicks Plumbing & Petroleum, First Choice Services, and Future Era Electrical & Construction

2Number of offices: Head-quarters in Chattanooga, TN and an office in Knox-ville, TN

7Number of states in which the company operates: Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida


features

by erica archer

Why ship wind-farm equipment through the Port of Milwaukee? Port director Eric Reinelt can offer three reasons: location, infrastructure, and equipment. The port’s location, central to key Midwestern wind-farm sites, is a factor that no upgrades by the port’s competi-tors can beat.

Despite Port of Milwaukee’s geographical advantage, the competition for wind cargo is stiff in the nation’s transportation markets. Some wind-farm-component companies use ports in the Gulf of Mexico and truck the cargo up to the Mid-west. Great Lakes ports like Duluth and south Chicago vie for the cargo as well. In response, the Port of Milwaukee has been taking great strides to increase its wind-farm traffic.

The port has made numerous improvements to accommodate large loads like wind turbine blades. Betty Nowak, marketing manager, states, “In the last year and a half, there have been four considerable improvements, steps that we’ve taken for improving [our port] and attracting wind components: upgrading the infrastructure, improving interstate access, bringing in new equipment to handle [turbines] more cost effectively, and preparing more land for laydown area.”

Internal infrastructure is also undergoing a series of upgrades. Two railroads serve the Port of Milwaukee, with tracks running directly up to each dock, and rail improvements are planned. The port has set aside an additional 11 acres of laydown area for large cargo, like wind-turbine blades, and is widening and rein-forcing highway access ramps. “We have a half-million-dollar project this spring to improve the access ramps to our highway,” Reinelt says.

Ushering Wind energy into the midWest

port of milWaUkee


port of milwaukee features

Heavy HaulingThe Port of Milwaukee is

strategically positioned for the transportation of wind-farm

components for the entire Midwest. Below, turbines are directed to a developing wind

farm in Northern Illinois.

Working with the port in order to facilitate growth in the area’s wind-turbine-transportation market, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation improved Milwaukee County permitting requirements for trucking oversized loads. “We’ve worked really closely the past year and a half—the port and the City of Milwau-kee and the Department of Transportation—to allow these wind blades to get immediate access right at the port onto the interstate,” Nowak says.

Although the port’s equipment can already accommodate plenty of heavy cargo, the port’s stevedore company, Federal Marine Terminals (FMT), has added reach stackers for heavy lifting. “FMT has brought in very heavy machines that’ll expedite the loading and unloading of these wind components in various places for getting them on and off the trucks or moving them around the port,” Reinelt says.

the port of Milwaukee is diversifying its scope of busi-ness in order to focus on multiple alternative-energy markets. Those markets, including wind energy and

biodiesel, are currently broadening the port’s role as an inter-national shipping center. The Port of Milwaukee is a great fit for the alternative-energy sector, since these industries require access to a variety of transportation methods, ideally located all in one place. The port’s strength lies in the fact that it is con-nected to so many different modes of transportation. The port provides alternative-energy companies, like Innovation Fuels, access to rails and barges, highways and land-leasing space. Innovation Fuels is one of the first alternative-energy companies to em-brace the port, and utilize its strategic location and facility to grow its biofuel market.

Innovation Fuels, a New York-based renewable-energy company that manu-factures, markets, and dis-tributes second-generation biodiesel all over the world, has begun selling biodiesel directly to customers from its Mid-western renewable-fuels hub in the Port of Milwaukee terminal. The 312,000-barrel-capacity (45,000 metric tons) terminal, located on a total of ten acres, is the first in the country that is totally dedicated to the sale and distribution of renewable fuels. Originally built as Shell Oil’s Milwaukee headquarters in the 1950s, the Innovation Fuels terminal includes a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, executive offices, and a garage. John Fox, CEO of Innovation Fuels, comments, “The com-mencement of selling biodiesel via our Milwaukee terminal will significantly lower the cost of our biodiesel to customers in the Great Lakes, due to lower transportation charges. It is highly advantageous for us to be marketing Milwaukee-based biodiesel to customers in Milwaukee and greater Wisconsin, as well as to Chicago and the entire Midwestern region.”Innovation Fuels’ Milwaukee terminal features existing truck- and rail-loading infrastructure with excellent highway access and is served by two Class I railways, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Canadian Pacific Railroad. In addition, the Port of Milwaukee has international shipping access via the St. Lawrence Seaway and can receive river-barge cargo via the Mississippi. The facility also has a connection to the Westshore petroleum pipeline, which will be used to bring in diesel and gasoline to the terminal for blending with renewable fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol.

