Top wind turbine manufacturers to discuss their expectations for future

If you’d like a good barometer reading of the wind energy industry, look no further than the companies at the end of the industry supply chain, the turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

That’s the premise behind a Closing General Session panel taking place this afternoon that has become a WINDPOWER staple and one of the more anticipated sessions on the schedule. Executives of the leading OEMs will be asked to make predictions, offer insights, and give assessments of the current and future business environment. One question that’s asked of each executive each year, for example, is how large will the U.S. wind energy market be this year, and next? How many megawatts will be installed?

Edward W. Zaelke, Chair, Global Projects and Finance Practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, will moderate a panel that includes the following executives:

* Daniel McDevitt, President & CEO, Nordex USA

* David Hardy, Senior Vice President, Vestas

* Thomas Donoghue, Senior Director, Wind Turbine Sales, Acciona Windpower North America, LLC

* Michael Revak, Vice President, Execution, Wind Power Onshore Americas, Siemens

* Gonzalo Onzain, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Gamesa Technology Corp.

* Paul Judge, Executive Product Manager, Wind Platform, GE Power and Water

The OEM executives will likely also discuss what their order books look like. Are their companies at capacity? If not, where does their capacity for more orders stand? In addition, panelists are sure to discuss the various economic and policy drivers of wind energy, such as how they view the status of the Production Tax Credit, which the industry is calling on Congress to extend, and how wind can effectively compete against low natural gas prices.

WINDPOWER 2015 has had a strong focus on technology advancement, and no companies are in a better position to offer insights on that topic then OEMs. Expect the executives to discuss what they view as the most significant advances–both those the industry has accomplished recently and those that are right around the corner.

The Closing Session allows for WINDPOWER 2015 to close with a bang, say conference organizers. Moreover, the timing gives exhibitors who have been glued to their booths an opportunity to take in one of the most anticipated panels. The exhibition hall closes just as the session starts, and anyone with a WINDPOWER badge can attend.