With just over 3 GW of installed wind capacity in less than three years of operation, The Switch, a Finnish-based New Energy technology company, is now quickly approaching EUR 100 million in order intake for the first quarter of 2010. The key to the company’s success has been in pioneering permanent magnet generator technology as its chosen strategic growth path and now by making this technology commercially viable for the leading global wind turbine manufacturers. The Switch provides permanent magnet generator and full-power converter packages, the critical components for wind turbine manufacturers.
New customers; new markets
The increasing order backlog comes from current as well as new customers in various countries that lead the race in wind turbine manufacturing. The Switch not only has received new orders for highly customized solutions, but also for proven standard products that are now reliably operating to produce grid-compatible electricity.
“The past half year has really seen the solidification of permanent magnet generator (PMG) technology as the chosen path by all the major players in the industry,” states Mr. Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of The Switch. “This has led to repeat orders and we have gained entry to new projects with Korean Doosan and German Schuler Pressen, as these industrial giants channel their engineering expertise towards the highly lucrative wind power generation industry with best-in-class technology.”
Various customers are turning to The Switch for a fast-tracked presence in the market thanks to the ready-to-deploy PMG and full-power converter (FPC) packages, Mäkinen confirms. Our packages fit to existing turbines, upgrading them to meet new grid requirements and avoiding additional fault ride-through (FRT) and compensation units. PMG is also natural choice for newcomers, as they can apply the most modern technology straight away.
Direct drive generators open route off shore
Low-speed, direct-drive PMGs, an especially challenging product group that The Switch has turned into an operational success, is currently experiencing a boom in orders as it supports turbine manufacturers aiming move offshore.
Starting with deliveries in 2006 to Norwegian Scanwind, which was acquired in 2009 by GE Wind, The Switch has proven its ability to deliver direct-drive PMGs with the ruggedness to perform in extreme environments. Finland-based Mervento has also selected The Switch for its advanced customized PMG approach. Direct-driven technology is the preferred choice for turbines that will be the reliable workhorse as the offshore boom starts for real.
“We’re extremely pleased with this strong order intake already in just the first quarter of 2010 and those that call for our special direct-drive PMG packages. It assures us that our pioneering efforts in PMG technology have been correct, and secures our continued overall growth as we move forward,” Mäkinen summarizes with satisfaction.