innovation fUels

John Fox, CEO of Innovation Fuels.

port of milwaukeefeatures

“ the big economic impact is with wind components, because they’re so specialized. they generate a lot of economic activity and a lot of impact from the job creation.”

—eric Reinelt, Director

The port handles approximately 850,000 metric tons of coal each year by vessel and then barges the coal up river to the WE Energies coal facility in downtown Milwaukee, saving emissions of more than 120 truck loads per day that would contribute to the downtown traffic.

Bulk transfer dock

South Pier 1

Heated warehouse

Heavy lift derrick

Cement silo

Grain elevator

Storage domes

Municipal mooring basin

KK River

South Pier 2

Innovation Fuels

interstate 794

highway 32

Liquid cargo pier (South Pier 5) Passenger

terminal

US Coast Guard

US Navy

Port administration building

Dry bulk storage domes

Public truck scales

Lake Michigan

highway 32

KEY

Liquid cargo pier and storageGrain elevatorTruck routeCity open docksIntermodal yardBulk handling and cargo storageCargo terminalsFuture developmentCoal dockTrain tracks

From 2003 to 2007, the Port of Milwaukee’s wind-farm-component traffic rose each year. The years 2006 and 2007 broke revenue records for the Port of Milwau-kee, and despite the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009, Milwaukee has taken a smaller economic hit than other ports, according to Reinelt. Typically, ports earn the bulk of their revenue through large, heavy shipments—wharfage fees are the dollar amount per ton of cargo paid by the shipper to use the port’s facilities. Since wind-farm equipment, particularly wind turbines, are large in size but weigh sig-nificantly less than traditional cargo, the Port of Milwaukee doesn’t want to attract wind-farm cargo merely for the revenue that the cargo’s tonnage generates.

“There’s not a lot of tonnage in wind projects, but it’s irrelevant because of the job creation,” Reinelt explains. “The big economic impact is with wind components, because they’re so specialized. They generate a lot of economic activity and a lot of impact from the job creation. Stevedores, longshoremen, truckers—just so many people are involved.” It is estimated that some 2000 jobs depend on the activity of the port, either directly or indirectly.

In addition to job creation, the port boosts the local and surrounding metro econ-omies by reducing transportation costs for millions of tons of cargo. For example,

a closer look at the port

For more information, contact:

Eric Reinelt, Port Director2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive

Milwaukee, WI 53207 USA 414-286-8130

Located just one hour north of Chicago on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, the Port of Milwaukee o� ers an operational � exibility unique to the western Great Lakes and inland waterway system. Our terminals are designed for the e� cient handling

of steel products, containers, general cargo, dry and liquid bulk, and heavy machinery including wind turbines, heavy lifts and

liquid products in our biodiesel facility and petroleum tanks. We also o� er intermodal connections to all Midwest cities, making the Port of Milwaukee the economic choice for routing all types of cargo, by ship or barge.

www.milwaukee.gov/port

RELIABILITYFMT RELIABLE FLEXIBLE TRADE is the Link

Your Link to World Trade

fmtcargo.com

Albany, NYBurns Harbor, INCleveland, OHEastport, MEHamilton, ONMilwaukee,WIPort Manatee, FLTampa, FLThorold, ON 704.714.4644

it would take 180 rail cars, or 692 trucks, to carry the load of just one standard cargo ship. That equates to about 200,680 fewer trucks on the road for each ship that comes through the Port of Milwaukee.

