The Sun Is Shining – but Not for Everyone

Wind Energy husum trade fair

Full house at Vestas: with its new 3 MW V112 turbine, the Danish manufacturer presented an all-round system for locations with low to medium wind speeds. Photos (3): Andreas Birresborn The sun is shining – but not for everyone

Husum Wind Energy 2010 returned yet another record- The only dark clouds on the horizon are rising from the new government energy concept of branch breaking attendance. But the sunshine over Schleswig- technology leader and renewable energy legislation pioneer Germany. For many years, renewable ener- Holstein was nevertheless unable to dispel all the dark gies were promoted without giving due concern to clouds spread by the German government’s new energy grid expansion. In the meantime, whole wind farms have been ramped down or taken off the grid com- concept. pletely because the capacities are simply insufficient. Concurrently, the volume of incentives which must rade fair CEO Hanno Fecke had every reason to eventually be paid by the final consumer has risen to be satisfied with a total of 971 exhibitors and some € 8.2 billion. The politicians have now appar- Taround 33,000 visitors, despite various logisti- ently decided to react and are seeking to solve firstly cal difficulties and criticism. Even before the official the grid problems. In its Energy Concept 2050, the end of this year’s event, the forthcoming Husum Wind federal government assigns a major role to renewable Energy 2012 was already practically sold-out: “We energy, and here in particular to wind energy, but at will then be expecting up to 1,300 exhibitors,” Fecke the same time demands that it must become afford announced. able and competitive. Until then, nuclear power is to

128 Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 step in and bridge the technology gap. The associat- ed extension of the operating times for nuclear power plants, however, will also cement the monopoly position of the energy giants E.ON, Vattenfall, EnBW and RWE, a fact which naturally weighs heavily on the mood of the wind branch. There are many who fear for the domestic market. The scenarios developed by the commissioned institutes assume an increase in the installed capacity in Germany to 36.4 GW by 2050 (currently 26.3 GW): “The concept illustrates the priv- ileged treatment given to the big energy suppliers. Fully amortised base-load power stations are not compatible with decentralised renewable energy sources, and we are not partners of the nuclear power industry. If our capacity expansion continues at the present rate, then we will already have met the government targets by 2015. Thereafter, wind energy in Germany would effectively be discontinued,” com- plains Hermann Albers, President of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE). Not only that, there are also rumours that the previous preferential grid inputs Peng Jinzhu, Senior Sales from renewable sources could be revoked in the next Chinese bound ahead Manager for United Power, amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act, deems the company’s turbine despite being mentioned expressly in the energy A note of optimism has been provided by the Interna- technology to be adequately concept. tional Energy Agency: the worldwide forecast for mature, and has now set sights The German debate is being observed with eagle 2020 has been raised from 231 to 415 GW. For the on the US market. eyes by the international scene, as domino effects in years through to 2014, the GWEC has identified sig- Photo: Torsten Thomas other countries are not to be ruled out. “Germany is nificant potential in Asia, Europe and North America: the technology showcase of the branch, and its ener- “Latin America, Brazil and Africa will also be lending gy concepts serve as an international model,” says important impetus to the market,” says Rave. China Klaus Rave, President of the Global Wind Energy has not yet appeared on his list as a potential Council (GWEC), emphasising the explosiveness. competitor. His analysis: “China wants to keep value creation within the country. And as long as wind Falling turbine prices energy is not a business model backed by corresponding quality, the country is not a real player on South Korean manufacturers The declining markets are already postponing their the global market.” like Hyosung have so far been worldwide hopes to the coming year. As a conse- It is by all means possible, however, that the selling turbines up to 3 MW on quence of the economic crisis, the key market USA is branch is in for a surprise. In 2009, the three leading their own domestic market, but reckoning with a newly installed wind power capacity manufacturers alone supplied turbines with a capac- are now planning significant of at best 5 GW in 2010, instead of the planned 10 GW. ity of 8,200 MW. Sinovel has installed the first off- technology strides. Another sharp dip can be expected in Spain, where shore wind farm outside Europe at Donghai Bridge Photo: Torsten Thomas input tariffs have been reduced retrospectively by 35 % for at least 30 months. With just 800 MW, France will similarly fall well short of the envisaged 1,100 MW, and has furthermore introduced new environmental legislation with stricter approval procedures. The German export quota fell from 83 % (2007) to 75 % in 2009. Alongside, the domestic market shrank by 17.8 % in the first half of 2010, compared to the same period last year. The number one in the world is once more China, with new installations totalling 13.8 GW. It must be remembered, on the other hand, that the Chinese market, where 200 GW are assumed for installation by 2020, remains reserved for domestic manufacturers. In Eastern Europe, it is the devaluation of the local currencies which is putting dampers on the project developers. The overall result of this dwin- dling demand is pressure on the balance sheets and turbine prices of most manufacturers. The talk on the exhibition floor was that wind turbines are being sold well below the usual margins, and even German market leader Enercon is said to be lowering its prices.

Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 129 Wind Energy husum trade fair

(34 turbines with 3 MW each), 2006. According to Senior Marketing Manager Peng and order books are also brim- Jinzhu, its 1.5 MW system was developed by Aerodyn, ming in the supply industry. At the gearless 3 MW turbine by Garrad Hassan. A 6 MW the same time, ever greater at- turbine for offshore installation, furthermore, is the tention is now being paid to “en- subject of ongoing negotiations. Around 1,000 tur- hanced quality, production mon- bines of the 1.5 MW series have been erected in itoring and employee training,” China to date, and the first 3 MW system is to be says Qi Hesheng, Secretary Gen- installed near Beijing in October. United Power has eral of the China Wind Energy similarly set its sights on the international market – Equipment Association. There even though China will remain its most important can be no doubt that China has market “for at least another five years”. long since recognised the poten- But China is only one of a growing number of tial of the international wind mar- competitors. Furthermore, it could be seen in Husum ket – the new development is to that there is a clear trend in the direction of gearless be seen in the intensity in which turbines for onshore and offshore installation. When this is now being demonstrated gearboxes remain topical, the developments are at trade fairs like that in Husum. tuned to compact and above all short designs. In this Turbine manufacturer Gold- context, South Korea has emerged as a serious con- wind has been in the business for tender. Companies such as Unison, Hyosung, 20 years, albeit as a project de- Hyundai , Samsung and Daewoo have so far been sell- veloper for the first ten years. Ac- ing turbines with outputs of up to 3 MW on their own cording to Garth Heron, Associ- domestic market, but are now planning significant ate Director for international technology strides. “By the end of 2012, large-scale business, Goldwind already sees test farms will have been set up on land and off the itself as the market leader “in coast, new manufacturing techniques and foundation terms of sales”, given the compa- structures will have been developed, and then we can ny’s expectations of an installed prepare exports to the rest of the Asian region,” says capacity of 6 GW in 2010. The Son Choong-Yul, President of the Korean Wind Energy current production capacity is Association. sufficient for 3,000 turbines of the 1.5 MW class. In addition, “A turbine for the world” there is a 2.5 MW model in onshore and offshore versions. US concern GE places its faith in “evolutionary devel- Goldwind is planning to install opments and availabilities”, as well as new system 400 units of the 2.5 MW turbine modules. The previous 1.5 and 2.5 MW turbines are worldwide next year. Heron hereby to experience a moderate performance up- comes straight to the point in his grade. The 1.5 is to be offered with an extra 100 kW Vestas V112 turbine preview of export business devel- output and a rotor diameter of 100 m, and from 2011, Photo: Vestas opment: “We can supply our turbines at 70 to 80 % of the output of the 2.5 will be raised to 2.75 MW, then the price asked by European manufacturers” (see with rotor diameters of 103 and 112 m. A new aero page 134). elastic blade has been developed to realise greater Shandong Swiss Electric (SSE) is a joint venture outputs and lower loads with the same basic turbine founded in 2008 by private investors from Switzer- system. At the same time, a gearless 4 MW offshore land and the Chinese Zhongyun Group, which has turbine is to be launched from 2013. The first step been developing wind turbines for 25 years. SSE used with onshore prototypes was accomplished through the fair to present its gearless systems with outputs the acquisition of manufacturer Scanwind. of 1.5 MW, 2.0 MW, 2.5 MW and 3.0 MW. The 1.5 MW “We are also looking at Europe,” was the an- turbine is also available in a low-wind version for nouncement of Tim Poor from American Supercon- start-up speeds of 2.3 m/sec. The company is already ductor (AMSC) in Husum. To date, licences for multi- manufacturing large numbers of turbines for the Chi- megawatt turbines have been sold above all in the nese market, but in the words of General Manager Asian region, and there especially in China. The ma- Zhang Qizhi is aiming for an export quota of 15 %. chines are developed by subsidiary Windtec in Aus- Sales are to be coordinated through partner compa- tria. Only recently, Windtec supplied the design for a nies, who then also take care of project supervision. 5 MW offshore turbine to Chinese manufacturer At the same time, it is considered an option to supply Sinovel, who is planning the market launch for 2011. other manufacturers with its own generators, for At the same time, AMSC has the most powerful off- which 17 patents are held. Zhang would like to real- shore turbine in the world on its drawing boards: the ise two or three reference projects in Germany by the directly driven 10 MW colossus “SeaTitan” is to com- end of 2011, as a means to gain a foothold on the bine know-how from Austria with AMSC’s supercon- European market. ductor expertise. It is only through the use of super- Guodian United Power Technology Company from conductors, which are much lighter than convention- Beijing has been manufacturing wind turbines since al cables and conduct the current without resistance,

