PES Wind 3 2020

Smarter Grid Solutions Fraunhofer IWES Natural Power Conference call We are delighted to hear Prof. Andreas Reuter & Prof. Daryl Hickey, Advanced PES Looks ahead to the from Executive director Jan Wenske discuss energy performance engineer, eagerly anticipated virtual Graham Ault transition discusses condition edition of WindEnergy monitoring systems (CMS) Hamburg 2020 WIND As ever at PES Wind, we are delighted to bring you the latest developments, innovations & technology advances from many of the industry’s key movers & shakers. PLUS, our usual portion of expert opinion, insight & analysis POWER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS • ISSUE 3, 2020 SMARTER SAFER FASTER

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EDITOR’S NOTE Smarter Grid Solutions Fraunhofer IWES Natural Power Conference call We are delighted to hear Prof. Andreas Reuter & Prof. Daryl Hickey, Advanced PES Looks ahead to the from Executive director Jan Wenske discuss energy performance engineer, eagerly anticipated virtual Graham Ault transition discusses condition edition of WindEnergy monitoring systems (CMS) Hamburg 2020 WIND As ever at PES Wind, we are delighted to bring you the latest developments, innovations & technology advances from many of the industry’s key movers & shakers. PLUS, our usual portion of expert opinion, insight & analysis POWER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS • ISSUE 3, 2020 SMARTER SAFER FASTER Editor’s note POWER & ENERGY SOLUTIONS As ever, we are delighted to extend to you a happy, healthy welcome to our latest issue of PES Wind. The final issue of 2020. As we approach the end of the year, the mood Directors appears to have shifted dramatically. From a widely held feeling of caution, worry and Stuart Gillies uncertainty over the last 6-9 months, things appear to be turning a corner and there Mark Smith now seems much more reason for hope, progress and optimism moving into 2021. Stefann Perrigot Client Liaison Manager Around the world, wind farms, projects and developments are continuing to grow, as Vikki Birch of course are the systems, parts and components required. Personnel, training, and Editor safety requirements have evolved too. Along with the desire for the fastest, most Elaine Perrigot efficient and accurate technology and solutions, be it the best possible servicing, [email protected] monitoring and analysis tools required to realize these projects. Associate Editors Stephen Pearson As we go to press, we are fast approaching one of the most anticipated events of the Zachary George year. WindEnergy Hamburg 2020 may be a virtual offering this time around, but it Design certainly remains much awaited nonetheless. This year’s offering kicks off on 1st Andrew Jenkins December for 4 days, and is aimed at informing the global on and offshore audience, of [email protected] the latest developments, advances and innovations across the sector. Production Paul Lawson We have seen huge strides forward in some of the industry key areas in 2020, nowhere [email protected] is this more apparent than in the offshore maintenance space, where great progress Sales Enquiries has been achieved in respect to, not just the vessels themselves, but also in regard to [email protected] the push toward a greener future. General Enquiries [email protected] All of this comes of course, under the umbrella goal of aiming to ensure that all aspects Media Partnership Enquiries of our industry continue to become as efficient and streamlined as is possible. [email protected] Advertising Opportunities Or put simply: SMARTER, SAFER, FASTER. [email protected] PES is published by P&G Media Ltd I hope you enjoy the issue. P&G Media Ltd Elaine Perrigot PO Box 310, Bristol, BS10 5WT, Editor United Kingdom This publication is copyright © 2017 P&G Media Ltd and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the prior permission of P&G Media Ltd. While every care has been taken during the preparation of this publication, P&G Media cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information published herein or any consequence arising from it. From sustainably managed forests. For more information visit: www.pefc.org www.peswind.com WWW.PESWIND.COM 3

