Are poor lubrication practices threatening this promising source of clean energy?

The skyrocketing costs of crude oil and natural gas have had many effects on lubricant
requirements. One of these is the growing demand for wind turbines as generators of electricity
from renewable resources.

During the last 20 years, manufacturers of gearboxes and gear oils used in wind turbines have expended a
great deal of effort to design and develop the best products. Unfortunately, all of their excellent work appears
to be in jeopardy as a result of poor monitoring and maintenance by wind turbine owners.
Banning, Calif.-based Frontier Pro Services conducted an informal survey of approximately 75 wind farm
operators in the United States. The survey revealed potentially serious threats to wind farms due mainly to an
industrywide shortage of qualified turbine technicians.
Many wind farm operations and maintenance teams are so resource constrained that they are barely able to
keep up with unscheduled maintenance repairs. Even regularly scheduled preventative maintenance such as
gearbox lubrication and oil changes are falling behind. It has also been reported that some wind farm
operators do not want third-party companies to do the work for them as they want to keep control of the
maintenance.
Gearbox failures account for the largest amount of downtime, maintenance and loss of power production for
wind farm operators. Failures can total between 15%-20% of the price of the turbine itself. According to
Frontier Pro Services, most gearboxes Fail as a direct result of improper lubrication and lack of routine
maintenance. Most gearbox failures are preventable, which should make wind turbine gearbox maintenance a
high priority.
In any gearbox, if the gear oil is not properly monitored and replaced as needed, bearing and gear wear will
lead to more serious and costly damage to the drivetrain. For example, when a $1,500 wind turbine gearbox
bearing fails unnoticed, it can lead to an electricity production loss and the unscheduled replacement of a
$500,000 gearbox and a crane cost of up to $70,000 to access the failed components.
Routine and simple fluid analysis can save the typical wind farm operator thousands of dollars in repair
work, provided, of course, they have the technicians available to perform the work.
Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Varelube Systems, Inc., supplies lubrication and hydraulic systems and other
equipment to wind farm operators in the U.S. They also represent two companies that manufacture
diagnostics equipment for monitoring oil in wind turbines. However, the wind farm market has been
unreceptive to this concept, citing the cost per unit to add monitoring technology

. It is difficult to understand why a wind farm operator would buy a $2 million wind turbine and not be
interested in understanding the condition of the oil in the most expensive item in the machine-the gearbox.
Apparently they are willing to pay $500,000 to replace the gearbox and put in a crane but have no interest in
oil monitoring technology.
According to Varelube, some wind farm operators are afraid to admit they have experienced any equipment
failures or what they were. Gearbox and wind turbine manufacturers are reluctant to reveal how many
gearboxes have failed or how much money they have allocated for warranty claims.
Frontier Pro Services believes that with so many wind turbines behind on inspections and regular service,
there is real cause for concern. Clearly, a shortage of trained technicians, a lack of routine gearbox and gear
oil monitoring and a reluctance to install automated monitoring equipment could be storing up significant
problems for the future.
 If the service life of a wind turbine is intended to be 30 years, gearbox failures every 10 years or so could
seriously impact the economics of generating electricity using wind power.

Percentage of Materials Used in Current Wind Turbine Component

Large Turbines and (Small Turbines1)

Component/Material Permanent Pre stressed Steel Aluminum Copper Glass Wood Carbon Filament

(% by weight) Magnetic Concrete Reinforced Epoxy Reinforced

Materials Plastic Plastic

Rotor

Hub 95-100 5
Blade 5 95 95 95
Nacelle 17 65-80 3-4 14 1-2
Gear Box 98-100 0-2 <1-2
Generator 50 20-65 30-35
Frame, Machinery 85-74 9-50 4-12 3-5
& Shell

Tower 2 98 2

Technical Innovation, Precision Critical in Making

Gears for Wind Turbines
The growth and promise of wind turbine technology is fueling
technology development focused on the manufacturing of larger,
more precise, and optimized gears and gearboxes
Al Presher, contributing editor -- Design News, May 14, 2010
The growth and promise of wind turbines is fueling technology development focused on the manufacturing
of larger, more precise and optimized gearing. The need for better performance, quieter operation and higher
efficiency means that the primary goal is to limit losses, select proper sealing elements and control other
significant factors that reduce efficiency.

