The world economy is showing signs of recovery after many years of being battered by the financial crisis. This is vital for the wind industry so that investments flow into the industry, and at the same time, transformation still continues. Announcements of investments in Dong Energy as well as Mitsubishi and Vestas joining forces are good indications that the strong players are ready to invest in the promising offshore wind.
Category: Blogs
Better than the neighbor’s kid
Continuous improvement gives a better result in the end. This applies also for our full-power converters (FPC). The first generation FPC is not bad, nor obsolete. But the new FPC+ is better, stronger and bigger in power than its companion.
Looking at The Switch full-power converters, we are living in extremely interesting times. Just wait and see what the autumn and early winter will bring!
7% more profit for merchant ships
Soaring fuel prices, global overcapacity and lower profits are forcing shipbuilder to rethink conventional power configurations. How about gaining up to 7% profit per year instead?
Next generation drive trains from The Switch are game changers when it comes to reaching the highest energy efficiency, lowering the costs of operation and helping merchant vessels comply with future environmental legislations. By combining our permanent magnet machine with our frequency converter, ships can stay afloat and profit in the sea of fierce competition.
China leads the world in PMG turbines
For a number of years, the technology selection for wind turbine drive trains in China had closely followed the same steps as in Europe. Just recently, Chinese companies have leapfrogged ahead to the latest and most advanced modern drive train technology.
Are you stuck with DFIG?
Let’s assume that if there would be one superior technology for a wind turbine drive train, everyone would be using it already. When it comes to technology selection, there are always lots of opinions: engineers’ conclusions, production’s preference, customer’s needs and top management’s decisions.
How to make money from “free” energy
Sunshine is free of charge! That makes it a great fuel for power generation. The value of this free energy and generated power depends on demand and available alternative sources. In other words, it’s a case of simple supply and demand.
The question is how to harvest this energy effectively and generate high quality power to the grid. Solar intensity, cloudiness and available land conditions vary in different locations and parts of the world. Besides that, it comes down to a proper system design and selection of optimal components.
Greater customer value in all we do
The wind power industry has been under pressure during this year as expected. Still, it now looks like the largest markets of China and the US are moving forward. This brings higher hopes for 2014, which should materialize into orders already this year.
At The Switch, we have enhanced our strategy. We are concentrating even more to bring value to our customers. Our employees have analyzed and discussed how they can promote greater customer value in their work.
Efficient grid interconnection and power conditioning for CHP systems
Combined heat and power (CHP) systems are very popular in high-rise buildings as well as industrial sites and other facilities where they produce heat and power at a reasonable cost. CHP systems can save as much as 40% energy compared with traditional ways of producing electricity and heat separately.
How can you save even more? And simultaneously increase the reliability and safety of onsite energy production and grid interconnection? There are a couple of rather easy ways to improve overall efficiency.
Life’s comforts and electronics
What do wind turbines and summer cottages have in common? They are quite similar. Perhaps not in numbers, but from a technology point of view. Some are equipped with features only considered necessary for survival; others have ultra-modern technical solutions that even enable remote access to monitoring equipment by mobile phone. Both in cottages and turbines, features requested in the 90s may not live up to our needs today.
Utility-grade solar – built for tough
In many ways, there isn’t much new in renewable energy. Renewable energy, of course, is new in the sense of what it means. The energy source renews itself and its availability is as such plentiful. Yet, both wind and hydro energy have been captured for hundreds of years, for example, in sailboats, windmills, hydro powered mills, saws and other equipment. Solar was harvested in greenhouses and for heating long before there were photovoltaic panels.
Permanent magnets help marine cut costs
Soaring fuel prices and global overcapacity are forcing the marine industry to rethink conventional power configurations. Ship owners are struggling to turn a profit. The time has come for advanced technologies that can revolutionize the way ships generate and use energy.
The Switch’s permanent magnet technology has been proven in the harsh environments of the wind industry. Now, we’re making this technology available to marine to offer unmatched power density, energy efficiency, design flexibility and operational reliability.
Permanent magnet generator becomes standard in wind turbines
The debate still continues about which drive train is the best for a wind turbine. In 2011, 42.3 GW of wind generators were delivered; PMG’s share was 6.5 GW, which gives it a 15% market share. This is already a significant accomplishment. So we can say that PMG is a standard option and no longer just a technology trial.
Although wind industry growth has slowed down to an annual average of 3.8%, MAKE consulting estimates for the next five years that PMGs will keep growing faster than the average market growth rate.