CONTENTS 58 Graham Ault, Executive Director 112 Prof. Andreas Reuter and Prof. 102 Before considering the impact that at Smarter Grid Solutions tells us Jan Wenske of Fraunhofer IWES, condition monitoring systems (CMS) have how we can make the most out of explain how sector coupling could on our industry, it is important to first wind energy with smarter grid and aid energy transition establish what CMS entails and how it came market integration? to be such an established piece of hardware in the renewable energy sector. Daryl Hickey, Advanced performance engineer at Natural Power tells us more Smarter Grid Solutions Fraunhofer IWES Natural Power Conference call 10 WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s leading wind energy event, is taking place in 2020 despite the crisis. However, organizer Hamburg We are delighted to hear Prof. Andreas Reuter & Prof. Daryl Hickey, Advanced PES Looks ahead to the from Executive director Jan Wenske discuss energy performance engineer, eagerly anticipated virtual Graham Ault transition discusses condition edition of WindEnergy monitoring systems (CMS) Hamburg 2020 Messe und Congress GmbH is not inviting visitors to its local WIND As ever at PES Wind, we are delighted to bring exhibition campus this time but to the World Wide Web. Because of the you the latest developments, innovations & technology advances from many of the industry’s COVID-19 pandemic, WindEnergy Hamburg 2020 will be a fully digital key movers & shakers. event held from December 1st to 4th, four days, around-the-clock. PLUS, our usual portion of expert opinion, insight & analysis POWER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS • ISSUE 3, 2020 SMARTER 16 Smart connected bolting: taking the smart factory to the SAFER field. Calum Urquhart, Global Business Manager – Energy, FASTER Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems, gives us his take PES Essential 26 Miros is a technology company 38 Wim Schouwenaar, CEO is passionate 48 I on Etxarri, R&D Quality & Innovation that specialises in measuring the about the work carried out by DHSS. ocean surface. With over 35 years of He told PES that the whole work force Manager at Ingeteam Wind Energy, experience engineering dry-mounted, is dedicated to their services and go brings us up to speed on extended radar-based sensors robust enough to above and beyond the call of duty. Well validation and certification of new weather the harsh and unpredictable aware of the importance of location generation power converters reduce the conditions of the North Sea, the and reactivity this go-ahead team cost of energy company develops innovative solutions provide full vessel agency services and for real-time, local environmental helicopter logistics for the Offshore Ask the experts monitoring for the global offshore and Energy Industry. Currently based in the maritime industry Netherlands they are looking to expand 22 PES was delighted to speak with globally. In fact, it would appear that the 30 At PES we were curious about world is their oyster Valentin Hartmann, a partner in Waterworks Offshore CONCEPTS. Aero Enterprise, so we decided to call 54 Liftket‘s CEO Jürgen Dlugi, tells PES He was enthusiastic about their new Robert Hörmann, CEO/CTO and venture, as they branch out into the Peter Kurt Fromme-Knoch, CEO/ about the company’s expansion in the ship finance market. A bold new chapter CFO to find out more about this fast wind industry. In 1953 they started is beginning in this young dynamic developing, innovative company. They off by supplying electric chain hoists company, encompassed in a slight are very happy to be part of the and are now able to offer a complete change of name. They have already BUSS Energy Group, finding much service crane globally, suitable for on established links with investors, which mutual benefit and profiting from and offshore work. Well aware of safety are proving to be mutually beneficial and the global reach. However, they are needs, they provide full training and will continue to do so in the future not losing their own identity and are tailor made packages to meet their continuing to develop their hard- and clients’ needs on request software for turbine inspection 4 PES WIND

CONTENTS 78 64 Delivering climate neutrality requires Think tank 34 All over the world, people are asking Following on from the interview with 68 A wind Lidar is quite simply a remarkable two questions: what will COVID-19 Wim Keen in the last edition, PES do, and what will the next American had some questions for Maik piece of technology recently described President do? The pandemic has caused Rienecker, founder of Steel Inspect by Avangrid as having ‘advanced the manufacturing plant closures resulting and father of the unique Q7 concept wind industry globally’. Generic Lidar in predictable havoc, but we have also for optimal quality management of benefits are summarised by Renewable seen COVID-19 disrupt supply chains offshore windfarm EPCI (Engineering, Energy Systems (RES) as being ‘safer, that were once rock-solid, in ways Procurement, Construction, Installation) cheaper, better, faster’ than traditional nobody could have anticipated. It’s projects. He was happy to explain the meteorological masts. A PES Exclusive uncertainty on top of uncertainty Q7 concept in detail and share the with ZX Lidars benefits this brings to offshore wind farm 78 Ensuring the wintertime profits with blade construction projects 74 V anessa Bill - Sales Coordinator, heating. We hear from Lasse Hietikko, 82 PES Wind caught up with Ed Hall, Petr Chizhik, Lead Applications Business Development Manager, Wicetec Scientist, & Nick Weldon, Technical President of Oxifree, to discover the Marketing Manager at 88 Digital automated independent latest corrosion solutions. Our readers Croda International plc, explain why have always been interested in this sector, wind turbine reliability remains a key solutions: a necessity for asset managers as it has a real impact on maintenance issue and an opportunity for O&Ms. An insight and life span of the wind turbines. from Mus Rezzoug, MD, Sereema Research and development are at the 94 The H-J Family of Companies explain forefront. The core product encapsulates 98 Leo Hambro, Director at Tidal Transit the part, rather than sticking to it, which how they are making a difference in lends itself to many different possibilities windfarm transformers Limited, believes that Global growth for offshore wind must lead to zero 121 T SR Wind is a lively, go-ahead company Corporate focus emissions goal in our industry, Juan Rivas, Commercial 44 Mainprize Offshore has operated in the 108 M HO-Co is on a mission towards a Director, was excited to share some of their solutions with PES. There’s North Sea for over thirty years, and the greener and more economically viable no doubt that robotics is making a family behind the company has a fishing service to the offshore industry. And big difference to the cost, efficiency, heritage that dates back generations. the future is already here. Right now, the safety and downtimes of inspections This team has extensive experience Danish shipping company is building the for the asset owners, and to cap it all in the offshore oil and gas industries, world’s first hybrid CTVs which are to be off the analysis can be done back at the and has been going from strength to introduced in 2021. And they hope to office, meaning the experts don’t need strength since entering the offshore take the technology even further with to move from their offices to see the renewables sector in 2012 support from EU funds results or plan interventions Talking point 132 Those in the know at Port of Esbjerg are 126 B lade O&M has become a focus for 6 W ith the launch of the SHIFT platform firm believers that Hyper-collaboration BladeInsight, formerly Prodrone. André is the new norm in offshore wind Croft de Moura, CEO and founder, spoke four years ago, ZF Wind Power changed enthusiastically to PES, about his vison the wind gearbox market in terms 136 Online trade is the big winner of the for the future of drone inspections, of flexibility, product lifetime and with added value. This blade centric competition. Thanks to a design based Corona crisis. This also applies to company has already embraced the on standardized building blocks, the the spare parts and repair market for idea of predictive maintenance and is platform offers high flexibility in gearbox wind turbines. A Hamburg company, continuing to provide quality, agility and development for next-generation a pioneer in this niche in 2013, is now a focus on the customer turbine concepts gaining momentum despite, or because of Corona. Stefan Weber, Founder and Managing Director of Windsourcing.com GmbH, shares his thoughts with PES on how the foundation of a digital trading company came about and how much more importance digitization has gained among the broad masses in the context of the Corona crisis WWW.PESWIND.COM 5