Recent discussions between the Board of Harbor Commissioners, the Mayor of Wisconsin Tom Barrett, and the Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce Richard Leinenkugel led to plans to coordinate a meeting between Wisconsin and other state departments. The meeting will present the Port of Milwaukee’s business-development ideas and legislation efforts that have helped attract more businesses to the state.

Since the Port of Milwaukee offers the most transportation options of any Midwestern port, including pipeline, barges, lake ships, ocean ships, two main railroads, and immediate freeway access, it offers businesses, both local and global, a way to expand their markets and export more goods from the Mid-west. “Milwaukee’s strategically located for many of the best areas in the Mid-west for wind,” Reinelt says, “so we have to make sure they think of us when they’re building these projects and bidding the transportation.” EIQ


sky-high solarMelbourne-based solar-energy visionaries Make headway in an effort to bring solar-tower technology to the us

enviromission features

after years of a solar-powered roller-coaster ride through miles of Austra-lian red tape, the end of the decade saw the US subsidiary of Melbourne-based EnviroMission Ltd. coming ever closer to a physical incarnation of its trademark solar-tower concept—one that the company, now headquartered

in Phoenix, has envisioned for nearly ten years.

EnviroMission’s solar-updraft tower combines three proven technologies: the chimney effect, the greenhouse effect, and the wind turbine. For its proposed project, a 200-megawatt tower in Arizona, as many as 2,400 acres of air (the “collector zone”) would be heated by the sun’s radiation and trapped in a greenhouse-like structure around the base of a tall chimney. Funneled skyward by the laws of physics (hot air rises), the current would create a steamy 35-mile-per-hour wind up the 2,000-foot-tall tower, driving 32 turbines. A generator would then convert that wind energy into electricity.

The company pinpoints three vital components of the tow-er’s structure for the success of its proposed technology:

• The canopy sources radiant heat, not sunshine, which is why solar-tower technology is designed to operate in all weather. The engineering focus here is on insulation; the canopy should lose as little heat as possible.

• The tower itself is the thermal engine of the plant. The updraft inside it, produced by the rising air, is essential for transforming heat into mechanical energy. Given the direct relationships among the column of air’s velocity, height, and strength, a high-capacity version should have the highest tower possible.

• The turbines transform the energy from the heat and pres-sure of the air into mechanical energy. The turbine rotors are the only moving part of the Solar Tower, and the process is passive, requiring no outside energy input to start or maintain it.

The solar-tower concept promises a new form of clean, green energy—at a price competitive with fossil fuels.

By Annie Fischer


enviromissionfeatures

According to press materials, a single 200-megawatt power station could produce enough energy to power more than 100,000 typical American households. Wa-ter isn’t required at any stage of the generation process, which would abate approximately 528 million gallons of desert water per year. Furthermore, EnviroMission claims these developments could function for decades—without producing any carbon emissions and at a price competitive with fossil fuels.

With such a cost-effective and environmentally friendly profile, why has a full-scale solar-updraft tower not been completed? Essentially, it’s a matter of cost. The initial investment in a solar-updraft-tower plant is much higher than for traditional fossil-fueled power plants. However, the long-term operating costs for solar-up-draft-tower plants are considerably lower, because there are zero long-term fuel costs. “Renewables are great; sustainability is great,” CEO Roger Davey told the Phoe-nix Business Journal in November 2009. “But you can’t do that if it’s too expensive.” The initial investment must be recovered and interest must be paid, but the technology is undoubtedly cheaper than fossil fuels when combined with low interest rates and long amortization periods.

Such cost-efficient technology was tested with a small-scale pilot plant in Manzanares, Spain, for seven years between 1982 and 1989, and its 660-foot-tall tower consistently generated 50 kilowatts of green energy. According to En-viroMission, that plant not only proved the concept works, it also provided data for design modifications that would allow for greater commercial and economic benefits.

View from within the solar-updraft tower-prototype collector. The tower can be seen through the col-lector glazing in the background.

Aerial view of the solar-updraft-tower prototype in Manzanares, spain.

