Gains will also be driven by renewable portfolio standards at the state level, as well as continued political will to support incentives that help make wind energy more cost competitive.

Furthermore, this industry benefits from a relatively established manufacturing process, although continued technological development will make wind energy more competitive in a growing number of areas with lower wind speeds and in offshore installations.

Utility-scale applications to remain dominant
Despite the continued development of vertical wind turbine systems and those designed for distributed power applications, horizontal axis turbines for utilityscale projects will continue to dominate the wind turbine system market through the forecast period.

Most wind turbine sales in the US will be for on-shore applications through the 2017; however, a growing number of turbine systems will be installed for off-shore applications, particularly in the northern Atlantic waters and the Great Lakes, through the forecast period.

This advancement will be driven in part by the establishment of state and federal regulatory schemes, and technological improvements that enable installation in a wider range of locations.

Rotor systems to post stronger value sales gains
The primary components of a wind turbine system are the nacelle, the rotor system and the tower. In 2007, the nacelle and its internal components accounted for the largest share of wind turbine system value sales with 59 percent.

However, the value sales of rotor systems will post stronger gains in light of the use of increasingly long blades made of highervalue materials that are stronger and lighter than previous generations.

Less established wind energy regions to grow faster
Much of the US has strong wind energy potential with large areas of open land rated windy enough for efficient power generation and a shallow continental shelf along the Atlantic shoreline.

As of 2007, the West South Central subregion accounted for the largest share of sales with 33 percent, driven by the high level of installed wind energy capacity in Texas and Oklahoma. However, subregions with less established wind energy markets are expected to post stronger gains through 2012.

Study coverage
This new industry study, Wind Turbine Systems and Components, presents US historical demand data (2002, 2007) plus forecasts for 2012 and 2017 by product, application and region. The study also considers market environment factors, highlights regulations and incentives, evaluates company market share and profiles 35 US industry competitors.

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ind Turbine Systems and Components Market in the US
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