Vestas Makes Waves in the Wind Industry

Since its establishment in Denmark in 1898 as a manufacturer of household appliances, Vestas Wind Systems A/S -- as it is now known -- has grown to one of the world leaders in the wind power industry. It was not until 1979, more than eighty years since its founding, that Vestas entered the wind marketplace with its first wind turbine, a model with a ten meter rotor and an output of thirty kilowatts (kW). Today, Vestas is pioneering offshore wind farming with its new turbine, specially designed for the unique challenges of sea winds and conditions. The V164-7.0 MW turbine has blades eighty meters long and has a rating of 7,000 kW, making it one of the largest, most efficient turbines in the world.

But not all of Vestas’s history has been smooth sailing. Its first major setback occurred in 1980, when a flaw was found in the fiberglass construction of the blades. Due to this discovery, all Vestas turbines were stopped until the flaw, which caused blade failure in storm winds, was fixed. Although it was a costly problem to resolve, there was one advantage: since 1981, all Vestas blades are designed and manufactured in Vestas facilities. Other setbacks followed; in 1985 a shipping company’s bankruptcy nearly caused Vestas’s bankruptcy when a large order of blades was unable to be delivered on time; the 2005 global economic recession was another serious dent in the company’s bottom line due to a weak dollar and soaring steel prices.

Through it all, Vestas has been committed not only to customer service, but to its vision of a sustainable energy future. Since its first foray into the wind power industry, Vestas has had its eye set on a day when wind power would equal the effectiveness of traditional fuels. And as technology progresses -- thanks in a large part to the company’s dedication to constant research and development -- that day is getting closer than ever before.