Vestas is consolidating its status number one, and Siemens-Gamesa is moving to second place after the merger earlier this year.

We took FTI Consulting data for 2016 to form a rating of the top ten manufacturers of wind power equipment, to identify new trends, the global cumulative capacity and the number of markets where they are currently active and their equipment is available for order, with a forward-looking forecast orders, products and company strategy.

When dealing with figures, it turns out that Vestas is the world’s leading supplier of wind turbines. The Danish manufacturer, including the offshore joint venture MHI Vestas (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – Vestas), has installed more new capacity than any other company during 2016, has the largest total market share and is actively operating in the most highly developed global market.
Goldwind actually sold more turbines during the year – 3,656, and Vestas – 3,589, – but the average capacity of its cars is 1.8 MW against 2.5 MW of Vestas turbines.
The ten OEMs reviewed here have provided more than 43 GW of new wind power capacity in 2016, accounting for 76% of the world market and representing nearly 20,000 turbines.
Their aggregate potential at the end of last year amounted to 380 GW, which is more than three quarters of the world.
We considered Siemens and Gamesa as one company after their merger earlier this year, although in 2016 they still worked as separate companies.
Regarding Gamesa separately, FTI placed it fourth in the comparison list for the new installed capacity in 2016 for Vestas, GE and Goldwind, with an installed 4262 MW and a market share of 7.5%. Siemens took the sixth place behind Enercon with 3204 MW and 5.6% respectively.

1 VESTAS, DENMARK

The Danish manufacturer overtook Goldwind in terms of the new installed capacity in 2015, but it was largely the result of an extraordinary increase in installed capacity in China this year.
With better service, resumed in 2016, Vestas returned to top positions. According to FTI Consulting, last year it installed almost 9 GW, taking 15.8% of the world market.

The key word here is “global”, because Vestas is active in 34 markets since 2016, more than any other turbine manufacturer, according to FTI Consulting. This year there were no disruptions, and the company announced significant orders for the supply of turbines in some hitherto unusual places – from China and South Korea to Russia.
The US supplies the lion’s share in the company’s orders, although, in general, models for regions with an average wind speed of V100 and V110 2.0MW.
Models for regions with low winds – with a rotor diameter of 116 and 120 meters – were announced in April and will be released next year.
A more 3 MW platform oriented towards Europe is upgraded to a nominal capacity of 4.2 MW with a rotor diameter of 117, 136 and 150 meters.
Largely due to the requirements of competitive bidding, especially in Germany, the focus is on models for medium and low winds.
But the V117 platform, first orintated on the territory with high wind speed, opens for the company coastal markets in China, Japan and Vietnam.
The joint venture for the production of wind turbines for the offshore market of MHI Vestas (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – Vestas) has reached maturity in 2017 with the commissioning of 258 MW of Burbo Bank Extension for Dong Energy on the north-west coast of England.
The Burbo Bank project was the first on which the turbine V164-8.0MW was deployed, but orders for it are for offshore projects in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
In the summer, a variant of the V164 turbine with an extension of 9.5 MW was announced, which has already been ordered for the Trogon Knoll project from 860 MW of Innogy in the waters of the UK. The only bad news on the sea front during 2017 was the loss due to the fire of the first prototype V164 with a capacity of 9.5 MW installed at the Osterild ground test site in Denmark.
The acquisition of Vestas independent service providers UpWind Solutions and Availon brought dividends. According to the company, service orders rose from 1.8 billion euros in 2015 to 10.7 billion euros.
Expansion of service activities is only part of the Vestas strategy, which goes beyond the main activity of producing and selling wind turbines.
“We definitely ceased to accept ourselves as simply suppliers of the turbine,” says Morten Dyrholm, vice president of the company. “We look at ourselves more and more integrally, as part of a larger electric power system, where different technologies must balance each other.”
Also at the very beginning is the direction in the technologies of small hybrid wind-solar and storage systems. In September, the company confirmed that it was working with the Tesla electric vehicle manufacturer for energy storage solutions. Pilot projects in this area are planned for 2018.

Focus: Maintaining the leading positions in the onshore market

Risk: Slow growth of the global offshore market

2 SIEMENS GAMESA, GERMANY-SPAIN

As a result of the merger of Siemens and Gamesa, which ended on April 3, a new giant was created in the production of wind turbines – 75 GW of installed capacity in 90 countries, 27 000 employees and a wide range of ground and marine equipment.