TALKING POINT Competitive gearboxes: electrification at high speed SHIFT 7k - To achieve an overall ratio of 200Nm/kg, the 7k variant comes with 4 stages in total, of which the first 2 stages are equipped with a higher number of planets than its 4k and 6k predecessors. 6 PES WIND

TALKING POINT With the launch of the SHIFT platform four years ago, ZF Wind Power changed the wind gearbox market in terms of flexibility, product lifetime and competition. Thanks to a design based on standardized building blocks, the platform offers high flexibility in gearbox development for next-generation turbine concepts. Currently, the platform has been extended with two new members: SHIFT 3k to the lower end of the torque scale and SHIFT 7k at the high end. Together with the 4k and 6k variants, the SHIFT platform contributes to the lowest levelized cost of energy in all wind areas. Competitive design raising the torque markets with a wind power density starting Full flexibility to cover all wind markets density bar above 200Nm/kg from 125W/m2 up to 500W/m2. Overall, the SHIFT platform offers a During its 40 years of activity in the wind In terms of torque density, the 3k and 7k modular and upgradeable gearbox design market, ZF Wind Power has shipped 150 GW siblings in the product family clearly raise that enables wind turbine manufacturers to of gearboxes worldwide, of which 75% of the bar in their segments, with the 7k even choose from multiple gearbox variants over today’s shipments are based on the modular surpassing the 200Nm/kg mark. This the lifetime of a wind turbine platform, platform design. With a torque range of step-up in torque density was made including a broad range of rotor-size, 2000-8000 kNm, all onshore and offshore possible by continuously advancing the generators and ratio combinations. With the wind sites can be covered. Where the state-of-the-art in gearbox components pre-designed and pre-validated gearbox SHIFT 7k variant with a maximal torque up to and materials. To achieve an overall ratio of variants, the platform offers lowest 8000kNm addresses the high power and high 200, the 7k variant comes with 4 stages in powertrain development cost over the output onshore segments as well as total, of which the first 2 stages are turbine platform lifetime as well as shortest dedicated offshore markets, the SHIFT 3k equipped with a higher number of planets time-to-market for any turbine upgrade. variant was added to the product family than its 4k and 6k predecessors. Turbine manufacturers can select the best specifically to cover the demand in view of Optimization of load sharing in these fit gearbox variant from the platform in low to very low wind sites to boost annual multi-planet stages is the ‘fine art’ consideration of site-specific loads. Even energy production. With this broad torque of gearbox design combined with mixing variants within a single wind park range, ZF Wind Power SHIFT gearboxes selective assembly of components in is possible. enable cost-efficient turbine designs for all the assembly process. The SHIFT platform has been extended with two new members - SHIFT 3k to the lower end of the torque scale and SHIFT 7k at the high end. Together with the 4k and 6k variants, the SHIFT platform contributes to the lowest levelized cost of energy in all wind areas. WWW.PESWIND.COM 7

TALKING POINT SHIFT 3k - The SHIFT 3k variant was added to the product family specifically to cover the demand in view of low to very low wind sites to boost annual energy production The re-use of gearbox building blocks manufacturing and servicing gearboxes over platform four years ago clearly marked a leap simplifies service operations, thereby 40 years, ZF Wind Power is able to provide in gearbox development strategy in tune with reducing maintenance cost, whilst offering dedicated recommendations per gearbox to market needs. With the introduction of the potential for future turbine power upgrades optimize spare parts inventory and plan SHIFT 3k and SHIFT 7k, the modular gearbox of the installed base. As such, SHIFT gives maintenance intervals, preferably during low platform is further synchronized with our customers the confidence to adopt production periods, such that the highest evolving wind turbine platform requirements. forward pricing when participating in availability of the turbine can be guaranteed. In doing so, ZF Wind Power delivers on its auction biddings. commitment to making wind energy one of Pathways to an electrified world the most cost-efficient renewable energy Reliable operations backed up by data sources powering the global energy shift. intelligence The introduction of the SHIFT gearbox With state-of-the-art manufacturing As gearboxes are critical components in the ZF Wind Power plants and worldwide service locations, reliable operation of wind turbines, ZF Wind ZF Wind Power is dedicated to delivering Power takes a leading stance in supporting With more than 150 GW of globally advanced gearbox solutions and services their customers with operations and installed wind energy, ZF Wind Power is a on a global scale, meeting the individual maintenance planning based on data reliable partner, supplying major needs of the global wind market. analytics. SHIFT gearboxes can be delivered manufacturers of gear-driven wind with a cloud-based analytics solution that turbines with a gearbox output range up to With headquarters in Belgium, the takes in general performance information 10 MW power capacity and serving all key company has a global footprint with from the wind turbine (SCADA system) and wind power segments. manufacturing and service presence in combines it with signals from condition Europe, China, India and the US. monitoring systems - vibration, temperature ZF is determined to be the leading and amount of oil particles – that generate an designer, producer and supplier in geared As a continuous innovator, ZF anticipates alarm when threshold values are reached. solutions for onshore and offshore wind the trend towards intelligent systems by turbines and is committed making wind enabling performance optimization of the State-of-the-art analytics and machine power the most attractive energy source overall wind turbine. learning algorithms are also applied to both in the future. operational and historical data. www.zf.com/windpower In combination with their expertise from 8 PES WIND

