CLIPPER WINDPOWER
IT'S A MONSTER.
“Imagine a rotating football field,” suggests Bob Loyd, the chief operating manager and Plant Manager at Clipper Windpower here in Cedar Rapids. “That gives you an idea of the size of these things.”
“Our turbine blades span a circle over 300 feet in diameter—truly the size of a football field standing on its side. The 50-yard line is then moved 240 feet up into the air on a huge tower structure. It is very large.”
SPECIAL REPORT: AN EMERGING IOWA INDUSTRY |
Huge is the word that comes to mind. Huge, not only in the size of the machines being built right here in “River City,” but also in the potential size of this new Iowa industry, which could run into billions and billions of dollars. Iowa could become the USA's wind power production center for a number of reasons.
LOCATION, LOCATION.
One of the best places in the country to put wind turbines is in the Upper Midwest, with the best place in Iowa being the northwest part of the state. Canadian winds whipping across flat terrains and wide open spaces combine to make the area from the Rockies to Chicago “wind power central.” Because these turbines are so large, it makes economic sense to locate manufacturing plants near their destinations.
WINDPOWER AND IOWA SMALL BUSINESS
And the news gets even better. It is possible that Iowa's small businesses can and will benefit from this “windfall.”
“SCORE and the people it helps are fundamental to the strength and well-being of this community,” states Loyd. “We need small businesses to supply us not only with the necessary parts to construct one of these leviathans, but also with the services that a growing industry demands. That little coffee shop up the street by Kirkwood plays an important part to us just like our turbine part suppliers.” he reflects. “Our people need many, many things to make the company work.”
BACK STORY
How did Cedar Rapids become the leading manufacturer of turbines in the area? Part of the credit has to go to Bob Loyd. His interest, talents, and foresight led him to contact Clipper Windpower and helped make this venture a reality. Over 16 RAGBRAI seasons, Bob had biked past the stately wind turbines in western Iowa. That started him thinking.
 “I wanted to see heavy industry come back to Cedar Rapids,” Bob explains. So, when he heard that Clipper Windpower was considering coming to town, he contacted them. “The wind industry seemed to me to be the future—and it gives something back. To the environment and the community. It is a true win-win.”
Loyd is an experienced heavy industry production expert, having served as Plant Manager and Operations Vice President for firms that include Rockwell, Terex, and Raytheon. What sealed the deal for Bob was Clipper’s commitment to the community. “The Clipper owners and senior management really wanted to be involved in the Cedar Rapids community and the state of Iowa,” Bob declares. “We all agree on that being a key factor.”
 It has been two years since Bob started leading the Cedar Rapids’ endeavor. Last year, Clipper manufactured 137 turbines in the 330,000-square-foot Bowling Street facility. This year they are ramping up to 350—an amazing endeavor—but plans are in place to increase this rate yet again. The three 150-foot-long turbine blades each weigh 24,000 pounds; the gearbox weighs nearly 100,000 pounds; and the entire turbine tips the scales at 400 tons or 800,000 pounds. The purchase price is, understandably, about $2.5 million apiece.
WINDPOWER – WHERE DOES THE U.S. STAND?
Becoming a leader in the wind power industry would mean that Iowa could not only help with the reduction of the nation's dependency on oil imports, but reduce our impact on the environment as well. Each wind turbine can reduce our oil dependency by 1 million barrels over its lifetime as it produces 2,500,000 watts or 2.5 megawatts of energy—enough to power for more than 700 homes. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that the United States' wind resource potential exceeds our entire country's energy needs by 200%. Promising.
Yet, the federal government has offered few plans, established few goals, and has not created a national initiative to foster the wind power industry.
In fact, right now, the U.S. produces about 5/10 of 1% of its electricity from wind. On the other hand, key economic competitors around the world are moving quickly to harness this promising power-source. Europe has become an industry leader and generates between 10-12% of all its electricity from wind. China has established wind power goals and seems to be exceeding them as well.
People like Bob Loyd and companies like Clipper are committed to actively building an industry that will produce low impact renewable energy. Perhaps, thanks to Loyd and his colleagues, Iowa can lead the nation in solving our future energy needs.
Resources
To read more about Clipper and windpower:
www.clipperwind.com
http://www.windustry.org/about-windustry/about-windustry
For fun:
Take a drive past the Clipper Windpower facility on Bowling Street and see a real wind turbine blade in front of the building.
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