Wind Today - Q2 2008 - (Page 70)

Industry Profile Years with Company: One Years in the Industry: 10. Born: August 25, 1979 Family: Wife Sarah; Son Cade (4 yr.); Daughter Kali (2 yr.). Education: Tehachapi High School. the tech while he or she is climbing the 260 feet to the top of a wind tower. This increases the number of climbs a technician can perform and the efficiency of work performed once up tower due to a quicker recovery time. It also helps keep the site morale up allowing for better retention of trained technicians. What I like about the industry: I love the constant change that the wind industry has shown with continual improvements in design and performance. Most importantly, the wind industry is able to take wind that is uncontrollable and infinite in supply and, without any pollution, turn it into energy that thousands of homes can use. Key to the growth of the industry: Colleges like Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) that provide a top quality education with their wind power technician program. Properly trained technicians are the key to the industry’s success due to the simple fact that if we don’t have technicians to operate, maintain, and repair the wind turbines, the farms do not run. What I predict for the industry in the next three years: Continued growth in international and U.S. demand for clean energy driving more improvements in function and reliability, which will in turn, cause wind power generation to be ever more competitive with coal and gas power generation. Personal Highlights: Volunteer EMT for more than six years at Lake Benton, MN. Three awards from GE Wind: GE Power Award, Work above and beyond; GE Power Award, Co-inventor of a cable protector utilized in some 2003 GE wind trubines; and GE Gear Award: Start-up of Trimont. WIND TODA Y Second Quarter 2008 Ryan Orban Iberdrola Rene enew Iberdrola Renewables Elk River Plant Manager 14980 SE 190th Latham, KS 67072 620-202-1395 Ryan.Orban@iberdrolausa.com www.iberdrolarenewables.us Career: 1998: Assembled Z750s at Zond. 1999: Retrofit work on Z750s in Minnesota, followed by O&M technician position at Lake Benton I site. 2003: Tech2/Safety Coordinator for GE at Moraine, MN. 2004: Acting Lead Tech, then Acting Manager for GE during start-up phase for various Midwest sites. 2006: Plant Manager, Suzlon Wind Energy, Pipestone, MN. 2007: Elk River Plant Manger. My personal key to success: No matter what the job is and whether or not I feel it’s menial or extremely important, I always do my best and strive to be the best. My biggest challenge: Ensuring the best reliability at the farm while performing all maintenance within the manufacturers’ given timeline while also conducting needed repairs. I meet that challenge by: Understanding the capabilities and limitations of the technicians onsite and working that into the varying weather conditions (i.e. high or low wind season). It is key as a manager to understand all aspects involved in operating a wind turbine power plant, but it is also important to be open-minded and listen to the technicians that work onsite. The best operating sites are those whose managers value the opinion of all employees onsite and are open to change. The best new wind product/service: The climb assist equipment that takes approximately 80 lbs. of weight off of Ryan Orban is one of a growing number of secondgeneration wind industry professionals. “Although my career in wind started in 1998, I have been involved with the wind industry since I was four. My father, Darrell Orban, started his career in wind in 1984 with Zond Inc. (now GE Wind). I spent my summers during high school working for Zond at the Tehachapi, CA office doing simple jobs. That allowed me to see one of the first Z550s being built. In late 1998, I started my own career in wind assembling Z750s.” —Ryan Orban 70 http://www.iberdrolarenewables.us

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wind Today - Q2 2008

Wind Today - Q2 2008 Contents WINDPOWER 2008 - Host City - Houston WINDPOWER 2008 Special Events CanWEA 2008: Fast Forward to Wind Global Wind Plant Ownership Top 15 States with Wind Energy Installed Ranking the Percentage of State Electricity from Wind Largest Wind Farms in the United States Owners with the Most Wind Power Assets in the United States Rick Perry Bluegrass Ridge, Cow Branch, and Conception Wind Farms Loess Hills Wind Farm Bob Emick enXco V and enXco V Repower Climb Assist Devices GWEC Market Forecast Ports of Entry Satisfy Customers WINDPOWER 2008 Schedule Calendar Seven Principal Financing Structures Used in Utility-Scale Wind Projects Raising Project Funds Through Private Placements The Minnesota Flip Business Model Wind Resource Glossary WT Transmission Corn Plus Coop Adds Wind Energy Wind Resource Maps Ryan Orban, Iberdrola Renewables Liz Cussans, TransAlta Wind Bolton & Menk Trachte Port of Corpus Christi NPPD Interstate Truck Rental & Sales Dr. Shrink Aldridge Electric HYTORC Product Surveys Ad Index

Wind Today - Q2 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.