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The stimulus and green jobs | 26 comments (26 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: A-Power (none / 1)
Sooo much good information here.  Of which I had little idea.....  So happy that you wrote this here.

Do you have any good sources of info about the A-Power story?  There's been a spate of stories written in the popular media in the US, but none have framed it in terms of industrial policy.  I've been wanting to explore this case with China further.  It seems that a really good article could be written in this vein, making the story understandable for a broad audience outside of academia.

Thanks for the comment.

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg

by ManfromMiddletown (manfrommiddletown at lycos dot com) on Tue Nov 10th, 2009 at 03:44:59 PM EST
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Re: A-Power (4.00 / 4)
There's not a lot of verifiable info on A-Power, much of what i've learned is through direct contacts with analysts.  I've been told that the father of A-Power's president is in jail in the US for securities fraud, which analysts claim to have verified, but i haven't.

What's most important to me is that industry history makes it unlikely that the turbine will be successful, despite its pedigreed design. The turbine has been undergoing testing in Germany since 2008, and there are several dozen installed this year in Europe. i was impressed when i visited three of them, after two days with the design team.

Chinese turbines' capacity factor is far lower than standards here, and that's for the best machines. it will take a minimum of 3-5 years before European quality begins to be reached, and likely longer.

Here's the turbine on the highest tower in the world, 160m.

What's even weirder about the story is that A-Power's license is upgraded from the somewhat tested 2.5 design to the untested 2.7MW version.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Nov 10th, 2009 at 05:31:41 PM EST
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The stimulus and green jobs | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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