To read the article, please click on the following link:
Zoltek's Take: The first interesting thing to note in this article is that demand is expected to continue to boom, “even with the possibility of a renewable-energy tax credit lapsing later this year.� Even more interesting in this article are the statements by Stephane Renou, who manages research and development for General Electric's wind technology platform. "I see a lot more technology going into each of the components, especially the blades," he said. "The blades will look more funky and twisted to get better performance." Within the Wind Energy market, Zoltek’s carbon fibers are used exclusively in the blades. This bodes well for our opportunities in the Wind Energy market as the leading companies are looking to their blade design as being the driver for increased efficiency from their respective wind turbines.
It’s important to note that we are not yet approved suppliers for GE Wind and therefore, they are not currently using our carbon fibers.
We welcome their conclusion as to the benefits of carbon fiber, and as we have stated before, we believe at some point in the size and design of blades, carbon fiber becomes a necessity from an economical and performance point of view. We are hopeful that our experience with the application will give us a chance for their business.