"What's happening right now will be the future of the gear industry because of the number of units that will
be manufactured and installed with a main purpose of achieving longer life," says N.K. Chinnusamy,
president of Excel Gear Inc. "One way to achieve long life is new technology and computer tools that
optimize the geometry of the gears and, for example, optimized root fillet geometry that improves both life
and load carrying capacity."

One objective is to make components lighter, and new materials being developed will help achieve that goal.
Developments with surface finish such as REM technology and electro polishing, some of which are being
used in the racing industry, are having some real significant impact in gear life.

Chinnusamy says there are many challenges in machining gears for wind turbines. Gears for wind turbine
applications are typically large in diameter and have wide face widths, requiring very exacting material
composition and heat-treatment processing. The gear design must be optimized to insure low rolling
resistance and long life, to minimize costs of maintenance, down time, and repair of the gear box assemblies
once they have been commissioned in the field. Every step in the manufacturing phase of these gears must be
carefully processed, documented and controlled to achieve the high quality, consistency, accuracy and
reliability that is demanded for operation in these environments.

The use of carburized steel for these gears is common and the associated heat treatments and stress-relief
operations have to be exacting to minimize part distortion and growth, as well as to achieve the proper
metallurgical properties required. Often, a preheat treatment of the forging or bar stock is necessary on large
gears to minimize part distortion.

Chinnusamy says heat treatment can cause cracks, so careful processing with predetermination of stock
allowance for grinding and final case depth must be considered. Inspection for cracks with magnetic particle
inspection and for grinding burns utilizing nital etching is an important inspection tool. Plus, off center
crown grinding of the tooth geometry may be needed to properly distribute the load on the gear teeth.

To efficiently make gears for this application, Chinnusamy says there are often modifications needed in the
tooling. Rigid, heavy-duty hobbing machines are needed for the coarse pitch gears, using roughing hobs or
gear milling (gashing) cutters. Likewise, coarse pitch diamond dressing rolls and special grinding wheel
abrasives are required for the large, high-accuracy gear grinders to produce efficient, accurate results and to
prevent grinding burns and cracks.

Cutting fluids used must have the proper viscosity, the right amount of extreme pressure additives, and must
be directed to the exact location of the work piece and cutting tool interface to maximize results. These fluids
have to be routinely sampled and adjusted for optimum results.

In building the gearbox, it's also important to establish the correct bearing clearances/preloads and proper
gearbox operating temperature that is critical to long life. Sophisticated measuring techniques with bearing
inspection gages can only insure these results. The type and method of lubrication and proper sealing weighs
heavily on the performance of a gearbox. The verification of gearbox performance through computerized
analysis and testing is a crucial step to insuring long life.

"The critical factor here, as with all similar power transmission applications, is that the gears are properly
designed and manufactured," says Chinnusamy. "The other mechanical components that make up the
assembly, along with the gearing, must be applied and designed so the overall system performance does not
have any shortcomings that could affect the performance and life of the unit."

Wind Turbine
Wind energy is a converted form of solar energy. A wind energy
system transforms the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical or
electrical energy that can be harnessed for practical use. Mechanical
energy is most commonly used for pumping water in rural or remote
locations. Wind electric turbines are used to generate electricity.

Turbine systems include a rotor, or blades which convert the wind's

energy into rotational shaft energy; a tower to support the rotor and
drive train; a nacelle including a gearbox and a generator; and
electronic equipments such as controls, electrical cables, ground support equipments, and
interconnection equipments.

