User:E2sys/Eastern Energy Systems Inc.



Eastern Energy Systems Inc. is a North American, NY State, renewable energy solutions inventor, provider, and integrator offering quality support of wind turbines, solar photovoltaic, and geothermal systems. It has installed some of the largest renewable energy projects in its home based area on Long Island.(REF) Working closely with solar manufacturers it plans to use its patented technology (Solar Interconnection System) by 2013 to jump start the solar photovoltaic industry in hopes to eventually have solar installed on nearly 60% of the homes in North America.

Education on alternative energy and its uses is the company's policy due to concern for the environment. Eastern Energy Systems visits high schools on Long Island and throughout New York to educate the future generations on renewable energy, the jobs available within the industry, and the savings afforded by the progressive technology.

History
Vestas was founded in 1945 by Peder Hansen as "Vestjysk Stålteknik A/S" (West-Jutlandish steel technology). The company initially manufactured household appliances, moving its focus to agricultural equipment in 1950, intercoolers in 1956, and hydraulic cranes in 1968. It entered the wind turbine industry in 1979.

In 2003, the company merged with the Danish wind turbine manufacturer NEG Micon to create the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, under the banner of Vestas Wind Systems. After an operational loss in 2005, Vestas recovered in 2006, and continues to have 28% market share.

In February 2009, the company announced the production of two new turbine types, the 3-megawatt V112 and 1.8-megawatt V100. The new models will be available in 2010.

Operations
Vestas has installed over 41,000 wind turbines in 63 countries on five continents. The company employs more than 22,000 people globally, and has built production facilities in more than 12 countries. It is currently expanding and opening up new production facilities in China, Spain and the United States.

The company's North American headquarters was relocated in 2002 from Palm Springs, California to Portland, Oregon. On December 1, 2008 Vestas announced plans to expand its North American headquarters in Portland through construction of a 600000 sqft new building, but this plan was mothballed in 2009 due to the economic recession, and in August 2010 the company announced a revised plan, scaled back in size, to expand its Portland headquarters by renovating an existing-but-vacant 172,000 ft2 building. At that time, Vestas employed about 400 in Portland and committed to add at least 100 more employees there within five years; the new building will have space for up to 600 workers.

Vestas employs a further 200 persons at a blade manufacturing facility in Windsor, Colorado, and plans to add 1400 jobs at a new blade and nacelle assembly facility that is under construction near Brighton, Colorado, and up to 125 engineers at a 47,675 ft2 product development site in Louisville, Colorado. Vestas also operates a tower facility in Pueblo, Colorado. Vestas said it decided to build its North American production facilities in Colorado because of the state’s central location, extensive transportation infrastructure and rail system, existing manufacturing base, and skilled workforce. Vestas wind turbine blades are made from high strength, light weight carbon fiber supplied by Zoltek Companies Inc. in St. Louis, MO.

Products
Some of the more recent wind turbine models made by Vestas are listed below. The rotor diameter (in meters) follows the V.
 * V47-660 kW
 * V52-850 kW
 * V60-850 kW (China)
 * V66-1.75MW
 * V80-1.8MW
 * V80-2.0MW
 * V82-1.65MW
 * V90-1.8MW
 * V90-2.0MW
 * V90-3.0MW
 * V100-1.8MW
 * V112-3.0MW

Business strategy
In July 2009, it was announced that Vestas' operations on the Isle of Wight in England would close due to lack of demand, affecting 525 jobs there and 100 jobs in Southampton. Approximately 25 workers at the wind turbine factory on the island occupied the administration offices in protest on 20 July 2009, demanding nationalisation to save their jobs.

In August 2009 Vestas hired more than 5,000 extra workers for its new factories in China, the United States, and Spain. The company said it was "expanding heavily in China and the US because these markets were growing the fastest, in contrast to the sluggish pace of wind farm development in the UK".

As part of this gradual shift in production away from Europe and towards China and the US, in October 2010, the company announced it was closing 5 factories in Denmark and Sweden, with the loss of 3000 jobs.

In November 2010, Vestas shut down the 70-person staff advisory department 'Vestas Excellence', responsible for securing competitiveness, handling suppliers, Quality Assurance and globalization.

Research and development
Vestas spent €92 million ($128 million), or 1.4% of revenue, on research and development in 2009. It has filed 787 wind turbine patents (165 in 2009) according to United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO), while General Electric has 666 and Siemens Wind Power has 242.