Dear friends,
Summer has come to Finland, with some of the warmest and sunniest days we’ve had for a few years. So we’re preparing to enjoy the abundant light and renew our energy, spending time to reflect on upcoming developments and our journey ahead.
In the area of wind, it’s been great to see offshore capture a big part of the plans for future energy mix. Not only Europe, but also China and Taiwan have aggressive plans to make offshore a fixed part of their renewable supply. In North America, offshore wind is also becoming one of the preferred options, with states along the Eastern coast choosing offshore wind over oil. We’re happy to see these big steps being made.
Offshore wind is especially interesting for us, as the required power and technology match perfectly our full-power converters and permanent magnet (PM) technology, which we’ve been promoting for over the past decade.
In marine, we’ve been able to bring cutting-edge technologies to the market that the industry has been waiting for. These include our DC-Hub and electronic bus link (EBL), both of which have been successfully installed on vessels looking to future-proof their operations.
Our PM technology is now being specified for the shaft generator systems we helped pioneer. Delivered in close collaboration with our partner, the PM shaft generator has now become a standard option to reach higher efficiency and reduce emissions by allowing vessels to retrofit to electric propulsion or a hybrid solution. Our PM shaft generator is now a reality for those early-adopter shipowners who have made their operations more environmentally sound and profitable.
On the industrial side, we’re discovering the killer apps that PM technology offers, especially in solutions for mining, although other areas show potential. Our high-speed turbo technology is now the de-facto standard in pulp and paper vacuum systems in China especially and is becoming so in the rest of the world. Turbo is becoming recognized as the technology of choice in other areas that need high speed as well, such as in chillers, where cooling media has become more environmentally friendly. It’s also used in other compressed air applications, where high-speed drive trains are replacing traditional screw-type compressors.
Now as Yaskawa Environmental Energy, part of Yaskawa Europe, we have more local access to customers. We also can complement each other’s offerings, for example, by using the state-of-the-art, marine-approved Matrix converter to explore new business opportunities.
It’s a new day and a new way for us. And a new world awaits, a world to open and explore with new sources of clean and renewable power.
So – we ask you to join us along our journey to make the BIG switch to a bright future. And, for the next few weeks, hope you have an electrifying summer with much fun!
J-P