Fast-forward more than ten years, to 2001, when En-viroMission began development with a search for the best possible site for the world’s first solar-tower power station. In Australia—the country has vast areas of solar-radiation levels, geological stability, and low land costs— a site was selected at Buronga in the southwest corner of New South Wales, on a former wheat and cattle station known in the district as Tapio Station. Following years of disappointing setbacks in funding and legislation, the company eventually shifted its focus to the Southwest region of the United States.

“EnviroMission acknowledges shareholder concern about the lead time to ‘breaking ground,’” Davey admitted in last year’s chairman’s address. He pointed to a failure of gov-ernment support or incentives in Australia and asked that those issues not be confused with the company’s potential.

“The speed of EnviroMission’s progress in the US reflects the quality of the Australian development model,” he added.

In May 2009, the US subsidiary commenced operations, entitling EnviroMission to incentives available exclusively to national corporations. Additionally, the establishment of the Phoenix headquarters provides financial and re-source efficiencies from localized business operations.

Two months later, EnviroMission announced that it filed two land applications in Arizona, each for 5,500 acres that would meet the site-development requirements for a single 200-megawatt solar-tower power station. The Ari-zona land sites were identified as ideal for solar-tower de-velopment following due-diligence studies that took into


enviromission features

Ground functions as natural thermal storage

Collector entry: Cool ambient air enters the collector.

Solar radiation

Sola

r rad

iatio

n

1 The air is heated by solar radiation under a translucent roof.

2

The energy contained in the updraft is converted into mechanical energy by pressure-staged turbines at the base of the tower and into electrical energy by conventional generators.

Hot air rises up the tower. As a result, suction from the tower draws in more hot air from the collector, and cold air comes in from the outer perimeter.

3

4

account critical criteria, including cultural, archaeologi-cal, and environmental surveys. “I’ve personally walked both sites in Arizona, and they tick all the boxes for solar tower power-station-development needs,” Davey said in press materials. “The land is flat, the weather is ideally and consistently hot, and both sites are in close proximity to transmission infrastructure.”

Then, in September 2009, as part of an ongoing program to acquire renewable-energy sources, the Southern Cali-fornia Public Power Authority (SCPPA) approved the solar-tower developments planned for Arizona—at that time, the only solar proposal to qualify from more than 100 submissions. (The project is now one of approximate-ly 15 contracts in various stages of approval, including multiple renewable technologies such as wind, geother-mal, and biomass; additionally, SCPPA has since entered discussions with three other solar-photovoltaic projects, according to SCPPA Energy Systems Manager David Walden.) SCPPA brings together 12 municipal utilities in the Southern California region, and collectively the companies serve about two million households, repre-

senting about 4.8 million people. According to Walden, EnviroMission’s 200-megawatt tower would deliver ap-proximately 850,000 megawatt-hours annually.

SCPPA is now finalizing the contract negotiations with EnviroMission on behalf of its members. The next step is a series of resolutions that define proposed accounting structures; following these, each participating city takes the project to its respective board for approval. Once that’s done, SCPPA can move to process the contract.

“There are also a sequence of events to be completed by the developer, including site control and access, various environmental compliance reports, and some final design details required prior to the next steps in the SCPPA paperwork sequence,” Walden adds.

The same day EnviroMission announced its contract with SCPPA, financial-services and investment-banking cor-poration Raymond James and Associates, Inc. released an Energy Industry Brief lauding the benefits of solar-tower technology. Authored by Pavel Molchanov, named one of Forbes magazine’s Best Brokerage Analysts in 2009, the

A proVen TechnologyThe solar-updraft tower combines three technologies for energy generation: the chimney effect, the greenhouse ef-fect, and the wind turbine. Below is a breakdown of typical air flow through the system, which takes warm air from the greenhouse-like structure at its base up through the tower. The tower converts the heat flow produced by the collector into kinetic energy (convection current) and potential ener-gy (pressure drop at the turbine), and the density difference of the air caused by the temperature rise in the collector works as a driving force. The energy contained in the up-draft is then converted into mechanical energy by pressure-staged turbines at the base of the tower and into electrical energy by conventional generators.

