Technical Papers

4th Qtr 2012 US Wind Industry Report

The U.S, wind energy industry had its strongest year ever in 2012, installing a record 13,124 megawatts (MW). A record-breaking 8,380 MW were installed during the fourth quarter alone. During 2012, utility-scale turbines were installed in 26 states and Puerto Rico. Download Report (pdf 2 MB)

Wind Blade Failure Identification and Prevention

Presented at COMPOSITES 2013 produced by ACMA. January 29-31, Orlando, FL. Wind Blade Failure Identification and Prevention. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 5 MB)

Blade Repair Challenges

Presented at Wind Energy Operations & Maintenance Summit produced by Wind Energy Update.  April 25, 2012, Dallas, TX.  How wind turbine operators can avoid major rotor blade maintenance issues and maximize turbine productivity.  Gary Kanaby author.  Download (pdf 12.1 MB)

Rotor Blade Maintenance

Presented at Sandia’s 4th Blade Workshop. July 2010, Albuquerque, NM. Compares rotor failure rates, common blade issues and defect detection techniques. Gary Kanaby author.  Download (pdf 8.4 MB)

Increasing Reliability Through A Blade's Lifecycle

Presented at AWEA Project Profitability & Reliability Workshop. January 2010, San Diego, CA. Reliability of the blade starts at the design and follows though production, delivery, installation and operation. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf xxx KB) At Cross-Border Climate and Renewable Energy - Presented at a Cross Border Meeting. August 2009, La Jolla, CA. Quick facts about wind energy, investment opportunities and market outlook. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 2.6 MB)

At Cross-Border Climate and Renewable Energy

Presented at a Cross Border Meeting. August 2009, La Jolla, CA. Quick facts about wind energy, investment opportunities and market outlook. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 1.7 MB)

Manufacturing Blades for Turbine Reliability

Presented at the Sandia Turbine Reliability Workshop. June 2009, Albuquerque, NM. Major challenges facing blade reliability: Design blades that can be built; building blades that survive; blades designed to reduce loads; and areas of improvement. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 5.3 MB)

Wind Blade Issues and Solutions

Presented at Wind Energy Update’s Operation & Maintenance Summit. April 2009, Houston, TX. How blade failures contribute to lost revenues. Scheduling maintenance to improve blade efficiency and increase energy output. Specialized inspection and repair techniques. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 5.8 MB)

A Look at Wind Turbine Blades

Presented at UWIG Fall Technical Workshop: A mile high view of wind integration. October 2008 Denver CO. New wind turbine blade issues, inspection, repairs and services. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 5 MB)

Turbine Blades from the Ground Level

Presented at the 3rd annual Sandia Blade Workshop. May 2008, Albuquerque, NM. Causes of new blade issues and solutions to the problems. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 1.7 MB)

Economic Benefits of Scheduled Rotor Maintenance

Presented at the CANWEA Annual Conference. October 2006, Winnipeg, Canada. Several different types of blade damage reviewed and how preventative maintenance may lower costs. Gary Kanaby author. Download (pdf 21.6 MB)

Use of Carbon Fiber in Wind Blades

Presented at USCAR meeting. Nov 2005, Dearborn, MI. After the U.S. DOE announced that USCAR and DOE would invest up to $195 million in R&D to produce lightweight cars, input from the wind industry was needed to determine if the production cost of carbon fiber could be lowered by combining the volumes required for the two industries. Gary Kanaby was invited to join the panel. Download (pdf 2.2 MB)

Sweep-Twist Adaptive Blade

Tom Ashwill, Sandia National Laboratories, and Gary Kanaby, MFG, introduce the Sweep Twist technology to Europe at the EWEC Wind Conference in 2007. Download (pdf 4.5 MB)