Wind Power IMAGINING THE WIND Ingeteam is the world’s #1 independent supplier of wind power converters. We offer proven and reliable electrical equipment up to 15 MW for onshore and offshore applications. We give active support for each specific project throughout the entire product life cycle. We can supply equipment from any of our production facilities in Europe, Asia, North and South America, applying the same standards and know-how. Our R&D Policy is focused on reliability and cost effectiveness from a global point of view, optimizing the whole solution in terms of Levelized Cost of Energy. We are flexible in designs and R&D solutions, operations, different business models or additional value-added services.

CONFERENCE CALL ©Hamburg Messe und Congress Michael Zapf 10 PES WIND

CONFERENCE CALL Wind energy’s most important event goes digital WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s leading wind energy event, is taking place in 2020 despite the crisis. However, organizer Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH is not inviting visitors to its local exhibition campus this time but to the World Wide Web. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WindEnergy Hamburg 2020 will be a fully digital event held from December 1st to 4th, four days, around-the-clock. The new format was created within record normally up to 1,400 exhibitors from 40 time after the tradeshow had at first been countries present their innovations and postponed from September to December, solutions. Equipment manufacturers and then converted into an online event because suppliers for all stages of the onshore and international travel restrictions and rising offshore wind energy value chain provide a infection rates made it impossible to plan for comprehensive overview of the market; an on-site, physical exhibition. WindEnergy Hamburg is the world’s largest available sourcing pool for wind-related Reinventing the tradeshow concept equipment engineering. Hamburg Messe und Congress had begun expanding this online Once the decision had been made to run the exhibitor directory long before the pandemic, entire tradeshow in digital format this adding a variety of new features. In particular, December, Hamburg Messe und Congress the search functionality was enhanced, and had to find a way to allow all participants in new interaction options were added. WindEnergy Hamburg to have a successful tradeshow experience despite the unusual Now the digital WindEnergy Hamburg will be situation. In essence, the entire concept of a a platform presenting company and product tradeshow had to be reinvented. Thanks to profiles with comprehensive, up-to-date the hard work and commitment of the great background information where exhibitors team at Hamburg Messe und Congress and can upload materials such as white papers, its co-organizer, WindEurope, supported by company videos, press information and other their partners and advisory boards, a new pre-produced content to their digital concept was developed. As a result, profiles. They can also offer live events for WindEnergy Hamburg Digital 2020 is now streaming. The great benefit for would-be ready to launch. tradeshow visitors is that they can get all the information they want in the relaxed setting The basis of the digital format was the of their office or home. No time-consuming organizers’ online exhibitor directory, international trips, no waiting in line – just a essentially a Who’s Who of the global wind few mouse clicks. energy industry: At WindEnergy Hamburg, WWW.PESWIND.COM 11

CONFERENCE CALL ©Hamburg Messe und Congress Michael Zapf ©Hamburg Messe und Congress Michael Zapf Matchmaking features enable personal easily. What is more, a visit to the virtual is the WindTV channel developed jointly by interaction tradeshow is by no means limited to central Hamburg Messe and WindEurope. Its two European office hours, the platform is streams will deliver exclusive live and Opportunities for personal interaction are accessible around the clock. Exhibitors can on-demand content – the no-cost WindTV really the core element of every tradeshow assign contact requests from their profile Open Stream and the pay TV format WindTV visit. Attendees of the online event will not pages to their staff in the respective time Premium. Both streams will address current miss out on one-on-one communication. zones. This means that exhibitors are key topics of the wind industry. There will be Hamburg Messe has integrated a available for interaction with potential and programs about global wind markets matchmaking tool into its WindEnergy existing customers in North America, presented by GWEC, as well as discussions of Hamburg 2020 digital platform. While during Australia or Japan during the office hours in issues such as permitting, community an on-site exhibition you sometimes have to the relevant country. engagement, electrification, renewable wait in line at a booth until a staff member hydrogen, technology and innovation, the has time for you, the digital platform lets you WindTV around-the-clock wind energy supply chain and much more. make appointments with exhibitors or arrange chat room meetings quickly and One of the highlights of the digital tradeshow Business leaders, policymakers and leading Stream Homepage 12 PES WIND