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Husum Wind would not be the same without its press clubs: This year, a discussion was organised by E.ON Climate & Renewables, and division head Frank Mastiaux gave a detailed report on his company’s offshore projects. Five wind farms with a total output capacity of 673 MW are already in operation in the North Sea, the Baltic and the Irish Sea. The present London Array project, which E.ON is realising together with Dong and Masdar, is expected to reach an output capacity of 1,000 MW by 2013, and E.ON is currently working on plans for another 10 offshore farms with a capacity of 4,000 MW. Mastiaux was not prepared to say when exactly E.ON intended to tack- le the four German offshore projects. “It gets my back up to hear accusations that the big power companies are just sitting on their licences and doing nothing. We are working off the German pipeline,” he affirmed defiantly. At the same time, he left no doubts that the experience gained from six offshore projects in Britain and Denmark was not all rosy: “There was lit- tle prior knowledge in terms of erection and operating technologies. Now, we want to transport our experience from the UK to Germany.” Higher availa- bility is another issue. “At the Scroby Sands Wind The Danish offshore wind farm Farm, for example, we had to replace a good number Rødsand 2 was completed in that turbines with such outputs actually become pos- of gearboxes,” Mastiaux reported. To be more precise, October and installed by E.ON. sible, as it is possible to install relatively small gener- the problems affected all the gearboxes and genera- Photo: E.ON ators. The rotor blades of the SeaTitan also break all tors of 30 Vestas V80 turbines, as was to be learned records: they are to have a diameter of 190 m, but at the joint UK stand. must therefore be 30 to 40 % lighter than other When asked about costs, he replied that the off- blades, and will be put together from several parts. shore wind farms were producing electricity at a price The SeaTitan is intended primarily for offshore instal- between 10 and 25 €-ct/kWh. In other words: For lation in Europe, and will likely be available from some wind farm projects, the 15 €-ct/kWh which is 2015, says Poor. paid in Germany is not sufficient to cover costs. “A wind turbine for the world”, for regions with Everyone knows that many of the planned German medium to low wind speeds – that is the goal for the projects lie far offshore and are thus especially 3 MW Vestas V112, as proclaimed by Hans Jörn Rieks, expensive – among them the E.ON wind farms President of Vestas Central Europe at a press confer- Amrumbank West and Arkona Becken Südost. The ence. The Prokon Group in Schleswig-Holstein has conclusion for Mastiaux is that the grid input remu- bought 17 of the turbines, and is thus the first com- neration for wind power must be increased further. pany in Europe to sign contracts with Vestas. The Even clearer words were to be heard in Husum deliveries are scheduled for late 2011 and early from the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation, 2012. V112 turbines for a total output capacity of which presented a market study drawn up by auditors around 1,000 MW are to be manufactured next year. KPMG. After thorough analysis of the costs of offshore “It is a series turbine and will be accompanying us for wind energy, the latter’s experts propose increasing many years to come,” says German Sales Director the tariff from 15 to 18.75 ct/kWh. In return, the Andreas Eichler confidently. The optimised system remuneration period (currently at least 12 years) design is intended to reduce operating costs and thus could be shortened to keep the overall incentive facilitate more efficient energy production. volume constant. The message to the government is evident: the statutory input tariff must be topped up More money for offshore wind if the expansion in offshore wind energy is to contin- power? ue without undue delays. German wind farm project developer wpd from For onshore applications, Hamburg based manufactur- Bremen passed on news from two offshore projects: er REpower exhibited the turbine variant 3.2M114, a the recently obtained approval for the 256 MW off- hybrid tower of concrete and steel with a hub height of shore farm Storgrundet off the Swedish coast near 123 m and a rated output of 3.2 MW. According to CTO Söderhamn was the first interesting fact, but never- Matthias Schubert, this turbine offers an additional en- theless threatened to pale into insignificance against ergy yield of 5 %. To this end, the company relies on its the announcement that the wpd group has acquired certified system with a double-fed asynchronous gen- full control of the Butendiek Offshore Wind Farm Hold- erator, gearbox and partial converter. A prototype of ing. The Butendiek project was originally founded the 3.2M114 is to be installed at the end of 2011. with 8,400 private shareholders in 2001. The wind