Six months later, however, it is not yet clear how Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) will merge its production assets and product lines.
The first “accident”, not entirely unexpected, occurred with the 8 MW turbine Adven of Areva, which Gamesa still refused to produce when the nuclear company Areva left the wind power. The replacement of the Adwen gearbox with a SGRE 8 MW turbine with direct drive for the first offshore projects in France caused the death of the Adwen car. The future for its gearbox, built by a subsidiary of Siemens under the name Winergy, may be found in future projects of marine turbines from other OEMs, but this is by no means necessary. Another victim was jobs, especially in the manufacture of blades, when factories in Canada and Denmark were closed or reduced the number of employees. About 500 jobs were cut this year.
For both merge companies, the year 2017 was difficult. Gamesa slowed down in Brazil and was hit by a sudden decline in India, when state-owned energy companies switched from a tariff-based subsidy system to competitive bidding.
In the US supercompetitive market, Vestas and GE are superior to Siemens, and it is slowly reacting to the new requirements of the German auction system. The new company after the merger needed a great victory and won it, having gained a leading position in the consortium, which won the order of 1GW in Turkey with the offer of electricity cost of only € 34.8 / MWh for 12-13 years. “At this price they will be accepted with open arms,” ​​was the response of one competing OEM bidder. The contract includes a commitment to build production facilities and consulting services in Turkey, where local residents must get work, and 65% of local content.
The portfolio of turbines looks random. Gamesa offers a 2 MW platform with a rotor diameter of 80 to 114 meters; a family of 2.5 MW with a rotor diameter of 106 -126 m; and a 3.3 MW machine with a rotor diameter of 132 m. The Siemens gearbox on the 2.3-2.625 MW platform has a rotor of 101-120 m. The gearless family of Siemens turbines for terrestrial basing is 3.2-4.3 MW with a rotor diameter of 101, 108 , 113, 120, 130 and 142 meters. The situation is more clear on the shelf, where the turbine with direct drive SWT-154, presented as a 6 MW model but now upgraded to 8 MW, has a competitor only in the face of MHI Vestas V164 turbine in the 7 MW-plus sector. These two turbines are believed to dominate the offshore market of Europe over the next decade and have good opportunities for use in the nascent offshore sector of the United States.

Focus: Rationalization of products and production assets
Risk: Weakening positions in the US and Germany

3 GE, United States

The attraction of the domestic market remains strong for GE, but the US turbine manufacturer has made significant progress in several other countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
In May, GE announced the order of nearly 200 MW for two projects in China. June saw a deal with Mainstream Renewable Power for 800 MW in Vietnam. Major events during the summer included a contract for 153 MW in Pakistan and a deal of 453 MW in Australia.
But great opportunities for the company in the US, as well as in the boom associated with a phased withdrawal from the tax on production (PTC).
According to Make Consulting’s analysis, presented at the conference of the American Wind Energy Association in May, 50GW of new wind energy will be installed in the US by the end of 2020, plus another 7-8GW in replacement of old turbines.
GE is aiming for a significant piece of this market and will do everything in its power to get it. Now GE is suing the US for its main competitor, Vestas, in a dispute over patent infringement.
The largest order until today was announced in June – 800 windmills with a capacity of 2.5 MW for the project developed by Invenergy 2GW Wind Catcher in Oklahoma. And another major order to replace less powerful wind generators is about 500 MW with PacifiCorp in Idaho.
GE in offshore waters looks less impressive. The 6MW Haliade turbine, acquired from Alstom, began its commercial life, generating electricity at the Deepwater Wind 30MW project, Block Island, commissioned last December.
Three more turbines are installed on a demonstration project in China. In addition, there are orders for three French projects with a capacity of 1.5 GW, which are still in litigation, and 396 MW for a German project in the North Sea.
The nominal power of the GE Haliade 6MW wind turbine and the 150-meter diameter rotor are already significantly behind in the competition with MHI Vestas and SGRE, which raises doubts in its long-term future.
These doubts arose in May, when it became clear that the European Commission (EU) is studying the issue of GE’s takeover of the LM Wind Power, although the deal was approved by the EU two months earlier, on the grounds that GE originally submitted “introductory misleading information. ” GE allegedly informed the EC that it does not plan to develop an offshore turbine with a capacity of 12 MW, but European Union regulators subsequently found evidence to the contrary. The investigation continues.
GE largely depended on its usual platforms of wind turbines with a working capacity of 1.7-1.85 MW and 2.0-2.5 MW. The 3.2-3.8 MW family, focused on European markets, especially Germany, struggled to achieve success against competitors from Vestas, Enercon and Nordex, which currently operate on 4 MW turbines. GE introduced some details of the new 4.8MW with a record rotor diameter of 158 meters at the September show in Husum. It will be built on sites with low and medium wind with a tower height from 101 to 161 meters.