“”Scopito is hands down the best drone data analysis software tool on the market for energy inf rastructure inspection. – David Bowen Former VP of Product Strategy Measure THE FUTURE OF VISUAL INSPECTIONS

CONFERENCE CALL experts from the wind industry and beyond on-demand later. Congress itself will contribute content from will join these programs. While the WindTV its studio in Hamburg. A look at the event Open Stream will allow viewers to learn about The event program is being prepared jointly program reveals that the scope and variety the latest trends in business, policy and with the partners of WindEnergy Hamburg. of what is being offered can easily compete technology from a high-level and commercial WindEurope, the European wind energy with an on-site tradeshow – with the added perspective, the Premium channel will deliver association headquartered in Brussels, will benefit that you can watch it all from a more in-depth coverage from top specialists. broadcast about three quarters of the relaxed home setting. The second channel emulates the Premium WindTV program from there. Another Conference normally held by WindEurope in studio will be located at the London home Virtual visitors can start their digital tradeshow the Hamburg exhibition halls. WindTV will be base of the Global Wind Energy Council experience either from WindEnergy website online for four days. Viewers who have (GWEC), the global partner of WindEnergy (www.windenergyhamburg.com) or from the missed a live broadcast can stream it Hamburg. Finally, Hamburg Messe und custom app developed for this event. An interview with Claus Ulrich Selbach, highlight all the topics that are of major Claus Ulrich Selbach Business Unit Director, Maritime and interest and relevance to industry players. Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Everybody will find what they’re looking for, I industry expo positions itself digitally – will Hamburg Messe und Congress. am sure of that. generate a great deal of interest. Our conference program will be at least as The person in charge of WindEnergy One of the highlights will be the WindTV attractive as it has been in recent years. Hamburg, among other events. channel developed jointly by Hamburg Messe And since a visit of the tradeshow is now so and WindEurope. Its two streams will deliver easy and comfortable because it can PES: Mr. Selbach, WindEnergy Hamburg exclusive live and on-demand content – the happen on screen, there are probably going will take place as a digital event this year no-cost WindTV Open Stream and the pay to be many first-time visitors who are because of the COVID-19 pandemic. TV format WindTV Premium. Both streams eager to check it out. Will the program be as varied and will address current key topics of the wind fascinating as the on-site tradeshows industry. There will be programs about the This way WindEnergy Hamburg will not only in recent years? global wind markets as well as permitting, remain the world’s leading wind energy community engagement, electrification, event but even be able to strengthen its Claus Ulrich Selbach: Yes, WindEnergy renewable hydrogen, technology and position to some extent. I’m sure that Hamburg will be just as multifaceted and innovation, the wind energy supply chain, and people will be excited to return to the next fascinating and provide a similarly rich much more. Business leaders, policymakers WindEnergy Hamburg in 2022 to meet learning experience as the on-site events and leading experts from the wind industry face-to-face in the city of Hamburg. on the Hamburg exhibition campus that and beyond will join these programs. exhibitors and visitors are familiar with. Everybody in the industry wants to know Nevertheless, a digital platform will be The difference is that this time people where new markets are developing. So maintained as an intriguing extra won’t be able to interact physically. These ‘Emerging Markets’ is another major theme supplementing the traditional tradeshow face-to-face on-site meetings, a key we are highlighting jointly with GWEC. We will on our campus. That would have happened element of any tradeshow, are be looking at markets in Southeast Asia, Latin in the long run anyway; the pandemic has unfortunately impossible this year. But: We American and Africa in particular. Offshore simply accelerated this development, want to substitute that by providing the wind power is steadily gaining in importance. which I welcome especially. The platform exhibitors’ digital profile pages. What used We will be addressing that, of course. There concept, along with the fact that we are to be exhibitor booths in the exhibition will be sessions discussing finance, THE digital marketplace for the wind halls will now be exhibitor profiles on investment, and cooperation partnerships. energy industry, available online year- windenergyhamburg.com. We chose not to Another focus will be on Power-to-X and round with periodical physical gatherings try to present 3D booths or virtual booth Green Hydrogen. We would have given plenty and that is going to be the future. imitations. That would not be helpful in a of space to this topic at the physical event if it huge tradeshow like ours. had taken place. We are dedicating the amount of attention to this topic that it What we do offer through our app is, for deserves – by the way, not just at WindEnergy instance, a matchmaking tool with chat Hamburg but also at our shipbuilding trade functionality that will link visitors with fair SMM which will follow two months later. exhibitors. In times of a pandemic, the After all, hydrogen is of interest not only to digital format also offers a number of the wind energy industry but also to many additional benefits: You can enjoy the other industries that have a role to play in a entire tradeshow visit from the hydrogen economy. comfortable ambience of your office or home. All information will be available PES: What are your expectations regarding around the clock since the digital general interest in the digital tradeshow? tradeshow will be open 24 hours per day. CUS: WindEnergy Hamburg DIGITAL is the PES: Will all relevant industry topics be only opportunity to bring the international reflected? What topics will be featured wind energy industry together this year and this time? give the global importance of wind power the visibility and the platform it needs. I am CUS: The spectrum of topics will be as convinced that curiosity alone – people comprehensive as in a physical tradeshow. wanting to see how the world’s leading wind And it will be just as up-to-date. We 14 PES WIND



