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.
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.
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.
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.
Between 2009 – 2011, we were spoiled by a “green race” that started as a sprint. There was an urgent need to bring Asian nations—especially China—into line with the rest of the world to use cleaner and more efficient energy sources.
Suddenly in 2012, it’s turned into something of a marathon, with companies and financial institutions involved in the market, which has been slowed by regulatory and political climates that have evolved in the face of new economic realities.
The Switch, a Finland-based supplier of permanent magnet generator and full-power converter packages, announced today that its first 5 MW high-speed drive trains installed in the field in China for CSIC Haizhuang Windpower Equipment Co., Ltd, a Chinese wind power equipment manufacturer, are now successfully operating.
The 2012 Global Top 10 award reflects The Switch’s cleantech success and market position as a key component supplier to the wind power company in the $163.1 billion global cleantech industry. It also indicates that The Switch’s unique innovations are making a positive contribution to the green economy.
With a focus on harvesting the greatest amount of energy from wind power, it is easy to jump to conclusions that turbine manufacturers are turning to permanent magnet generators as their best response to better annual energy production. Yet, is that all that stands behind the selection of this technology?
PROKON placed another order with The Switch for 10 units of direct-drive 3 MW permanent magnet generator and full-power converters. This contract follows a previous one for 2 direct-drive prototypes in the same class that will be ready for testing by the end of 2012. These orders strengthen PROKON’s position as a single-source power park provider.
The Switch has been selected as one of the 30 finalists of the 2012 Global Cleantech Later Stage Award organized by the Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA). Along with Eniram and Forchem, two other Finnish companies, The Switch leads a list of more than 4,500 cleantech companies.
The Switch’s utility-grade solar inverter with its rugged outdoor design and totally self-contained liquid-cooling system received certification by TÜV of Germany on June 5, 2012.
Now with CE marking and declaration of conformity to ENEL, The Sun Switch PVI 1000 solar inverter fulfills all requirements outlined in the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 2006/95/EC and the Directive of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) 2004/108/EC.
The impact of the uncertain global economy and the momentary dip in the Chinese wind power market have been felt even by Finnish wind power industry players. Despite challenging market conditions, Finland-based key component manufacturer The Switch continues to aim towards international success. The company has been able to demonstrate that wind power energy can be produced cost effectively with advanced technology.