Focus: Make the most of the PTC window

Risk: Provide growth when this window is closed

4 GOLDWIND, CHINA

Goldwind was the world’s leading manufacturer of installed capacity in 2015, its 7.88 GW ahead of Vestas and GE.

Slowdown in the Chinese market meant that it fell in the annual rating of last year to the third place, and with the creation of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) in April, it fell to the fourth.

Goldwind reported a 10% drop in revenue and a 21% drop in pre-tax profit in the first half of 2017 compared to a year earlier, confirming fears that the slowdown in wind power in China could have its results.

The total installed capacity of the company at the end of 2016 was just over 38 GW, but only 1.4 GW is accounted for by foreign markets.

In 2016, the company supplied turbines to three markets outside of China – more than any of its domestic competitors – and in the coming years the company’s export volume will grow.

The company’s hope in its international arsenal is a subsidiary of Goldwind Americas. By the end of last year, the firm won a 1.87GW deal for the multiphase project of the Viridis Eolia developer in Wyoming. The supply of turbines with a capacity of 2.5 MW and 3 MW should be carried out in the period from now to 2022.

In addition, this summer, Goldwind signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s government agencies to investigate investment opportunities and potential production sites.

The company adds the theme of energy storage to its catalog. In August, Goldwind signed a letter of intent with the Swedish company SaltX to develop a “solution for wind energy with integrated energy storage.” Goldwind plans to join the thermal energy storage technology “megawatt scale” SaltX in Beijing.

Another, as successful as the company had in 2015, can again be repeated for the company, but such heights can be achieved only by applying a multi-purpose attack, the company can not aim to put only quantitative factors, it is necessary to focus on innovation and diversity.

Focus: Business Diversification

Risk: decelerating the home market

5 ENERCON, GERMANY

Speaking at the Hannover Messe in April, Enercon Managing Director Hans-Dieter Kettwig predicts the company’s gross output of about 5.5 billion Euros for 2017, with the company’s turbine installation expected to reach 4 GW. This increase from 3.6GW, achieved in 2016, according to FTI Consulting.
Kettwig’s comments give a rare insight into the financial state of Enercon. Being an independent conglomerate of companies – limited liability companies, it is not subject to pressure from quarterly public reporting, unlike competitors listed on the stock exchange.
According to FTI, the presence of Enercon in 26 markets last year was second only to Vestas, which indicates the work in small markets, including Bolivia, Costa Rica, Estonia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Historically, the company avoids the US and China.
Equally noteworthy is that its most popular turbine was the E115-3MW – all the other largest models of the best-selling OEMs were 2.4 MW or less.
This year, Enercon’s arrival to the Indian market resumed after the conclusion of a ten-year legal dispute with its former joint venture partner in this country, which currently trades as WindWorld India.
Enercon wants to upgrade its 1200 turbines in the subcontinent and has begun agreements on non-exclusive cooperation with independent service providers for repair and maintenance.
The company has adopted a 4-megawatt revolution this year with the launch of a direct-drive turbine with a capacity of 4.2 MW at the end of 2016. Since then, its main competitors have followed suit, and only Enercon reversed the course by revealing its radical new modular approach to the 3.5MW platform in August.
The wide range of technologies of the company includes everything from the smallest EP1 (800-900 kW), then EP2 (2-2.35 MW), EP3 (3.05-3.2MW), EP4 (4.2MW) and ending with the EP8 turbine (7.58 MW),
With the addition of the new EP3 3.5MW modular design, Enercon acknowledged the move to auction systems around the world, which requires performance at a lower price, especially in Germany, where the company is trying to maintain its position as the market leader even taking into account that this market is shrinking.

