Here comes the sun: Inspection Efficiency

Machining components for solar power generation systems can be a renewable source of business.

With less than 1 percent market share, solar is hardly a shining star in the U.S. energy production firmament. But the future looks bright for this renewable energy source as the country tries to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

Numerous “green” initiatives focus on finding nonpolluting and economical renewable sources of energy, particularly for the generation of electricity. According to the congressionally funded Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources were responsible for about 9 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2008. The largest share of renewable power was generated by hydroelectric sources at 67 percent, followed by biomass and wind at about 15 percent, geothermal at 4 percent, and solar at just 0.2 percent. However, the amount of power generated by solar sources in 2008 grew by 38 percent compared to 2007. The EIA predicts that renewable power production will represent almost 16 percent of U.S. power generation by 2030.

The video streaming from YouTube was produced by NREL, and provides some intriguing solar power facts.

Opportunity Knocks

Growing use of renewable energy will require accelerated sales of the equipment used to produce it, presenting a significant opportunity for manufacturers. However, according to Michele Soderstrom, market analyst for NextEnergy, a Michigan-based nonprofit corporation created to aid commercialization of renewable energy technologies: “These industries are very new here. We don’t have established supplier networks or a firmly established hierarchy of different tiers and OEMs, as in the automotive industry. There is a lot of opportunity, but companies need to know where to look to determine what role, if any, they can play in this new industry.”

NextEnergy is one of several organizations nationwide involved in the development of renewable energy technology and manufacturing. In its case, NextEnergy facilitates collaborative R&D, venture development and manufacturing development/supplier diversification in four renewable energy technologies: wind, solar, bioenergy and advanced batteries. Its mission is to accelerate the commercialization of alternative energy technologies, with a focus on Michigan companies.

NextEnergy’s R&D portfolio includes working with universities and government agencies to design and engineer new alternative energy technologies.

As part of its venture development work, NextEnergy supports technology developers and startups by reviewing their ideas and then facilitating commercialization by connecting the groups with venture capital, siting resources and financial incentives. NextEnergy also matches the new companies with Michigan-area design, engineering and manufacturing providers to aid the progression from prototype production to higher volumes.

Courtesy of Dept. of Energy/NREL, Warren Gretz

Technology applications company Science Applications International Corp. installed this prototype dish/engine solar concentration power generation system, rated at 25kW, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Thermal Test Facility in Golden, Colo.

NextEnergy is also involved in manufacturing development and supplier diversification, in which the organization assists Michigan manufacturers interested in manufacturing renewable energy components. NextEnergy’s extensive database of those companies enables Tier 1 and OEM energy suppliers to find qualified manufacturers; the service is free for both the Michigan manufacturers and the energy suppliers.

Another aspect of manufacturing development is business development training that ranges from market and product information to in-depth analysis of a manufacturer’s capabilities to identify potential business opportunities and suggest actions required to fully exploit them. NextEnergy provides the training in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Lansing, which can supply grants to cover up to 70 percent of training costs.

In addition to offering specific manufacturing capabilities, product and process engineering skills can also help a shop find work in the growing solar energy arena. “Because this industry is growing so quickly, there is a great deal of innovation in product design and manufacturing processes.” In those cases, Soderstrom said, “It is advantageous for companies to offer design and engineering services as well as tooling and manufacturing capabilities.”

Although a shop may not have direct experience in making parts for alternative energy applications, its capabilities may enable it to participate. However, the industry poses distinct challenges, according to Soderstrom: “Succeeding in a new industry requires flexibility. Companies have found that the solar industry places a greater premium on speed than they are used to. The lower volumes of solar vs. automotive manufacturing may also require a new approach.”

From GM to Stirling Engines

A combination of flexible manufacturing capability and a willingness to participate in manufacturing process development enabled a longtime Michigan automotive shop to win work in solar power manufacturing. Wolverine Machine Products Co., Holly, Mich., was founded in 1923 and earned success by screw machining auto parts. To its stable of Acme-Gridley bar machines and New Britain vertical boring machines, Wolverine added its first CNC machine in 1989, and now has 11 lathes and 9 mills. In 2006, the shop acquired a 8 ‘×13 ‘, three-head WARDJet waterjet cutter to permit production of a 12 “-long General Motors engine flange that required both waterjet cutting and CNC milling. As a result, the shop now offers both machining and waterjet services, noted Blaine Walker, special projects manager.

Courtesy of BP Solar

The 1.2mW solar power array at Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU) covers 4.3 acres and consists of more than 6,800 photovoltaic panels. It is capable of generating approximately 1,800mW hours of electricity per year, and eventually will provide more than 10 percent of CSU-Pueblo’s power needs. Project funding was provided by BP Solar and supplemented by Black Hills Energy, CSU-Pueblo’s local electric utility company, as part of its solar rebate program. BP Solar installed and will operate and maintain the system, selling electricity to the university.

To maximize utilization of the waterjet equipment and possibly expand the shop’s customer base, Walker posted the company’s capabilities on a Web site listing of waterjet job shops. Wolverine subsequently received an inquiry from a supplier to a maker of solar concentrator power generation systems comprised of a Stirling heat engine mounted in a concentrator dish (see sidebar below).

Wolverine was originally contracted to make three different parts for the engines. Two parts, one about 6 ” in diameter and the other 7 ” square, are 0.040 ” thick, and the third part is 0.098 ” thick and about 7 ” in diameter. Recently, a fourth part, 0.040 ” thick and 6 ” in diameter, was added. The part material is a proprietary stainless steel prehardened to 50 HRC. Each engine requires 33 units of the first part, 16 of the second and nine of the third.

To handle anticipated part volumes, in June 2009 Wolverine added a 13 ‘×30 ‘, four-head WARDJet machine. Walker noted that although those original production estimates have not yet been realized, volumes are increasing. “We’ve been involved with this project since January 2009,” he said. “We spent several months producing prototypes, working to find the most effective way to produce these parts. The tolerances are quite tight. On two parts we are holding a ±0.002 ” on a ¼ “-dia. hole. It has taken time to get to the point of being able to hold those tolerances with a waterjet.”

Process development work included finding a garnet waterjet abrasive that would impart the desired surface finish, and designing and building rigid workholding. “Keeping the material secure was a big part of it because the parts are very thin,” Walker said. Wolverine fabricated special fixtures to hold the material, and thereby gained the ability to produce other parts of the same or lesser thickness.

Courtesy of Wolverine Machine

Longtime Michigan automotive supplier Wolverine Machine Products added waterjet cutting to its screw machine and CNC machining capabilities and now uses the equipment to make parts for General Motors as well as components for Stirling engines, used in solar concentration power generation systems.

Process development, Walker said, “has been quite a journey.” Some of the engine components flex 60 times a second in operation, and they have been redesigned a number of times to maximize performance and reliability. “We have done a lot of work to improve the edge finish of the parts,” Walker said.

In full production, the two thinner parts will be manufactured by stamping. However, using waterjet cutting technology for prototypes and early production enables design updates to be implemented via changes in the waterjet program rather than by making new dies. The third part is not a candidate for stamping and should continue to require waterjet processing.

“We’ve known all along that eventually they want to stamp the 0.040 “-thick parts,” Walker said. “However, we are a supplier that is willing to help our customers with their prototype and trial-run parts. We want to show we are on the leading edge.”

Product Repositioning

Some companies have found they can reposition and modify their existing products to take advantage of the expansion of solar energy production.