Renewable energy and balancing local manufacturing with low-cost country manufacturing

All over the world, politicians see the opportunity for job growth in the renewable energy business. For example here in the US, the economy and job creation is one of the key themes in the ongoing primaries and the upcoming presidential election.

The wind and solar power industries offer opportunities to create more good-paying jobs for the local manufacturing industry, particularly as in the past these type of jobs have largely moved to low-cost countries with inexpensive labor, such as China, India, Vietnam and others. In many cases, the job creation opportunity is of higher political interest than concerns about global warming or even the western world’s heavy dependence on imported oil.

The Switch - Anders Troedson, VP Emerging Businesses

North Sea Giant turns to The Switch EBL technology

North Sea Giant, one of the world’s largest and most advanced subsea construction vessels (OSV), has installed an innovative cost-saving solution, based on a unique Electronic Bus Link (EBL) from Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch.

Tradeoffs in China

When working in the manufacturing industry, there are many variables to juggle. Three most common ones are the price of the product, the quality of the product, and the speed of delivery.

Developing the best DC protection devices for marine since 2007

Have you heard about our unique DC protection devices – 4 ultra-fast disconnect devices now available to safeguard marine DC electrical systems? When the marine industry faced increasing challenges with space and costs, people recognized DC would be more efficient. But new systems would be needed, and the issue of safety was a big concern.…

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.

The Switch - 2nd International Conference E/E Systems for Wind Turbines

How will turbo fit into future energy solutions?

We just got back from the ASME Turbo Expo and Conference in Rotterdam where many were asking how turbo will fit into future energy solutions.
 
Everyone in the industry seems to be waiting, hesitating to move forward until it’s known which renewable or green gas will best address climate change – and how compressor and turbine applications will need to adapt to handle the new situation. Yet everyone must be ready to move once decisions are made.

Lappeenranta proud

Proud is the best way to describe our feeling! Our Large Drive Test Center is ready – and is one of the largest in the world to test large electric drive systems for renewable energy.