Mark your calendars, folks. This is the week that China starts exporting wind turbines to the United States. According to the Wall Street Journal’s energy blog, Mingyang Wind Power Technology Co., Ltd., has inked it’s first American deal for more than 70 1.5 MW turbines.

The machines are destined for a windfarm in Montana.  

Further example of the competition that is only just beginning to see who is going to dominate the markets for clean, efficient and renewable energy technologies in the coming years.

Turbines are in huge demand, and the market is extremely tight. That means profits for anyone who can deliver good product reliably.

So far in 2007, only eight turbine makers have provided turbines to the U.S. market. GE is the big domestic player. Seimens (Germany), Vestas (Denmark) and Gamesa (Spain) are the big players from Europe.

It will be fascinating to see how this new competition, combined with the sinking US dollar, does for the wind market.

“What’s interesting about Guangdong Mingyang’s mid-sized machines,” the Journal also notes, “are their two flavors: one turbine is specially-designed for cold-weather, low wind speeds in northern China; another is built to withstand typhoons in southern China.”