Building the Wind Supply Chain Workshop July 14

The Illinois Wind Working Group (IWWG) will host a "Building the Wind Turbine Supply Chain Workshop" on Tuesday, July 14 at the Interstate Center in Bloomington, the day before the third annual Advancing Wind Power in Illinois Conference at the same location. 

The workshop is sponsored by Illinois State University's Center for Renewable Energy and the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center.  The workshop, which runs from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., will enable participants to evaluate their capabilities relative to customer requirements and begin to develop their plan for penetrating the market.  Experts in the field of renewable energy will highlight market opportunities in the wind sector for attending manufacturers.

The goal of the workshop is to help build a new industry of wind turbine components that will create new jobs and investments throughout Illinois.  The workshop will also feature information on growing trends in wind power, major supply chain needs in the wind energy systems industry, retooling investments, and process upgrades that suppliers must address in order to comply with wind industry standards.

"By the time of this workshop, we will have passed the first 1,000 megawatt mark for wind energy in Illinois, and interest in this industry continues to be strong around the state," said David Loomis, director of the Center for Renewable Energy. 

Workshop speakers include a representative of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity; Bob Weinstein of the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center; Dylan Tuttle of the Jane Addams Resource Corporation; representatives of the Great Lakes Wind Network, including Ed Weston, Matt Garran, and Dale Reckman; and a panel of U.S. Wind Power Equipment Suppliers. 

The early registration fee is $95 through July 8. As of July 9, the regular registration fee is $105. The workshop is open to the public and will cover business opportunities in the renewable energy industry. Companies that may benefit from attending include manufacturers of supplemental equipment, machine shops, foundries, and more. For a detailed agenda and to register online for the one-day Supply Chain Workshop, or the two-day Advancing Wind Power in Illinois Conference, call (309) 438-7919 or visit www.renewableenergy.ilstu.edu/wind/conferences/.

 The IWWG is affiliated with the Department of Energy's Wind Powering America's state Wind Working Groups.  The group is administered by Illinois State's Center for Renewable Energy consisting of David Loomis (Economics), David Kennell (Technology), and Randy Winter (Agriculture). The IWWG is designed to communicate wind opportunities honestly and objectively; interact with various stakeholders at the local, state, regional, and national levels; and promote economic development of wind energy in the state of Illinois. 

The Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State was approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in August, 2008.  The Center has three major functional areas: supporting the renewable energy major at Illinois State University; serving the Illinois renewable energy community by providing information to the public; and encouraging applied research on renewable energy at Illinois State and through collaborations with other universities.