132 Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 farm near the Danish border stands in 18 to 20 metres of water and is planned to comprise 80 turbines. REpower seeks to offer its customers more than There are some things just turbines, and presented a new service and main- tenance concept for far-offshore wind farms. The you can always rely on. heart of the concept is a lift platform vessel designed for permanent operation at sea. It provides accommodation for up to 90 persons. “For our customers, it is important that we can plan the service assignments and thus the costs. Our new system means that we can continue operating even in poor weather conditions, and can even replace major components such as generators or rotor blades cost-effectively and quickly, when required,” says REpower CEO Andreas Nauen. More reliable gearboxes, more generators

The times in which gearbox manufacturers almost ashamedly offered their fault-prone systems to the wind industry seem to be over. “Today’s gearboxes are much more reliable than those of ten years ago,” emphasises Hans-Gerd Buller, Marketing Manager at Bosch Rexroth from Germany. “The manufacturers have more time for their development work, and they also have access to better simulation programmes and load collectives.” In Husum, the German gearbox specialist placed three topics in the foreground. Firstly: Rexroth has developed a gearbox with its own cooling and lubrication system, optionally with a par- ticle monitor and water content sensor. Secondly: fans of cloak-and-dagger films all know the motto of the three musketeers: “All for one – One for all”. Appropriately, Rexroth describes its new rotor blade adjustment system as the “musketeer principle”. The electrical pitch system with three switch cabinets is configured such that it remains functional even if two of the three pitch drives are put out of action. The intact electronics take over the work of the others. The third spotlight, somewhat aside from the compa- Pitch systems from SSB Wind Systems.

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Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 133 Wind Energy husum trade fair