When the rotor rotates, the load on the main shaft is very heavy. It runs with approximate 22
revolutions per minute but generator has to go a lot faster. It cannot use the turning force to
increase the number of revolutions and that is why wind turbine uses gear to increase the
speed.

Types of Gears used in Wind Turbines

Wind turbines vary in sizes and according to their size and function they use a variety of
different type of gears for easy and comfortable working.

Helical gears - Are used to minimize noise and power losses.

Worm gears - Are used to drive the toothed wheel rim on the yaw bearing of the turbine.

Bevel gears - Used to redirect the shaft from the horizontal gas turbine engine to the vertical
rotor.

Pinion gears - Are used for accuracy evaluation and for grind temper testing.

It is important to monitor the different components of the offshore wind turbines to limit and
avoid damage and downtime. Gearbox should be closely monitored by measuring the noise
level, visually monitoring, by measuring its vibration and by analysing the oil serving as
lubrication during service checks

Helical Gears

Helical gears connect parallel shifts but the involute teeth are cut at
an angle to the axis of rotation. Two mating helical gears must have
equal helix angle but opposite hand. They run smoother and more
quietly. They have higher load capacity, are more expensive to manufacture and create axial
thrust.

Helical gears can be used to mesh two shafts that are not parallel and can also be used in a
crossed gear mesh connecting two perpendicular shafts. They have longer and strong teeth.
They can carry heavy load because of the greater surface contact with the teeth. The
efficiency is also reduced because of longer surface contact. The gearing is quieter with less
vibration.

Helical Gear Configuration

They can be manufactured in both right-handed and left-handed configurations with a helix
angle to transmit motion and power between non-intersecting shafts that are parallel or at 90
degrees to each other. For shaft at 90 degrees, the same helix angles are used and the tooth
contact area of the gear is very small. If the angle of gear teeth is correct, they can be
mounted on perpendicular shaft by adjusting the rotating angle by 90 degrees. The inclination
of the teeth generates an axial force. As the angle of inclination increases the axial force also
increases. Thrust bearings can counter these forces.

Applications of Helical Gears

Helical gears are highly used in transmission because they are quieter even at higher speed
and are durable. The other possible applications of helical gears are in

• Textile industry
• Blowers
• Feeders
• Rubber and plastic industry
• Sand mullers
• Sugar industry
• Rolling mills
• Food industry
• Elevators, conveyors, cutters
• Compressors
• Oil industry etc.

Worm Gears
A worm gear is an inclined plane wrapped around a central axle. It is a gear
with one or more teeth in the form of screwed threads.

Worm gears are made of two parts: the pinion and the worm gear. The pinion
has small number of teeth and they wrap around the pitch cylinder. The worm
gear has concave faces to fit the curvature of the worm in order to provide line of contact instead of point of
contact. They are cut helically for better mating. Worm gears can provide a high angular velocity between
non-intersecting shafts at right angles. They are capable of transmitting high tooth loads, the only
disadvantage is the high sliding velocities across the teeth. They provide ultimate power ratio.

Advantages of Worm Gears

The efficiency of worm gear depends on the lead angle, sliding speed, and lubricant, surface quality and
installation conditions. They offer smoothest, quietest form of gearing. They provide high-ratio speed
reduction in minimal spaces. Worm gears are used when large gear reductions are required. Worm gear has a
unique property of easily turning the gear. The gear cannot turn the worm because the angle on the worm is
shallow and when the gear tries to spin the worm, the friction between the two holds the worm in place.

Worm gears work under difficult conditions, presenting unique lubrication demands. The types of oils most
commonly used to lubricate worm gears are compounded mineral oils, EP mineral gear oils and synthetics.

Worm Gear Mechanism

Worm gear is always used as the input gear. For the operation of worm gear, torque is applied to the input
end of the worm shaft by a driven sprocket or electric motor. The worm and the worm shaft are supported by
anti-friction roller bearings. Because of high friction worm gears are very inefficient. There is lot of friction
between a worm gear and the gear being driven by the worm gear. When used in high torque applications,
the friction causes the wear on the gear teeth and erosion of restraining surface.