PES ESSENTIAL 16 PES WIND

PES ESSENTIAL Smart connected bolting: taking the smart factory to the field Words: Calum Urquhart, Global Business Manager – Energy, Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems The smart factory is a term we all know well and is used in reference to the implementation of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing environment. Significant benefits such as improved quality, higher productivity and cost reductions have transformed industries such as automotive and electronics in recent years through implementation of smart connected assembly solutions. Wind energy is catching up. We now see the use of smart tooling with inbuilt intelligence for critical assembly in factories for nacelle and gearbox production, but what happens on work sites out in the field? There is a significant amount of critical solutions available on the market today. bolting operations take place in construction, commissioning and The energy transition is happening, but the maintenance which have a direct impact on wind sector must drive a transformation in the turbine performance, reliability and critical bolting across the full value chain to cost. However, the reality is that in many truly benefit from the possibilities smart cases conventional bolting methods are still connected bolting solutions can bring. being used in the field due to old processes remaining in place, outdated tool fleets, and Digitization of manufacturing a general lack of awareness exactly how smart factory thinking can really be applied The fourth industrial revolution or the in the field with the technology and digitization of manufacturing has arrived. A key enabler is the emergence and use of WWW.PESWIND.COM 17

PES ESSENTIAL Data collection field, today and in the future can benefit from record of the assembly process showing new technology in many areas including what has been done, when, and by whom. technologies for connecting people, quality, process performance and overall Benefits to operators will include interfaces equipment and machines, and with it the cost efficiency. that are intuitive and self-instructing. This capacity for integrated analysis and use of We have identified 3 key areas: will reduce training demands and enable large amounts of data across value chains. 1 The assembly process fast efficient assembly processes independent of operator influence. Manufacturing companies have been The quality of assembly will be guaranteed implementing sensors and automation for within narrow tolerance due to sensors in 2 Maintenance of all tools and equipment decades, but seamless connectivity and the tools for torque, speed, load, angle, communication have been missing for acceleration, temperature and more. It is well known that preventive establishing fully connected production Sensors in the tool will control the process maintenance is better than unplanned, but network in factories where data is exchanged and secure that there is a documented the use of sensors and big data shifts the in real time. trend to predictive maintenance which Predictive maintenance uses multiple sources and parameters to The data and information can be used to model the likelihood of failure. Early improve productivity and quality, reduce indications of deviations can be identified defects and costs, and offer opportunities to through analysis and the accuracy of introduce new or enhanced services to prediction can be improved by sharing customers. results across multiple users, or even sites. This results in costs being Benefits to the wind energy industry significantly reduced and equipment maintenance schedules optimised. Smart tools for bolted assemblies with integrated sensors and intelligence that can 3 Big data analytics document and distribute process data are already used in some manufacturing facilities Highly relevant where the cost of downtime of the wind industry today. Automation, is high. Rework and downtime result in high process control and traceability of data such costs both financially and in reputation. Big as torque and angle tightening results, tool data can be collected from all bolted maintenance cycles or error logs which are assembly operations whether it be in a connected to specific parts, components or factory or in the field, at any time during the persons is used just as it is in other industries product life cycle. This information can be such as automotive, aerospace or electronics. shared across sites or locations performing the same types of operation. This will drive Going forward the bolted assembly process early identification of potential problem is expected to be further digitized. Even if areas and enable rapid knowledge transfer we assume the process needs to be and best practice implementation. performed by humans, the move towards robots is happening even in the wind Adding value across the value chain industry, which can be beneficial when applications require high loads or are in Harvard Business Review (October 2015) extreme locations such as offshore. stated we will see a whole new era of ‘lean’ as smart, connected products will help make Bolted assembly work in the factory or the people, materials, energy, plant and equipment more productive. Data flowing to 18 PES WIND

PES ESSENTIAL Smart Connected Bolting: all bolting technologies, 1 user experience and from products will allow product use and integration of parts verification, operator 4 Increased tool availability by >75% due to activities across the value chain streamlined guidance and documentation. data driven predictive maintenance in countless new ways. Inspired by lean manufacturing we see ‘4 pillars 2 Improved productivity > 15% through Taking the smart factory to the field. of value’ that can be applied to the Wind less rework and increased ‘right first industry to illustrate potential value, all based time’ quality. Securing bolted assembly processes, on real cases on other industrial sectors. collecting data, and tool management is 3 R educed training by >30% due to standard practise in factories in many 1 Reduction in defects by >15% by operator guidance integrated into tools industries today including Wind. However, in and solutions. the wind turbine construction, operations Process control and guidance and maintenance sector there are additional factors which make implementation of these solutions a challenge. Extreme work environments, time pressure, high demands on safety and the need for documentation are challenges that face the construction, operations and maintenance sector every day and are not easy to handle. Furthermore, the wide variety of bolted joint design today results in many different types of bolting tools being used by the workers. Hydraulic torque wrenches, bolt tensioning, electric nutrunners, battery tools, and even manual torque wrenches can all be found in use on site at the same time. For all these tool types there is a requirement for appropriate operator training, calibration process, and maintenance cycle monitoring, and for the most part documentation becomes a time consuming and manual process. These challenges can result in mistakes being made, and corners being cut, and the ultimate impact can be dangerous and costly equipment failure or rework required. Even worse catastrophic failure in the field. WWW.PESWIND.COM 19