Goldwind USA on expansion course

Technicians at Goldwind o, says Scott Rowland, the current state of a robust drivetrain concept to this end: a direct drive assemble parts for a turbine the North American wind power market isn’t with a permanent magnet generator and full power in a factory in Urumqi, in the Ninfluencing him, as his orientation is a long- conversion. “It’s very grid-friendly,” says Rowland. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous term one. Rowland is Vice President of the American Region, China. Photo: dpa arm of Goldwind, a Chinese supplier which has be- Design by Vensys come one of largest turbine manufacturers in the world. Founded in 1986, the company can now point Goldwind has 1.5 MW and 2.5 MW turbines in its to having installed 6,000 turbines with a total capa- range. The design of the 2.5 MW turbine comes from city of almost six GW. However, while Goldwind has collaboration with the German company Vensys AG, developed an industry-leading brand throughout with whom Goldwind shared its stand in Husum. The Asia and Europe, the company faces new challenges turbine has been newly developed and so far been in breaking into the North American market – a chal- manufactured several times as a prototype. Apart lenge that Goldwind has taken head-on by hiring US from a turbine in Germany, Goldwind has also put up and Canadian industry veterans to lead the expan five prototypes in China. The site criteria for these sion. was to have surroundings as varied as possible in Goldwind’s market presence in North America of- order to prove that the concept is especially suited to ficially began in the spring of 2010 and the team con- tough environmental conditions. tinues to grow rapidly. Goldwind began its expansion Goldwind also enjoys a decided financial advan- in North America by bringing on Tim Rosenzweig as tage through financing from the China Development Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago-based office Bank, which gives the whole story the necessary that will oversee operations throughout North Ameri- drive. The company will continue creating corporate ca. Rosenzweig is known to industry observers as a jobs in North America and intends to establish a well seasoned wind power veteran and director of the manufacturing facility and related jobs there, which wind power developer First Wind Energy in will certainly generate the right frame of mind among Massachusetts. However, like Rowland, Rosenzweig the regional and federal authorities. And the compa- has only been with the company for a short time hav- ny is definitely not afraid of local content require- ing been hired in April of 2010. ments. “We believe there will be a stable supply chain Sales began even before the official opening of in the USA in the near future,” says Rowland optimis- the US branch – however, Goldwind’s entry into the tically. He is talking about buying the tower, blades US has been executed carefully and deliberately with and peripheral components in North America which a small project in Minnesota that features three of will create significant job growth and opportunity Goldwind’s permanant magnet drive turbines. While peripherally. Just before the HusumWind fair, Gold- Goldwind USA has yet to announce any deals wind entered into a US$ 26 million contract with publically, the company continues to build its pipe- Ohio-based bearings maker, the Timken Company for line and presence in North America. Rowland, for his the supply of rolling bearings. Additionally, Renew, a part, believes that Goldwind’s message will resonate specialist company based in South Dakota – conven- with US buyers. “Our strongest sales point is the low iently sited in the wind belt of the USA – will take on life-cycle cost of energy from the Goldwind PMDD some of the servicing of the Goldwind turbines, a machine,” he says, bringing up an argument which is partnership that will create more than 35 US jobs indeed likely to bear fruit sooner or later from the according to a Renew press release. cost-conscious US American industry. Goldwind has Jörn Iken

134 Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 ny’s product portfolio to date, is placed on monitor- company has been operating since ing of the rotor blades in respect of icing. 1969 and entered the wind energy Swiss supplier RUAG caused quite a stir at the branch in 2001. According to Project fair with the life-size model of an integrated 3 MW Manager Ming Jianxin, NGC manufac- flex-pin drive train. As a longstanding manufacturer tured more than 5,000 gearboxes for of tank and aircraft gear systems, Ruag entered the wind turbine outputs between 750 kW wind energy arena in 2003. The CIRR Drive Train – and 2 MW last year (a 3 MW gearbox is whose designation is taken from the properties com- under development), and thus holds a pact, integrated, robust and reliable – needs no rotor market share of 80 % in China. Jianxin shaft. The medium-speed flex-pin planetary gear sys- mentions names such as Vestas, tem is integrated into the main frame of the nacelle. Nordex, REpower, GE and Suzlon among Without the generator, the compact unit weighs the company’s European customers. almost 40 tons. The drive train has only been sold in a 1.2 MW version to date; for the new 3 MW version, Safely to the top – and “the necessary customers are still missing”. back again German Winergy also caught the eye of the fair visitors with a 6.5 MW gearbox. The “Multi Duored With all the fussing over ever more pow- Gearbox” was already a topic of discussions at erful new turbines and optimised tur- Winergy 6 or 7 years ago, but the idea only took off af- bine components, it seems that the hu- ter an enquiry from offshore specialists Bard. The two man factor often falls by the wayside. flanged generators were particularly conspicuous, Nevertheless, the question as to how and at the same time indicative of the trend to using service personnel can best gain access multiple generators in the higher output classes. US to the nacelle, or how they can move manufacturer Clipper even plans to run its 10 MW tur- safely along the rotor blades, is becom- bine with four generators. The Winergy gearbox is ing increasingly important. Equipment certain to win customers through its extremely short specialist Hailo from Germany, for ex- design. In contrast to conventional drive concepts, ample, presented its “BLADElift” in Hu- According to the organisers, which extend to lengths of around 8 metres, the Multi sum – a platform system for work on the projects with an order volume of Duored system is satisfied with just 5 metres. rotor blades. As the service engineer around ¤ 5 billion were either Another gearbox manufacturer is Nanjing High moves around on the platform, sensors initiated or discussed further in Speed Gear Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NGC). The automatically correct the balance of the Husum. Photo: Tanja Ellinghaus