Focus: New Modular Turbine Platform

Risk: Transition to Competitive Bidding

6 NORDEX GROUP, GERMANY

Lars Bondo Krogsgaard (Lars Bondo Krogsgaard) held the seat of Nordex CEO for less than two years and resigned in March after the company cut its revenue forecasts for 2017 and 2018, which caused a sharp drop in its share price.
He was replaced by his deputy and CEO, Jose Luis Blanco, former CEO of Acciona Windpower.
The company’s news for the first half of the year was slightly more positive than last year, as the company recorded € 572 million in new orders in the second quarter, bringing the total volume of orders to € 3.6 billion, including service contracts.
The service division is currently expanding rapidly, and its turnover this year is 24% higher than 2016, reaching 150 million euros.
But there is still pain. In September, Blanco announced that the group expects to cut by 21 billion euros from its material resources and operating costs and another 24 million personnel costs, which would result in the loss of 400 to 500 jobs throughout Europe, mainly in Germany.
Germany’s move to competitive bidding has caused uncertainty in the domestic market for Nordex, and “clean” players, including Enercon and Senvion, are struggling to adapt.
“We are responding to changes in the volume of business, increasing its value, in order to maintain our profitability,” Blanco said.
The main news on the grocery front was the announcement in September of the latest development of the Delta 3MW platform, launched in 2013.
The new model, designed for low- and medium-speed wind regions, has a nominal power of 4-4.5 MW and a rotor diameter of 149 meters. The first prototype will be installed in autumn 2018, and full-scale production will begin next year.
The company also tested a 134-meter tubular steel tower with a diameter of 4.3 meters, which will allow the German transport restrictions.

Focus: Cost reduction, 4.5 MW output to the market

Risk: Expulsion by large players

7 SENVION, GERMANY

According to FTI, the US-owned turbine manufacturer headquartered in Germany was unable to enter the top ten in 2016 at an installed capacity. But the total installed capacity, international coverage and portfolio of turbines lift the company in our rating.
Over the past 18 months, the company unveiled new models of its 3MW platform, initiated the development of the 10MW-plus turbine for the new offshore market, announced an increase in revenues of 4.6% in the first half of 2017 and plans to reduce 780 jobs, mainly at production sites in Germany. The company is moving to a “transformation” regime for two years, explained General Director Jürgen Geissinger.
The former chief of the company Schaeffler (Schaeffler) held this position for almost two years. During this time, the company entered six new markets with supplies to Croatia, Chile, Norway, Ireland, Serbia and Italy (offshore), as well as a troubled return to India after its sale from the previous owner of Suzlon, Centerbridge Partners, in 2015.

Portfolio of Sennio on the onshore market varies from MM 2-2.05MW series, of which MM92 is a bestseller, up to 3.7M144, which was introduced in Husum in September of this year. This turbine has already been contracted for a 429 MW project in Australia.

Focus: Restructuring to ensure competitiveness

Risk: Increased competition and consolidation

8 UNITED POWER, CHINA

Fully owned by China Guodian Corporation, one of the country’s five largest state-owned power generators, United Power felt the impact of a slowdown in the installation of wind turbines in China.
According to FTI, United Power installed 3.09 GW of new capacity in 2015, all in China, which accounted for 4.9% of the world market share. In 2016, the volume decreased to 2.13 GW, 3.8%. United Power remains the second largest turbine manufacturer in China, although it lags far behind Goldwind.
The company’s sales are concentrated on a turbine with a capacity of 1.5 MW with a diameter of 86 m, developed by the German consulting company Aerodyn Engineering.
The company’s European expertise was also affected by a 2 MW turbine (97-meter diameter rotor) and a 3 MW (120 meters) model. Several years ago, a prototype of a 6 MW marine turbine with a rotor diameter of 136 meters was presented, but in 2016 United Power did not engage in offshore business.

Focus: Waiting until the market improves

Risk: Technology Lagging

9 ENVISION ENERGY, CHINA

Envision is exploring new markets and new technologies to compensate for the relative slowdown of the industry in China. The company installed just over 2GW in 2016, mainly in the home market, but won a deal of $ 90 million in Mexico and signed contracts for $ 185 million in Argentina.
The company acquired the French coastal wind farm of the European developer Velocita Energy Developments, which includes a 500 MW site. He also did “homework” in India, anticipating a possible exit on the fourth largest market in the world.
Last year, the European consortium selected Envision turbines to equip its direct-drive superconductors with a device that is said to be capable of tripling the generation of electricity.
In 2016, the company introduced its EnSight energy analytics platform and the EnOS system, which, she claims, can manage “all kinds of energy infrastructure”, from wind turbines to storage devices and intelligent networks to household appliances.
Technological giants drew attention, and this year Microsoft and Accenture teamed up with Envision to develop programs for the Internet of things.

Focus: Development of intelligent software packages

Risk: Weak presence in existing markets

10 SWUZLON, INDIA

The leading domestic manufacturer of turbines in India is among the top ten on the background of its historical data and future prospects of its domestic market.
He installed 1.14GW in 2016, which put him on the 16th place in the table of leading suppliers of FTI wind turbines. But it ranks eighth in volume, with 16.8 GW of turbines operating in North and Latin America, Europe and Australia.
India’s ambitious goals offer ample opportunities for growth, not least in turbine replacement projects, but other producers are looking at this lucrative market, and Suslon will have to continue its work on the technological front.