PES ESSENTIAL ‘Smart connected bolting is not only a vision, but in 2020 a reality, enabling increased operational productivity and efficiency while reducing risk and cost’ If the process control and documentation and more competitive every day. Wind beyond to partners and service providers all capability used in production facilities turbine assembly and construction is getting of which drive faster product development, today were to be deployed in the more complex. Larger bolts, in more extreme quicker problem resolution, and rapidly construction and maintenance environments and with longer product life deployed process improvements across environment, this would have significant cycles means there is a need for new bolting multiple sites or locations. positive impact for OEM’s, contractors and solutions that support the goal of wind Industry as a whole relating to higher maintenance free bolted assembly. Technology enablers are allowing this to quality delivered work, cost reduction, and happen today and products exist on the improved operational efficiency. To address these demands, the market that support the vision for smart implementation of smart factory technology connected bolting in all environments. Atlas This was not possible in the past; however, in the field-based environment is a critical Copco will, together with other eco-system the new availability of mobile connectivity, path to take that will ensure the best quality partners continue to help the wind industry cloud and smart devices are enablers that products are manufactured, installed and to navigate and speed up this exciting make this very much a reality today. The operated for the full product life cycle with journey ahead, and make customers process availability of these solutions now makes it reductions in both risk and cost. and operations quicker, safer and smarter. possible to take the ‘smart factory’ into the field based, operational, work environment. Furthermore, this will enable the www.atlascopco.com interconnectivity and data analytics to be Shaping the future applied through the full value chain of OEMs, w ww.atlascopco.com/en-uk/itba/ from manufacturing to operations and even industry-solutions/energy/industry-4-0 The wind industry is becoming more global 20 PES WIND

Smart Connected Bolting We are experts in all controlled bolting techniques. We deliver innovative solutions that improve critical bolting processes by using smart tooling with intelligence and connectivity built in. Quicker.Safer.Smarter. atlascopco.com

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES Expanding horizons 22 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES PES was delighted to speak with Valentin Hartmann, a partner in Waterworks Offshore CONCEPTS. He was enthusiastic about their new venture, as they branch out into the ship finance market. A bold new chapter is beginning in this young dynamic company, encompassed in a slight change of name. They have already established links with investors, which are proving to be mutually beneficial and will continue to do so in the future. PES: Hi Valentin, welcome to PES Wind, it’s Valentin Hartmann great to have this opportunity to talk with you. It would be good to start with an in addition to vessel brokerage. overview of the company. With Waterworks Offshore Concepts we are Valentin Hartmann: Hi, yes thanks for giving entering the ship finance market, being the us the opportunity to introduce our company first strategic finance boutique purely for and its services to the PES readers and the assets, which operates in the offshore offshore industry. renewable market. This means a major step for our company, but we are very excited Waterworks Offshore was founded in 2014 by about the future of attractive financial Sven Boedewig and since then has been active solutions, in a market that we have operated in the offshore oil & gas sector, as well as the in for some years now. renewables market. Chartering and S&P to the industry have been key activities since then. PES: So how does this work in practical terms? Lately we have been very busy with recycling VH: Besides long-lasting relations to close offshore assets as well. I joined the company HNWIs (High Net Worth Individuals) we have in 2018 and have been actively supporting teamed-up with a reputable ESG-focused our clients in the renewables market, finance house, which aims to invest in especially in chartering for wind park O&M renewable shipping. Waterworks Offshore campaigns in the North Sea. Concepts will be the link between investors and shipowners who want, or need to PES: How important is the offshore wind finance, or to re-finance assets in their industry to you as a company? future, or existing fleets. VH: Since the beginning, the offshore wind The channels work both ways, either an industry has always been the main focus of investor who wants to invest in the sector, or Waterworks. Over the years we have a shipowner who needs finance solutions, managed to attract larger clients to our contact and we will tailor the best solution. services. They charter vessels on a regular basis for their businesses, for both time charters and the on the spot market. So, it is fair to say that offshore wind is an integral part of our company and we are striving to expand our services to this industry. PES: We note that you have changed the company name to Waterworks Offshore CONCEPTS and wondered why and what this means to the company? VH: Since about the beginning of the year we planned to change our focus. Offshore wind offers many more opportunities than serving this market with our brokerage activities. In our view, Services in the name indicates pure brokerage, meaning Chartering and S&P. Concepts on the other hand indicates a more strategic approach, which includes finance and project services WWW.PESWIND.COM 23