“ the speed of enviroMission’s progress in the us reflects the quality of the australian developMent Model.” – roger davey, ceo


enviromissionfeatures

EnviroMission’s Web site cites civil and structural en-gineer Jörg Schlaich, a founding partner of Schlaich Bergermann and Partner (SBP), as the designer for its proposed solar-chimney technology. (Stuttgart-based SBP, a world-renowned firm, is most recently responsible for the roof of Johannesburg’s Soccer City, home to the 2010 World Cup, and has introduced a number of important technologies to structural engineering like the Speichen-rad principle and the strut-and-tie model for reinforced concrete.) The EnviroMission Web site also states that Schlaich Bergermann Solar (SBS), SBP’s solar-energy team, provided technical support to the formerly pro-posed Australian project.

SBS does not claim to have invented the solar-updraft-tower (SUT) concept, clarifies managing director Rudolf Bergermann. “We know publications, 80 and 100 years old, which already show the SUT principle,” he says. That said, the company is responsible for having developed the SUT concept to a feasible stage, successfully executing the structural design of the tower and the collector. Most im-portant, Bergermann says, the thermodynamic behavior of the SUT is now well understood and verified by tests.

That understanding is demonstrated in a detailed report—authored by Schlaich, Bergermann, Wolfgang Schiel, and Gerhard Weinrebe—which offers a helpful breakdown of the SUT technology.

The report also summarizes the landmark test-tower project in Manzanares, Spain, in the 1980s. The report describes that the aim of the firm’s research was to verify performance, projected from calculations based on theory, and to examine the influence of individual compo-nents on the plant’s output and efficiency under realistic conditions. Additionally, it candidly recounts the plant’s construction and performance.

According to the report, the Manzanares tower was com-prised of a guyed tube of trapezoidal sheets, which stood on a supporting ring ten meters above ground level; that ring was supported by eight thin, tubular columns, allow-ing warm air to flow in, practically unhindered, at the base of the tower. A pre-stressed membrane of plastic-coated

a feasible designstructural-engineering firm schlaich Bergermann solar has successfully optimized the solar-updraft tower—a concept 100 years in the making

brief outlined the two categories that large-scale solar projects typically fall into: photovoltaics, which use a semi-conducting material to generate electricity from sunlight; and concentrating solar power (CSP), which is based on a steam-turbine-generator system. He then introduced “a third type of solar technology now making its debut in the US market”—the solar tower.

He highlighted the technology’s water conservation and superior project economics, both in terms of capital and operating costs. Its plant life is expected to be roughly twice as long as a CSP equivalent, he wrote, partly due to its lower operating temperature—thus adding to the sus-tainability profile of the project. Its daily production cycle is longer and more efficient. And with a cost of about $3.5 million per megawatt, compared with about $5 million for a CSP, Molchanov wrote that solar-tower technology could be more readily accepted among utility providers.

“While the solar tower is fundamentally more similar to CSP, a variety of factors differentiate it,” Molchanov wrote. “ …In general, we look at the solar tower as a more advantageous technology.” EIQ

Levelized electricity cost

Lifetime: First coal power plant Sencond coal power plant

Increase of annuity due to investment cost of 2nd coal power plant

Annuity of 2nd coal power plant

Annuity of 1st coal power plant

Annuity of solar tower

LEC, coal power plant

20 years 30 years

Fuel cost of coal power plant

Time

Annuity, coal power plantOperation and maintenance, coal power plantFuel cost, coal power plant

LEC, solar towerAnnuity, coal power plantOperation and maintenance, solar tower

coMpAring cosTsBelow is a generalized comparison of operating costs between a coal-fired plant and a solar tower. Initially, electricity costs for the solar tower are higher than those for the coal-fired power plant. After 20 years, both plants are paid for in full and no more annuities have to be paid. From this point on, the solar tower produces electric-ity at a low cost, since only operation and maintenance costs have to be paid. However, a new coal plant must be built after 30 years, whereas the solar tower is still operating in its original configuration. This reflects the difference in technical life between the two systems, and further increases their difference in operating costs.


fabric, shaped to provide good flow characteristics, formed the transition between the roof and the tower, which was guyed at four levels and in three directions, secured to foundations with rock anchors. The tower was erected at ground level, utilizing a specially developed incremental lifting method proposed by Brian Hunt of SBP: The top section of the tower was first installed on a lifting ring on the ground, then raised onto the supporting ring by means of hydraulic presses. Subsequent sections, also assembled on the ground, were then connected to the already installed top tower section. The whole assembly then was lifted.