Types of Worm Gears

There are three types of worm gears:
• Non throated- a helical gear with a straight worm. Tooth contact is a single moving point on the
worm drive.

• Single throated- has concave helical teeth wrap around the worm. This leads to line contact.

• Double throated- called a cone or hourglass. It has concave teeth both on the worm and helical gear.
Applications
Worm gears are widely used in packaging machinery, material handling, machine tools, indexing and food
processing. They are used widely in conveyor systems. They are also used in torsen differential, used on
some high-performance cars and trucks. They serve as speed reducers in many different industries.

Bevel Gears

Bevel gears connect intersecting axes and come in several types.

The pitch surface of bevel gears is a cone. They are useful when the
direction of a shaft's rotation needs to be changed. Using gears of
differing numbers of teeth can change the speed of rotation. They
are usually mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be
designed to work at other angles as well.
Bevel gears permit minor adjustment during assembly and allow for some displacement due to
deflection under operating loads without concentrating the load on the end of the tooth. For
reliable performance, they must be pinned to shaft with a dowel or taper pin. Bevel gear sets
consist of two gears of different pitch diameter that yield ratios greater than 1:1.

Types of bevel gears

The bevel gears can be of varied types and the types are known by the teeth of the gears.
Different varieties are:

• Straight Bevel Gears:

In straight bevel gears teeth have no helix angles. They either have equal size gears
with 90 degrees shaft angle or a shaft angle other than 90 degrees. Straight bevel angle
can also be with one gear flat with a pitch angle of 90 degrees. In straight when each
tooth engages it impacts the corresponding tooth and simply curving the gear teeth can
solve the problem.

• Spiral Bevel Gears:

Spiral bevel gears have spiral angles, which gives performance improvements. The
contact between the teeth starts at one end of the gear and then spreads across the
whole tooth. In both the bevel types of gears the shaft must be perpendicular to each
other and must be in the same plane.

• Hypoid Bevel Gears:

The Hypoid bevel gears can engage with the axes in different planes. This is used in
many car differentials. The ring gear of the differential and the input pinion gear are
both hypoid. This allows input pinion to be mounted lower than the axis of the ring gear.
Hypoid gears are stronger, operate more quietly and can be used for higher reduction
ratios. They also have sliding action along the teeth, potentially reducing efficiency.

• Angular Bevel Gears:

These are bevel gears whose shafts are set at an angle other than 90 degrees. They are
useful when the direction of a shaft's rotation needs to be changed. These gears permit
minor adjustment of gears during assembly and allow for some displacement due to
deflection under operating loads without concentrating the load on the end of the tooth.
Applications
A good example of bevel gears is seen as the main mechanism for a hand drill. As the handle
of the drill is turned in a vertical direction, the bevel gears change the rotation of the chuck to
a horizontal rotation. The bevel gears in a hand drill have the added advantage of increasing
the speed of rotation of the chuck and this makes it possible to drill a range of materials. They
are important components on all current rotorcraft drive system.

The bevel gears find its application in

• Locomotives
• Marine applications
• Automobiles
 • Printing presses
• Cooling towers
• Power plants
• Steel plants
• Defence and
• Railway track inspection machine

Pinion Gears
Pininon gear is a small cogwheel. The teeth fit into a larger gear wheel.
Rotational motion is converted into linear motion when the pinion turns and
moves the rack. Pinion gears are engineered to be the best gears and hence very
popular in various industrial applications.

How does a Pinion Gear Operates?

Pinion gear system involves the use of a small round gear called pinion and a
large flat gear called rack, more the number of teeth in the pinion gear, more is
the speed of rotation. Pinion with smaller number of teeth produces more
torque. Pinion is attached to the motor shaft with glue. Rotation of pinion is
done by rotation of pinion about a fixed center that helps the rack to move in the straight line. If the rack is
moved and the pinion rotates then the center of the pinion moves taking along the pinion with it.

