Is the technical race driving the industry to ruin?

Technical advances in wind energy could ruin the industry. Because wind turbines are getting bigger and more effective. However, this obviously also reduces their quality and service life.

The expansion of wind power plays a decisive role in times of energy transition. The demand for wind turbines has been increasing for years – and the trend is rising. Many companies are therefore developing ever more efficient and larger systems.

But that seems to be a problem in the medium term. While a 50 meter wind turbine could only supply 133 households with energy in the 1990s, today’s 150 meter systems generate energy for up to 20,000 households. However, this also affects the quality and service life of the wind turbines.

Wind energy: Costs for wind turbines put manufacturers in the red

Some time ago, Siemens Gamesa brought its latest turbine generation “5.X” onto the market. Due to quality problems, however, the maintenance of the systems is now costing billions. According to industry insiders, the company actually wanted to do better in the race with the competition.

But with each new generation of turbines, manufacturers have to build new production lines and factories. At the same time, the competition on the international market is so high that there are hardly any profits left for the corporations. On the contrary: If there are delivery bottlenecks or high inflation, then the companies are even in the red.

Wind power: Is technical progress driving manufacturers to ruin?

The competition, ever more powerful systems and the shorter intervals between new generations of wind turbines create a situation that cannot be sustainable for any company. In recent years, wind turbines have often had to be serviced immediately after commissioning.

This leads to even higher costs for manufacturers. However, an end to the trend does not appear to be in sight. Because in addition to the existing competition, new technologies are coming from Asia. These also massively increase the price pressure on companies.

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