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Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 135 Wind Energy husum trade fair

Further labour safety systems were to be seen on the stand of the German SHE Solutions. SHE’s objec- tive is to serve as a one-stop supplier for concepts, products and training. In Husum, the company presented its Rescue Lift, an abseiling system for heights of up to 160 m, with which two persons can be lowered from the nacelle in case of an emergency, or else an injured person can be rescued from within the turbine, at a rate of 3 m/min. For the multi- megawatt turbines where several technicians are often present at the same time, SHE offers the Collec- tive Evacuation System CTE for permanent installation in the nacelle. In case of an emergency, a steel rope is lowered by way of a weight with integrated tensioning device. The personnel can then attach their descending equipment to the automatically tensioned rope and can lower themselves from the nacelle one by one at a controlled speed. The rescue systems are stored in a gas- and water-tight plastic “Rescue Barrel”. Close to the edge

A new conference hall, 43,000 m² exhibition space, 950 fair stands, 25,000 visitors and 8,000 exhibitor representatives from 35 countries – the 2010 event could have been an overwhelming success for the Husum wind energy fair. That is to say: if it had not been for the chaotic approach and parking situation, and the shortage of accommodation, which brought landlords in the region a late autumn boom, but meant daily journeys of up to 150 km for some guests, Abseiling exercise with SHE whole system, explains Marketing Manager Frank and all the other details which led numerous exhibi- Solutions. Peter Koch. In this way, the BLADElift is kept in a hor- tors and visitors to direct more or less sharp criticism izontal position. Two cable winches with fall protec- at the fair organisers. Many were unhappy about the tion devices guarantee safe ascent and descent. Ac- expensive but poorly functioning air-conditioning cording to Koch, the platform was developed in coop- (original comment from the press spokesperson of a eration with blade service contractor L&L, and major turbine manufacturer: “Welcome to the heat of corresponding patent applications have been filed. hellfire!”), the constantly interrupted Wi-Fi, painfully The Swiss company High Steps is similarly a excessive prices and the illogical stand numbering – supplier of industrial climbing equipment, and exhib- but above all over the fact that the fair seemed to be ited a portable lift in Husum. The lift is fitted with sev- losing its profile. The exhibitor committee’s call to eral electric motors and can bring a load of 150 kg to concentrate on quality rather than quantity was left a height of 120 m within four minutes. It is especially widely unheeded in the opinion of many a manufac- suitable for use on older turbines without such facili- turer or developer. They were annoyed (the literal ties of their own, because it is easy to transport and quotes are not really suitable for publication) over the quick to assemble and disassemble, reports Sales many small supplier companies, whose representa- Manager Thomas Wesselmann. Following certifica- tives “were besieging our stand in groups of four and tion, the lift is to become available for approx. five”, and came to the conclusion: “If it were now to € 15,000. start raining, then the game would be over for Husum The safety of technicians working on a wind tur- today!” When such comments come from the manag- bine is likewise the concern of US company Capital ing director of a renowned wind turbine manufactur- Safety. The harness system distributed under the er, then organiser Hanno Fecke must do some serious name ExoFit Nex earned the company a Product Design thinking on the profile for his fair in four years’ time. Award in 2010. It features exchangeable loin protec- “Husum is cult”, as he described the fair in a local tors, a radio or phone holder and protective hip pad- newspaper interview, will then no longer be suffi- ding. Integrated straps help to prevent suspension cient. After all, if the manufacturers, as the crowd- traumas. A round pouch on the hip belt holds the so- pullers of the event, stay away, then the fair will have called trauma straps, which can be let down as a loop lost its original magnetism. The clocks are ticking. for the feet after a fall, says Oliver Hirschfelder, Global Wind Energy Director at Capital Safety. This reduces Volker Buddensiek, Tanja Ellinghaus, Jörn Iken, Detlef Koenemann, the risk of obstruction of the blood supply to the legs. Torsten Thomas, Katharina Wolf

136 Sun & Wind Energy 11/2010 AWEA

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