Materials of Construction
The gears are constructed from materials like
• Cast iron
• Steel
• Aluminum
• Bronze
• Carbon steel
• Hardened steel

• Working Principle
•
•
Law of gearing
A primary requirement of gears is the constancy of angular velocities or
proportionality of position transmission. High-speed gear trains also
require transmission at constant angular velocities. Constant velocity is
the 'conjugate action' of the gear tooth profile. A common normal to the
tooth profiles at their point of contact must pass through a fixed point on
the line of centers called the pitch point. Any two profiles engaging each
other and satisfying the law of gearing are conjugate curves.
 Gear Geometry
The essential features of a gear mesh are:
Center distance: The distance between the centers of two pitch circles.

Pitch diameters: The tangent to two basic circles is the line of contact in gear vernacular. Where this
line crosses the line of center establishes the pitch. The ratio of pitch diameters gives the velocity
ratio.
Pitch: It is a measure of tooth spacing along the pitch circle. There are two basic forms. Circular
pitch is the direct measurement of distance of one tooth center to the adjacent tooth center. It is equal
to the pitch circle circumference divided by the teeth. Diameter pitch is the measure of the number of
teeth per inch of the pitch diameter. Both the pitches are inversely related to each other and permits
an easy transformation from one to the other.
Number of teeth
Pressure angle of the contacting involutes: The angel between the line of force between meshing
teeth and the tangent to the pitch circle at the point of mesh. Gears must have the same pitch and the
pressure angel to mesh.
Module: It is the ratio of pitch diameter to the number of teeth. It is mainly used for metal gears. A
higher module indicates coarser tooth spacing.
Gear train: When two or more gears are meshing, it is called a gear train.
Gear box: It is an automotive assembly of gears and associated parts by which power is transmitted
from the engine to the driving axle.
Shafts: Cylindrical rods made of metal used for power transmission, linear motion and various other
purposes in industries.
Sprockets: Teeth like projection arranged on a wheel rim to engage the links of a chain.
Pinions: Small tapered gear that meshes with a larger gear or rack.

Kinetics
When two gears are connected they rotate in opposite directions. The gear that does the driving is
known as the driver and the other is known as the driven gear. If two gears have the same number of
teeth then one turn of driver gear causes the driven gear to turn once. When connected to a power
source it applies torque to the input shaft driving it at a considerable speed. For a single pair of gears
the output shaft rotates at a different speed as that of the input shaft. The torque applied on the output
shaft drives the load. One essential for the proper meshing of the gears is that the size of the teeth on
the pinion should be the same as the size of the teeth on the wheel. The module must be common to
both the gears. Pitch circles contact one another at the pitch point and the pinion's pitch line velocity
must be identical to the wheels pitch line velocity. At the pitch point develops a tangential component
of action-reaction due to contact between the gears. When the driver gear is smaller than the driven
gear then speed is reduced and it amplifies torque in proportion to their teeth numbers. The only way
that the input and output shafts of a gear pair can be made to rotate in the same sense is by
interposition of an odd number of intermediate gears. These do not affect the speed ratio between
input and output shafts. Such a gear train is called a simple train. If there is no power flow through
the shaft of an intermediate gear then it is an idler gear.
•

• Introduction
•
•
Gear is a toothed machine part, such as a wheel or cylinder that meshes
with another toothed part to transmit motion or to change speed or
direction. Gears are a means of changing the rate of rotation of a
machinery shaft.

Mechanical engineers sometimes don't use gears and rely on the advent
of electronic control and the availability of toothed belts because gears
for high power machinery are difficult to design. Even though for high
power machinery like automotive transmission, gears are the optimal
medium for high accuracy and low energy loss.

