Press Release of seebaWIND Service GmbH from 19th of May 2015

Improved rotor blades increase turbine yield seebaWIND Service starts pilot project with BayWa r.e.

Osnabruck. In Wettendorf in Lower , seebaWIND Service GmbH is upgrading four Fuhrländer FL2500 wind turbines with aerodynamically improved rotor blades. The innovative product was developed by BayWa r.e. and adapted for Fuhrländer FL2500 and N100 wind turbines with the help of ­seebaWIND Service. In a further development, the partners have been able to increase the turbine yield by length- ening the aerodynamically active profiles of the blades and adding winglets to the tips.

The Wettendorf wind farm in Lower Saxony consists of eight Fuhrländer FL2500 wind turbines and has been maintained by seebaWIND since 2014. The Premiumplus full maintenance contract also includes rotor blade maintenance. In the pilot project, seebaWIND is now replacing the rotor blades of four turbines with aero­ dynamically improved models.

Aviation technology

In order to increase the surface area at the base of the blade and lengthen the aerodynamically active profile, seebaWIND is also fitting the BayWa r.e. blades at the Basdahl location with profile attachments. With this system, the turbulent boundary layer is sucked away, conducted from the base to the tip on the inside of the blade, and then exits through small holes in the winglets. As with modern aeroplanes, the winglets on the end of the rotor blades reduce the induced drag. Its jagged edges improve the airflow even more, which further increases the efficiency at the tips.

Greater yield, less noise

The aerodynamic improvements not only increase the torque and increase the yield, but also reduce the noise emission. Because the concept works without control and positioning mechanisms, it is both reliable and maintenance-free. “We are not just making do with the status quo of wind turbines”, explains Christian Klöckner, service director at seebaWIND, adding: “As an independent, specialist service provider, we are com­ mitted to using innovative solutions to increase the efficiency of investments already made, and to optimise the wind turbines we maintain, regardless of location.”

The first wind turbine at the Wettendorf wind farm to be fitted with the improved rotor blades is due to go into operation at the beginning of July. As soon as the data from the pilot project has been analysed, seebaWIND will extend the concept for other wind turbine models and market the optimisation throughout .

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Page 1 Picture I: rotorblaetter_winglets.jpg Caption I: Powerful partners: Henry von Helldorff, head of sales at BayWa r.e. Rotor Service GmbH, and Dirk Hennig, deputy head of service at seebaWIND Service, examine the rotor blade winglets. Copyright: Axel Boesten for seebaWIND Service GmbH

Picture II: rotorblaetter_winglets.jpg Caption II: Before and after: In order to lengthen the aerodynamically active profiles, seebaWIND fits the existing blades with profile attachments. Copyright: Axel Boesten for seebaWIND Service GmbH

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About seebaWIND Service GmbH With headquarters in Osnabrück, Germany and two service centres, seebaWIND Service GmbH is a manu­ facturer-independent service organisation for plants and specialised in working with plants ­manufactured by Nordex, Fuhrländer and Senvion (formerly REpower). The services the offers ­encompasses technical operation management with 24/7 remote monitoring as well as service, mainte­ nance and repair. seebaWIND Service also offers its customers the opportunity of joining purchasing pools for ­replacement parts. The company currently employs 75 highly qualified employees and manages approxi­ mately 600 wind power plants with a power output of 1.000 MW. seebaWIND Service belongs to the Windnetwork 360°, the only nation-wide service network independent of any manufacturer for wind power plants of Nordex, Fuhrländer and Senvion (formerly REpower).

Press Office for seebaWIND Service: Krampitz Communications - PR for Renewables and Technologies Iris Krampitz / Thomas Blumenhoven Dillenburger Str. 85 51105 Cologne, Germany Telephone: +49 (0) 221 912499 49 Fax: +49 (0) 221 912499 48 E-mail: [email protected]

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