Owens Corning Announces Breakthrough Single-End Roving for Wind Energy

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Owens Corning announced at the European Wind Energy Conference
and Exhibition in Athens, Greece, a breakthrough single-end roving and knitted
fabric, WindStrand(TM), which will allow the wind energy market to take
another step forward in competing successfully against other alternative
energy sources by reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour (kwh). The product will
allow turbine manufacturers to increase blade lengths by as much as six
percent and deliver up to 12 percent more power -- for up to 20 percent less
cost than any competing carbon-glass hybrid solution currently on the market.

In addition to the cost and performance benefits of WindStrand, the
product also provides manufacturers with the traditional processability of
glass, combined with the stiffness strength and weight of other high-
performance materials. Other product highlights compared to conventional
E-glass include:

* Up to 35 percent higher tensile strengths
* Up to 17 percent higher stiffness (modulus)
* Enhanced fatigue, impact, aging, corrosion, and temperature resistance

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