Gears are of several categories and can be combined in a multitude of ways, some of which are
meshing circular spur gears, rack and pinion spur gears, and worm gears. Helical and herringbone
gears utilize curved teeth for efficient, high-capacity power transmission. Worm gears, driven by
worms transmit motion between non-intersecting right-angle axes. Gears mate or mesh via teeth with
a very specific geometry.

Application
Gears being an important part of a machine have immense usage within various industries. These
industries include automotive industries, coal plants industry, steel plants industry, paper industry, in
mining and many more. In these industries they behold a wide area of application. They are used as
conveyors, elevators, kilns, separators, cranes and lubrication systems.

Gears are used for two basic purposes; increase or decrease of rotation speed and increase or decrease
of power or torque. Torque is a measure of a force to produce torsion and rotation about an axis. To
increase speed and reduce torque a large drive gear is coupled to a smaller driven gear. To reduce
speed and increase torque a small Lego gear turning a larger gear is used. They are also used for
enhancement for positioning systems.

Gear geometry
The essential features of a gear mesh are:
Center distance: The distance between the centers of two pitch circles.
Pitch diameters: The tangent to two basic circles is the line of contact in gear vernacular. Where this
line crosses the line of center establishes the pitch. The ratio of pitch diameters gives the velocity
ratio.
Pitch: It is a measure of tooth spacing along the pitch circle.
Number of teeth
Pressure angle of the contacting involutes: The angel between the line of force between meshing
teeth and the tangent to the pitch circle at the point of mesh.

• Gearboxes
The global supply capacity of gearboxes is presently enough to cover the demand from the wind industry.
Nevertheless, supply information from wind turbine manufacturers indicates that constraints still exist in the
gearbox supply chain for various reasons. According to the published development plans of the leading
suppliers, there will be no constraints in the gearbox supply chain up to 2012. This assumption is based,
 however, on the premise that the supply of large gearbox bearings will catch up with demand from the
market. Unfortunately, there is no sign that the shortage situation for large bearings can be fully resolved in
the next two years. It is therefore inevitable that gearbox supply constraint will continue to be a problem.

Wind Turbine Supply Chain Strategies:

2009-2020
The global wind turbine supply chain faces the challenging task of bridging the gap between the high level of
growth and the bottlenecks of 2008, and the resumption of high growth expected in 2010. Although some
capacity investments have been frozen and new market entries postponed, 2009 has offered the industry a
breather to retool its strategy for longer-term, sustained growth as demand becomes more consolidated
globally. The global wind turbine component supply market will be shaped by the following key trends in the
near term as the industry looks forward to the next economic cycle, including:
• Global wind turbine demand will likely rebound by the end of 2010 to levels equal to or above those
seen in 2008. Global cumulative installed wind power capacity is expected to jump from 122 GW to
over 227 GW between 2008 and 2011.
• Outsourcing opportunities are increasing as OEMs seek expansion. While specific components such
as control systems and blades are often manufactured in-house, OEMs are honing their supply chains
to optimize product quality by relying on outsourcing.
• Product size is becoming a key strategic differentiator for component suppliers. As turbines scale to 3
MW and larger, logistical issues require component suppliers to adapt to OEM needs with new
product dimensions -- and not all existing players are prepared to make those investments.
• Investment levels will reach new heights, with the blade, tower, generator, gearbox, and bearing
markets combined totaling nearly US$30 billion per annum by 2020, led by towers and blades.
Global Demand Forecasts, 2009-2020: Rebounding Toward Steady Growth
The global wind industry saw expansive growth in 2008, topping 120 GW installed worldwide with an
annual increase of 23 percent. In the long term, Emerging Energy Research anticipates this figure will rise
steadily to over 600 GW installed by 2020. However, the industry finds itself in the midst of a global
recession in which project postponements, order cancellations, and company downsizings have become
commonplace. Framed within the long-term context of cumulative megawatts installed through 2020, EER
anticipates a compound annual growth rate of 18 percent between 2009 and 2020. Key assumptions behind
these forecasts include:
• Long-term policy is favorable.
• Wind's position improving in the generation mix.
• Utility participation is increasing.
• Grid issues persist, but are gradually addressed.
• Offshore evolves as a key contributor.

