The world’s growing appetite for wind energy is transforming wind blades into one of the hottest composite applications around. The huge build-up of wind-power generating capacity—particularly in the U.S, China, and Spain—has raised a bumper crop of new plants for manufacturing these composite parts.

A new line of low-viscosity epoxy tougheners is designed for amine-cured, DICY, anhydride-, and phenolic-cured systems where greater mechanical performance is needed in addition to adhesion and corrosion/chemical resistance.

Dow Polyurethanes, Midland, Mich., plans to add 130 million lb/yr of specialty polyols capacity at Freeport, Texas, with start-up slated for early 2009.