Kim Bertelsen, Electricon
Release Date: 2010-01-15
Kim Bertelsen, Managing Director of ELECTRICON, was interviewed by GreenTechFocus to discuss the unique competitive advantages of Electricon and the role that China would play in Electricon's future growth ambitions.What is the impact upon the productivity of wind turbines of the effects of direct and indirect lightning strikes and overvoltages originating internally in electrical installations?
Modern wind turbines are becoming more and more complex and the expectation to runtime and availability is increasing. The wind turbines are in the same time located in regions with more and more lightning activity and the consequences of direct and indirect effects of lighting is getting more and more critical. Larger damages are reported on blades and pitch system as well as on the main electrical components as generators, converters and transformers, where the lifetime is not meeting the demands of the industry. The downtime and consequential loss of production and revenue is getting more and more critical as the units increase in power. The cost of repair and change of main components are increasing proportional to the wind turbine size and accessibility. When erecting wind turbines in remote areas or offshore the cost of these unexpected repairs can suddenly change the entire business case of the investment.
What are the unique offer and competitive advantages that make your company a competitive player in the global wind energy industry?
Electricon has with the many years of experience in the wind industry a valuable knowledge when it comes to the general overview of what is important and what is enough to achieve a reliable and competitive protection system. We are offering our services on a consultancy basis and are used to work in larger research and development organizations. By letting our engineers partake in the development process the customer can be sure to get a well designed and long lasting protection system. Generally we provide 10 years of warranty on our surge protection systems. Our philosophy is that our protection system should last longer than the system that it is intended protect. Electricon are able to perform full scale on-site testing with artificial lightning impulses in accordance with the strictest requirements in the new IEC standards. Our mobile testing facility can be shipped by truck or boat to distant location for such verifications. This makes it possible to perform full scale test on blades, hub, nacelles etc.
China is set to 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 energy market?
China is playing a major role in our strategic plans for the future. We have supplied the first designs to China – and will enhance our presence in the Asian region during 2010. We believe that the Chinese manufacturer will demand strong designs and we are well prepared to support such demands. Electricon will be able to deliver all necessary solutions for the wind turbine application.
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, for which a stronger EU-China cooperation is needed?
My personal advice to the leading Chinese manufacturer is to focus on reliable systems. Reliable in respect of lightning protection, but also in respect of high quality components with a long lifetime related to the wind turbine environment. All electrical components are exposed and sensitive to over voltages originating from lightning and other sources in the grid or inside the wind turbine. Consider lightning and over voltages as one of the root cause for damages to generator and transformer windings and converter modules. By using our knowledge from Europe the Chinese manufacturer will get faster to the marked with reliable wind turbines – which will benefit the entire wind turbine industry.
| Company: | Electricon |
| Position: | Owner |
| Country: | Denmark |