Javier Camacho, MLS Control
Release Date: 2009-11-09
Javier Camacho, Managing Director of MLS Control, has been interviewed by GreenTechFocus giving some invaluable technical insights into the expertise and the technologies of MLS Control and declaring readiness for new strategic partnerships in the sphere of advanced control systems solutions in China.What are the unique offer and competitive advantages that make your company a leader in the global wind energy industry?
MLS Control offers advanced turbine control solutions for utility scale wind turbines. MLS specifically provides integrated control solutions for the turbine’s Pitch Control System, Yaw Control System and Main Control System. MLS also provides the industry with dynamic control algorithms, turbine controller analysis and design, control and engineering services and a control design software “Toobox” package. Our latest product innovation is the unique “Intelligent Actuator”, our own individual pitch control algorithm.
By leveraging in-house control expertise, MLS uniquely provides an integrated control solution tailoring the pitch and yaw systems to the control requirements, and the control demands to systems capabilities. MLS pitch solutions feature excellent dynamic capabilities, superior internal processing capacity and integrated fiber optic measurements, all with field-demonstrated reliability. Furthermore, MLS offers a complete individual pitch control solution that includes an integrated design of gears and motors for optimal turbine performance.
What are your R&D priorities to strengthen your technology leadership in the globalizing wind power market as cost-competitive alternatives from countries such as China are destined to enter the international marketplace over the coming decade?
To maintain our position as the premier provider of wind turbine control solutions, MLS continues to invest in the research and development of dynamic control algorithms, control design software and more reliable and robust actuator topologies. MLS has its roots as an academic entrepreneurship and maintains directed R&D partnership projects with related universities and consortia. We continue to build on a strong base of proprietary technology supplied to enhance the quality, performance and market appeal of our customer’s turbines.
What are the main trends in the global wind industry in terms of new technology development, turbine size, grid connectivity and cost competitiveness that your aim to capitalize on in the coming years?
The most obvious trend in the global wind industry is the migration to larger, multi-megawatt turbines for both land-based and offshore deployments. Particularly as turbines become larger, sophisticated control systems are required to mitigate fatigue-related dynamic loads. Traditionally, pitch control has been used to limit power in high winds, but it is having an increasingly important effect on structural loads. With the increase in rotor size of Multi MW turbines, there is little correlation of wind magnitude between the three turbine blades. Unable to sufficiently mitigate structural loads, collective pitch becomes less of an option.
MLS has developed and patented a unique “Intelligent Actuator” concept to individually adjust pitch angles. The biggest improvements achieved using this technology are the reduction on rotor imbalance (hub moments), blade out-of-plane loads and even yaw bearing loads. Through simulations and field-testing, we have demonstrated that activating the Intelligent Actuator for all wind conditions dramatically reduces the fatigue loads in wind turbines.
Another trend that is often over-looked is the increasing demand for lower power wind turbines, either for smaller applications or for bigger wind turbines that harvest lower-speed winds. MLS is working with a number of manufacturers on specific turbine control applications in machines in the 100Kw – 1MW range.
China will this year become both the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer and the largest market for new installations. Which role does China play in your future growth ambitions and which challenges do you foresee in the expanding your presence in the world’s fasted growing wind power market?
Advanced turbine control solutions are becoming increasingly important to wind turbine manufacturers. The Chinese manufacturers have made impressive strides producing progressively larger turbines, first using direct foreign designs and now, increasingly using in-house or domestic resources. There are number of companies in China that are hungry for our technology, deliveries, technology transfers and strategies. MLS has specialized products and services and work with a number of end customers, wind turbine manufacturers and system integrators to deploy our solutions. In addition to our global R&D and engineering support teams, we serve the market from our sales and technical support center based in Shanghai and are keen to expand domestic operations as customer needs dictate. Our strategy for China encompasses both direct sales to manufacturers and supplying integrators and the possibility of transferring our technology. We focus on delivering some key components that are integrated into the turbine design. We’ve found this to be the most efficient way to market our products and services and the best way to beat out our competitors.
What is your personal message to the CEOs of Chinese companies in wind energy looking to develop their technology and their business both domestically and internationally, while acknowledging Europe’s current leadership in wind technology?
My message is congratulatory. The unit output of turbines and development of the industry in China in such a short time is truly impressive and indicative of a lot of coordination and hard-work. As the wind energy market in China matures and as aspirations for in-house designs and turbine exports to foreign markets grow, the focus will be on building up know-how, innovative solutions and quality and life cycle costs. MLS continues to extend a hand to be your strategic partner for advanced control systems solutions, especially for larger Multi-MW and offshore wind turbines.
| Company: | MLS Control |
| Position: | Managing Director |
| Country: | Spain |