Winds of change offernew S.C. energy cluster

BY JOHN KELLY, NICK RIGAS

and IMTIAZ HAQUE

A green economy -- one built on clean energy industries including energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy storage -- offers real promise for creating jobs and boosting South Carolina's economy.

The state is poised to become a national leader in clean energy -- particularly wind energy -- the fastest growing energy resource in this country. Wind can reduce dependence on foreign oil and generate clean, renewable energy, as well as jobs that benefit our state and nation.

More than 35,000 megawatts of installed wind farm projects throughout the USA have proven the technical and commercial feasibility of this technology; and the worldwide commitment to wind energy is accelerating. In 2009, Europe installed more new wind power capacity than any other energy technology -- 39 percent of all new capacity -- according to the European Wind Energy Association.

Now, American energy producers are looking at wind as a key source of power. The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal to generate 20 percent of the nation's electricity through wind energy by 2030. Wind currently accounts for less than one percent of electrical power in the U.S., according to the American Wind Energy Association.

That means there is tremendous opportunity for growth, and South Carolina is strategically positioned to serve as a hub for this new industry cluster. In a highly competitive selection process, the Department of Energy chose Clemson University's Restoration Institute to build and operate the world's largest test facility for wind turbine drive trains. The facility will help reduce the cost of energy from the next generation of wind turbines. The new turbines will generate up to 15 megawatts of power, three to five times more power than the largest commercial turbines currently available.

The drive train test facility will be constructed in a former Navy warehouse at the Clemson Restoration Institute in North Charleston. Planning and construction of the facility will begin this spring with completion targeted for late 2012. The 82,264 square-foot building has both rail and ship access. This is important because the next generation of turbines could be up to 40 feet in diameter with a weight in excess of 300 tons -- so they are best transported by sea.

The state-of-the-art test facility means that our state will play a central role in realizing the nation's energy goals. In addition to reducing dependence on foreign oil, wind energy is projected to generate thousands of jobs. The Department of Energy estimates that South Carolina could gain 10,000 to 20,000 new jobs related to the wind energy industry in the next 20 years. Job growth here will begin with construction workers to build the drive train test facility, followed by research scientists to conduct the tests. More jobs would be created as private industries locate in South Carolina to manufacture critical components including blades, electronic components, gearboxes, generators, and towers, and potentially to install, operate, and maintain wind turbines.

Coincidentally, turbine technology that applies to wind energy also applies to aeronautics so there is a natural synergy with Boeing's new manufacturing plant in North Charleston. Job growth in the private sector is occurring already. On March 10, the German firm IMO Group announced a plan to open a $47 million, 190-worker factory near Summerville to make circular metal rings for wind turbines.

The wind turbine drive train testing facility will be part of a larger campus patterned after Clemson's International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville, which already has created more than 500 jobs and is educating graduate students for high-tech careers in automotive engineering. In February, Proterra announced that it plans to locate another 1,300 jobs there for its zero-emission bus research, development and assembly center.

CU-ICAR was recognized as the top emerging technology research center by the International Association of University Research Parks. The award celebrates Clemson's success in building partnerships with private industry -- including BMW, Michelin, Microsoft, Timken, Koya, and SAE -- to move technology from the laboratory to businesses that grow jobs and public revenue. The new campus at the Restoration Institute will follow a similar model. It will undertake research and development to help industry tackle the challenges in developing the next generation of wind turbines and to produce a workforce that can compete globally in the green energy revolution.

It also will build partnerships with manufacturers and utilities -- as well as with state and federal agencies and environmental groups -- to translate these efforts into a wind energy industry cluster and new jobs for South Carolina.

John Kelly is executive director of the Clemson University Restoration Institute. Nick Rigas is director of renewable energy at the Restoration Institute. Imtiaz Haque is executive director of the Campbell Graduate Engineering Center at CU-ICAR.