Table 1: Global Wind Power Cumulative MW Installed by Region: 2000-2020

Competitive Trends in Component Supply
The onset of the 2006-2008 turbine shortage, followed by the current recession, has begun to reshape the
competitive structure of wind turbine component segments. The number of new entrants has proliferated
across the supply chain: more in towers, while less new entrants in gearboxes, bearings, and generators in
most markets. At the same time, blade suppliers continue to compete with internal production. Key trends
observed in these segments include:
• Blade suppliers weighing investments, positioning versus in-house supply. In 2009, wind turbine
blade suppliers face increasing competition at a time when demand has faced a short-term dip. Forced
with choosing between waiting out the market to invest, or plowing ahead with heavy CAPEX
commitments, players have had to define themselves as global or local players able to act as product
development partners and relevant options for localized cost reduction. While OEM in-house supply
continues to play a key part in the market, at an estimated 40 percent of total supply, independent
blade suppliers have opportunities to position themselves based on targeted sales for turbine models
in specific markets.
• Gearbox suppliers steadily diversifying as market expands globally. Trends in gearbox supply
indicate a steady shift in terms of the globalization and scale of the segment. Segmentation of the
competitive landscape by product portfolio and delivery volume presents a market dominated by
three key players; however, scaling regional players in China and Europe promise more intense
competition in the next three to five years.
• Full portfolio, integrated bearings suppliers lead; pitch and yaw providers entering. The global
bearings supply industry can be split between players with global reach and a full suite of products
for wind turbines, and smaller niche players serving specific markets with one or two bearings types.
Recent explosive growth of the wind industry has welcomed many new firms, often from large
companies supplying several sectors, to diversify their sales into wind energy.
 • Local tower supply booming, bursting with market slowdown. The global tower supply market
remains a collection of local and regional markets driven by competition among nearby suppliers for
a share of OEM demand. This dynamic is reflected in the competitive structure of the market, in
which most players remain contained to their region serving a select group of OEMs. This trend
continued in 2008 and 2009 as tower suppliers seek to entrench themselves, leveraging local
presence, and, in some cases, expanding service offerings, though the current market slowdown has
complicated capacity increases.
• Generator supply increasingly competitive as turbine size scales, markets become more diverse.
The competitive structure of the generator market remains relatively uneven, with a split between
leading global suppliers such as ABB and Converteam, followed by mid-sized regional manufacturers
and smaller start-up operations spread between Asia, Europe, and North America. Generally mid-
sized players can be seen gaining new clients as expanding OEMs diversify, while smaller OEM
start-ups have formed partnerships with single suppliers in efforts to launch their products.
Table 2: Competitive Market Structure Overview, Wind Turbine Component Segments

Note: Bubble size indicates relative market value

Source: Emerging Energy Research
This article is an excerpt from EER's market study, Wind Turbine Supply Chain Strategies 2009-2020,
released in July 2009. The full study is available for purchase at emerging-energy.com.
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cf
m?a_id=2160

Timken
SUPPLYING CHINESE
WIND GEARBOX MANUFACTURER
The Timken Company signed a long-term, multi-year agreement with Nanjing High Speed Gear
Manufacturing Co.,
Ltd. with wind turbine gearbox bearings. NGC manufactures gear transmission equipment for wind
power, marine,
construction and industrial equipment in China. The agreement determines that Timken will supply
tapered and cylindrical roller bearings for use in NGC’s wind power gearboxes. Initial revenue is
estimated at $30 million for
Timken. “This is another great success for Timken in the China wind energy market sector. NGC is a
globally recognized brand and a leader in the industry,” says Mike Connors, president of process
industries at Timken. “Our strategy is to work with leading companies in the industry, companies that
compete on product performance, durability and reliability and that demand the highest level of
expertise in friction management and power transmission from their suppliers.”