Tower Tech is a manufacturer of towers used in wind power projects, a growth area within the manufacturing sector given the record pace in the expansion of wind power generation projects across the country.

For Tower Tech, growth is buoyed in part by an agreement it signed this month to supply wind towers to a subsidiary of the Spanish company Gamesa, a leading player in the global wind industry.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Broadwind says it is the largest single order for towers placed by Gamesa with a North American tower manufacturer. Delivery from Manitowoc of the 256-foot, four-section wind towers for Gamesa begins this month.

“That’s a significant arrangement to lock in with one of the premier and major wind developers in the U.S.,” said Jeff Anthony of Milwaukee, a manager at the American Wind Energy Association and an active participant in Wisconsin’s renewable-energy sector.

“Gamesa is establishing their presence in the U.S. and is one of the fastest-growing wind turbine suppliers and project developers in the U.S.”

Broadwind Energy Inc. of Naperville, Ill., Tower Tech’s parent company, said it planned to raise $100 million through sale of stock to investment funds managed by Tontine Associates. A separate agreement with an unidentified partner would result in additional financing, Broadwind said.

The proceeds will be used to “accelerate . . . current expansion plans” as well as acquisitions and investments in plans to grow production, the company said.

Blue Sky Green Field remains under construction as We Energies tests the turbines, said company spokesman Barry McNulty.

In recent weeks, locals have called and e-mailed The Reporter with rumors about the project, including that it had been shut down due to stray voltage. Another rumor presented to The Reporter stated the turbines were not constructed properly and the blades could come loose.

McNulty denied those rumors and said the project is progressing according to schedule.

“It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter the type of fuel — nuclear, solar, wind — there will always be those who subject themselves to rumor,” he said.

The wind farm is located about 15 miles northeast of the city of Fond du Lac in the towns of Marshfield and Calumet.

A contractor has erected all the turbines and now We Energies is conducting comprehensive tests on each unit. Some have been spinning during test runs, while others remain dormant. McNulty said 60 of the 88 turbines are able to rotate, while work on the others remains in progress.

“The turbines have been spinning at times, but have been taken offline at times,” McNulty said.

We say again because there was a feasibility study in 1992 to assess the potential of wind power from turbines sited just a few miles offshore on the Racine Reef. Last week’s news reports discussed the possibilities which three developers see in generating power from the lake winds with a few hundred turbines placed some miles off the coast. They have not applied to the state for any permits; these are mere concepts, not finished designs. We hope for quick action rather than concepts.

Although one potential developer said his project is on hold while awaiting a method of mooring turbines in deep water, in fact those solutions already exist. Last month a company called Blue H Technologies announced a lease of 40 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean 23 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard for the first deep water wind farm built on floating platforms. In the fall, officials in the United Kingdom unveiled two 5-megawatt turbines placed in 150 feet of water 15 miles off the coast of Scotland.

On the other side of the lake, Muskegon, Mich., is also looking at becoming a wind power capital. Consultants there have calculated that at an extreme, an area of 8,806square miles in the middle of the lake from Beaver Island to Chicago could hold 36,400 towers producing a combined 182,000 megawatts. For comparison, each of the two coal-fired generators being built in Oak Creek will produce 615 MW of power.

One issue for people on shore is the appearance of these modern turbines. These are giants reaching heights of 300 or so feet, and while we wouldn’t want to see such monsters standing on the Racine Reef, turbines 15 or 20 miles off the coast would be barely visible.

There are problems with wind power, no question, starting with the problem that the wind doesn’t blow all the time. But there are solutions to that — backup generating stations or storing excess power as compressed air, for example.