Earth Equity News

Boeing, Vestas Form Research Partnership. By James Kantor, NYTimes, March 11, 2009."On Wednesday, two major but very different players in the world of aerodynamics -- the American airplane builder Boeing and the giant Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas -- said they would seek ways to work together on various projects... 'There is a strong correlation between new technologies needed in the aerospace industry and new technologies needed in the wind-energy businesses,' said Jan Narlinge, the president of Boeing Northern Europe. A particular challenge for Boeing was improving fuel efficiency, Mr. Narlinge said. For Vestas -- a largely undiversified wind company unlike its main competitors Siemens and General Electric -- the partnership could help it improve the construction of its towers and increase the power output from its turbines, said Jan Kristiansen, a senior vice president at the company. Part of meeting that challenge might be learning from Boeing how to reduce the amount of steel in the increasingly vast windmills -- some 100 meters, or 328 feet, tall -- or even using aerospace materials to improve wind resistance. 'We make increasingly long and heavier blades -- some measuring 60 meters -- and we need expertise to make these strong and efficient,' said Mr. Kristiansen."