For 32 months, between 1986 and 1989, the plant ran on a daily basis. As soon as the air velocity in the tower exceeded a set value, typically 2.5 meters per second, the plant started up and automatically connected to the public grid—an average of 8.9 hours per day during that period. Total operation time of the plant with net positive power to the grid was 3,157 hours, including 244 hours of net-positive power to the grid at night. For SBS, the results showed that the system and its components were dependable, and that the plant as a whole was capable of highly reliable operation.

From the extensive measurements taken in Manzanares, SBS produced a computer program that can exactly predict necessary plant dimensions—tower height and

diameter, and collector diameter—as well as the yearly energy output for an SUT, given the location and its solar radiation. SBS is the exclusive owner of this program and its basis, the measurements from Manzanares. No other party, including EnviroMission, has access, Bergermann says, which is why the firm finds the SBS association Envi-roMission purports problematic.

According to SBS, in 1996 the firm entered into an agree-ment with SolarMission Technologies—the company of which EnviroMission finally acquired majority control in December 2008. But Bergermann says any information transferred from SBS to EnviroMission during the coopera-tion period was limited to a preliminary design executed for the project in Australia and does not enable EnviroMis-sion to design a solar-updraft tower itself.

“Contrary to the impression EVM creates on their Web site, SBS is not the designer for EVM anymore,” Berg-ermann says. “Neither EnviroMission nor SolarMission hold any license rights from SBS about their solar-updraft tower know-how.”

That includes valuable know-how gleaned from the SBS pilot plant in Manzanares. In short, a lack of funding may not be the only deterrent to EnviroMission’s ambition to build the first solar chimney in the United States.

rudolf Bergermann (left) and Jörg schlaich (right) are managing part-ners at schlaich Bergermann solar, the engineering firm that perfected the solar-updraft technology.


last word

Residential/commercial2518 million toe(5172 Mt CO2)

UN

ITED

STA

TES

293

mill

ion

peop

le

CH

INA

1.3

billi

on p

eopl

e

Industry2236 million toe(4076 Mt CO2)

Electricity generation3764 million toe(9417 Mt CO2)

Transportation1827 million toe(4914 Mt CO2)

OIL 36%COAL 23%GAS 21%BIOMASS 11%

NU

CLEA

R 7%

HYD

RO

2% 47%8%16%29%15%38%

14%10%

4%72%

100%

100%

24% 36% 2% 16% 69%

46% 43%

29%70%

97%

3%

20%

10%

28%

41%

13%

10,345 million tons oil equivelent

20021,000 500 1,000 2,0001,500 2,500

2,000 4,000 6,000 2,000 4,000 6,000

2,000 3,000

20102015

20202025

2002

20102015

20202025

Fuel consumption (million tons of oil equilavent)

CO2 emissions (million tons)

Fuel consumption (million tons of oil equilavent)

CO2 emissions (million tons)

glObal aNNual ENErgy uSEthe demand for energy has nearly doubled worldwide since 1971, and will continue to increase in the years ahead. Below, an overview of current and projected fuel-consumption rates.


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TGMwind_2.indd 1 1/4/10 4:14 PM



Project ManagementMET Tower InstallationSubstation Design and ConstructionGrid Interconnect ServicesTurbine Sales, Installation and ServiceSite Assessment and Engineering Services

Kent Power Inc. | 90 Spring Street, Kent City, Michigan 49330Tel: (616) 678-5775 | Fax: (616) 678-4100 | [email protected]

www.kentpower.com

kentpower.indd 1 1/6/10 12:40 AM

Documents

Energy International Quarterly Issue 8