Recent trends in wind turbine gearboxes

Industrial Gearboxes, which include a wide variety of types, are an essential part of the mechanical equipment landscape. Among them, Gearboxes in wind turbines, as a crucial mechanical component, have the main function of accurately transmitting the power generated by the wind turbine driven by the wind to the generator, and at the same time ensuring that the generator obtains the appropriate rotational speed. From the traditional type of division, the gear box can be divided into parallel shaft gear gear box, planetary gear box, as well as a combination of the two (planetary + parallel shaft) gear box; according to the number of transmission stages, there is a single - stage gear box and multi - stage gear box; according to the rotating arrangement, it can be subdivided into the unfolding type, the shunt type, coaxial type, and the hybrid type, and so on.

In the industry chain structure, the upstream of the wind power gear box industry covers steel, copper, aluminum and other types of raw materials, while the downstream is closely linked to the wind power machine manufacturing industry. Just like in other industrial applications where Standard Industrial Gearboxes are used, the quality and availability of raw materials play a significant role in the production of wind power gearboxes. The market share of key enterprises in China's wind power main gear box industry is also valuable to study.

Under the strong leadership of the “double carbon” policy, the vigorous development of wind power and other new energy industries has become an unstoppable trend of the times. Wind power main gear box, as a direct influence on the overall performance of wind turbines and the service life of the core components, the development of the industry in which it is located, not only subject to the influence of their own industry policy environment, but also closely linked with the policy guidance of the wind power industry, the two are intertwined and interact with each other.

First, the technical level and characteristics of the wind power main gear box industry

Wind power main gear box is known as one of the top technological content of the wind turbine components. Its core mission lies in the wind wheel to capture the wind energy into mechanical energy, and transfer to the generator, while skillfully matching the required speed of the generator. This process contains many technical difficulties and unique product characteristics, which are reflected in the following key aspects: first, complex and delicate mechanical structure, which needs to ensure that all components work together to achieve high efficiency transmission; second, high reliability requirements to cope with the harsh outdoor operating environment and uninterrupted work for a long time; third, the pursuit of high - efficiency conversion to minimize the energy loss; and fourth, low noise and vibration to reduce the impact on the surrounding environment and the turbine itself. Low noise and vibration to reduce the adverse effects on the surrounding environment and the unit itself; Fifth, facing high cost investment and high technical threshold, from R & D to production require strong technical strength and financial support. These requirements are also similar to those of high - end Machine tool power gearboxes, which need to ensure high - precision Power transmission in a complex manufacturing environment.

Second, wind power main gear box industry market size analysis

Looking back to 2013 - 2023, China's new installed capacity of wind power showed strong growth, with an average annual compound growth rate of more than 17%. By the end of 2023, China's cumulative installed capacity of wind turbines successfully climbed to 474.6GW, compared with 2022, a year - on - year growth of 19.98%, accounting for as much as 46.48% of the global cumulative installed capacity of wind power during the same period. 2024 May, the State Council issued the “Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction Action Plan for the years 2024 - 2025”, which explicitly put forward that, by 2025, the proportion of non - fossil energy consumption should reach 20%. In May 2024, the State Council released the Action Program on Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction for 2024 - 2025, which clearly stated that by 2025, the proportion of non - fossil energy consumption should reach about 20%. This policy direction releases a strong signal that China's wind power industry is likely to enter a period of accelerated construction in 2024 - 2025.

In recent years, with the steady promotion and effective implementation of national energy saving and emission reduction, “dual control” and “dual carbon” policy objectives, China's wind power industry has ushered in a golden period of vigorous development. As the core component of wind power machine manufacturing, the wind power main gear box market scale also shows a rapid expansion trend, showing great market potential. This growth in the wind power industry also has an impact on the demand for other industrial gearboxes, such as Mining Heavy Duty Gearboxes in the mining industry, which may see changes in their market due to the development of related energy - intensive industries.

Third, the industry development trend

(A) steady expansion of market size

Given that the application of wind power main gear box is highly concentrated in the field of wind power, the development of the wind power industry, especially the level of installed capacity, the development of the wind power main gear box industry plays a crucial role in influencing. Looking ahead, the trend of installed capacity growth in the wind power industry has become clear, and the wind power main gear box industry will benefit from it. From the point of view of the new installed capacity, with the continued development of the wind power industry, the market demand for wind power main gear box will also climb steadily, showing a good growth curve. This growth may also drive the development of related industrial gearbox technologies, similar to the development of Metallurgical rolling mill gearboxes in the metal - rolling industry, which are constantly evolving to meet the increasing demands of the industry.

(B) product performance requirements continue to improve

In the wind turbine large - scale development trend, the emergence of large megawatt units on the core components put forward higher requirements. In order to adapt to these large units, the wind power main gear box bearing capacity must continue to improve. High - power wind power main gear box involves a more advanced level of technology, which puts forward a higher challenge to the R & D and innovation ability of wind power main gear box enterprises. With the continuous iterative innovation of large units, supporting the wind power main gear box research and development difficulties as well as the difficulty of batch production will be further increased, companies need to continue to increase investment in research and development, improve technical strength to meet market demand. This pursuit of high - performance gearboxes is also seen in the development of Specialized Gearboxes for Petrochemicals, which need to meet the strict requirements of the petrochemical industry.

(C) further increase in industry concentration

Wind power main gear box as one of the core components of wind turbines, wind turbine manufacturers on its quality control is extremely strict, generally build a perfect and harsh supplier access system. Wind power main gearbox enterprises to enter the wind turbine manufacturer's qualified supplier list, usually need to go through a long verification cycle of 2 - 3 years. Wind turbine manufacturers generally do not change their existing suppliers easily, as developing new suppliers is not only time - consuming but also costly.

As the concentration of the downstream wind turbine manufacturing industry gradually increases, wind turbine main gearbox companies with strong product competitive advantages, rich customer resource advantages and excellent customer service capabilities will stand out in the market competition, and their market share will continue to expand, which will drive the concentration of the entire wind turbine main gearbox industry to continue to increase. This trend of industry concentration is also observed in the market of Machine Tool Cutting Gearboxes, where leading enterprises gradually dominate the market with their advanced technology and high - quality products. In addition, the development of the chemical industry, which uses Chemical mixing gearboxes, may also be affected by the overall trend of industrial development, with larger and more competitive companies emerging.