Page 33 - MetalForming September 2019

Fabrication: Energy Market Report
result, “metal formers and fabricators likely will face strong market conditions for upstream production, pipelines, compressor stations and gas-distrib- ution systems,” he says.
And, despite less-expensive natural gas, the sector has seen a substantial increase in investment and construc- tion of renewable power sources such as solar and wind.
“Due to innovations enhancing the cost-effectiveness of renewables, con- sumer demand and a favorable tax cli- mate, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has found that non- hydroelectric renewable energy resources such as solar and wind will be the fastest growing source of U.S. electricity generation for at least the next two years,” Segal says. “And as technology improves, the future will be even brighter.”
For those supplying engineering to coal-fired power, he offers, the future is less clear.
“However, the most endangered coal plants have either closed or are phasing out,” says Segal. “The remaining coal plants play important roles in main- taining the reliability of the grid. There- fore, maintenance projects necessitat- ing metal forming and fabricating can be expected to continue for those facil- ities. If the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency clarifies its position on New Source Review enforce-
ment, the climate for main- tenance projects at coal facil- ities may even improve.”
Applications Abound
Seemingly without end, metal formers and fabricators have taken advantage of the energy uptick. As the world gravitates toward conservation and sustainability, industries have responded, enabling numerous opportunities that result in countless application successes. Here’s a rundown of energy subsectors, including applications. Look for more in the online article at www.met- alformingmagazine.com.
American wind farms produce enough electricity to power more than 30 million average homes and supply more than 20 percent of the electricity in six states, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Photo courtesy of GE Renewable Energy
EVs Going Strong
Like the energy sector as a whole, the subsector of electric vehicles (EVs) is gaining traction with no slowdown in sight, according to the Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019, from BloombergNEF. The outlook reports 2018 worldwide sales of EVs surpassing 2 million, an increase from only a few thousand in 2010. The report forecasts annual passenger EV sales to rise to 10 million in 2025, 28 million in 2030 and 56 million by 2040, when EVs will account for 57 percent of all passenger-vehicle sales, and more than 30 percent of the global passen- ger-vehicle fleet will be electric.
Tighter emission regulations and worldwide environmental concerns help spur this growth, according to the outlook, with significant reductions in battery prices helping EVs to reach
price parity with internal combustion vehicles by the mid-2020s in most vehi- cle segments.
The alternative-fuel and electric- vehicle markets deliver opportunities to metalformers and fabricators, with applications and volumes growing as these technologies take hold. Material development also provides a push.
“The automotive industry’s move away from traditional transportation to new mobility has accelerated over the past few years,” says Dr. Jody Hall, vice president-automotive market for the Steel Market Development Insti- tute. “It’s important that the material used for autonomous and electric vehi- cles is strong, durable and cost-effective —making advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) the best choice for automakers, suppliers and consumers.”
Battery packaging repre- sents one area ripe for AHSS use.
“Designing with AHSS offers a number of efficiencies over designing with other materials,” says Hall. “AHSS enables smaller section sizes, and smaller sections allow packaging of more batteries. Think of A-pillars and how skinny the pillars are on the sides of windshields, thanks to AHSS. Achieving the same roof-crush and rollover per- formance with traditional steels would require wider pil- lar geometry and thicker sheet metal. The same holds true for battery compartments.
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/September 2019 31
Thousands of components make up the modern wind turbine, with forming and fabricating providing a significant portion of the manufacturing muscle, from foundations to nacelle components. Photo courtesy of GE Renewable Energy