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES There will also be a digital solution to All these current and planned projects need smooth, safe and successful. accommodate all but we will save that for the special assets to achieve them. We definitely next interview. see a lot of older ships and they will need to For the future we are looking to develop be replaced. This perception has also been attractive and flexible financial solutions, PES: Why do you think there is a need for propelled by the Corona crisis and the falling which keep pace with the industry’s needs. A this type of offer in our industry at the oil price earlier this year, when vintage growing network and fast adaption will be key present time? tonnage became obsolete, as modern to achieve our goals. Shipowners are looking vessels also did not reach high utility rates for simple handling and flexible terms, while VH: The energy transition is in full force and and were favorable to charter. investors obviously look for return and offshore wind energy will continue to play a reliable partners. We will have the solution major role. It has been growing significantly Expectations at new and specialized assets for both parties. over the last 10 years and its share to are higher in terms of offering performance annual installed capacity is expected to and sustainability in one vessel. This rising PES: How do you see the competition in grow even more. trend is projected to keep going, as offshore this market? wind will grow expands in the renewable In 2019 Europe connected 502 new offshore energy sector. And it is supported by more VH: What competition? wind turbines to the grid across 10 projects. and more private, as well as institutional This brought 3,627 MW of new (gross) investors, willing to invest in sustainable PES: Seriously, you are not the only ones additional capacity. projects. It is not just about the return offering ship finance? anymore, but also about how the return is Europe now has a total installed offshore actually generated. VH: For sure, we are not the only ones, but wind capacity of 22,072 MW from 5,047 from those very few companies active in the grid-connected wind turbines across PES: How do you see your solutions renewable shipping market, we are proud to 12 countries. evolving in the future? be the first mover, who is officially concentrating and focusing purely on this Four new offshore wind projects reached VH: In fact, we have already had our first few evolving segment. Final Investment Decision (FID) in four financing deals for offshore support assets in different countries during 2019, with 2020, which are currently operating in the Our competitive advantage is that we do construction starting in the coming years. North Sea. The full process had been handled have an already existing ship finance €6.0bn were invested in order to finance 1.4 very privately and confidentially and it was network, including investment partners who GW of additional capacity. rely on our expertise. 24 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES ‘Our competitive advantage is that we do have an already existing ship finance network, including investment partners who rely on our expertise.’ PES: What do you think will be the greatest Assets classes with potential surely are wind example the U.S. Jones Act. opportunities and the greatest challenges, turbine installation vessels, who are getting for offshore wind in general and bigger and bigger, along with the turbines We as a company have to ensure we deliver as Waterworks Offshore CONCEPTS in they need to handle. Larger CTVs will also be much value as possible to be in the chain. particular, over the next few years? needed in the future, while alternative Traditional middlemen are used less, which is propulsion systems are a must going also a trend we have observed over some VH: Starting with opportunities, Bloomberg forward. For us as a company, the years now. The increased use of tenders is data showed that investments in offshore opportunities are to be a part of the trend also not something in our favor. wind increased 319%, when comparing and actively shape the way of broking and 1st half 2020 with 1st half 2019, to a total of vessel finance. Bringing as much value to the client as USD 35 billion worldwide. I am not saying that possible, while concentrating on a core-set this will happen every year, but the direction Challenges are the very different political of services, which are key to understanding is clear. Geographical opportunities are regulations in different countries, which what we offer. That’s a challenge we are where the investments are not high yet, but sometimes make it tough for shipowners, or ready to dive into every day. are expected to be, like in the USA. us as brokers to be actively involved in, for www.waterworks-offshore.com WWW.PESWIND.COM 25

ASK THE EXPERTS: TECHNOLOGY How independent real-time ocean insights support offshore wind insurance 26 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: TECHNOLOGY Miros is a technology company that specialises in measuring the ocean surface. With over 35 years of experience engineering dry-mounted, radar-based sensors robust enough to weather the harsh and unpredictable conditions of the North Sea, the company develops innovative solutions for real-time, local environmental monitoring for the global offshore and maritime industry. By making essential data available to all relevant stakeholders, Miros continues to develop its long track record of enhancing the safety, performance, and efficiency of offshore operations worldwide, including those related to both floating and fixed offshore wind installations. In the run up to their latest series of webinars to pay for it up front, or otherwise accept that for the offshore wind market, Miros’ they’ll be charged as and when it happens renewables lead and former offshore wind along the way. underwriter, Robert Bates, was joined by veteran offshore operations specialist, Andy RB: So, in the end, who’s paying for the Readyhough, for a conversation about risk downtime? The contractor or the allocation, contract disputes and the shifting developer? Or is it insured? sands of offshore wind insurance. AR: Whoever claimed on the weather. But it Robert Bates: When it comes to claims in will likely result in a dispute. offshore wind, we know that significant wave height (Hs), waiting on weather, and A marine warranty surveyor, appointed by the standby charges play a major role, but developer as an independent checking exactly how big of an issue are the related engineer as requirement of the project contractual disputes between contractors insurance, is there to make sure that as far as and their employers? reasonably practicable, no claims need to be made on the project insurance. This includes Andy Readyhough: It depends where the risk assessing the weather working periods lies within the contractual structure. At the associated with critical tasks, to ensure that moment, developers likely have a stronger no adverse weather arises during the hand in the formation of contracts, and this execution of those tasks that may damage the enables them to de-risk things as much as product as a result of vessel motion or they can. So, they’ll likely mitigate any standby deployment execution. or delay fees that would otherwise be to their account. Instead, they’ll push the weather risk So, the marine warranty surveyor will monitor to the contractor who would, potentially, have the performance of the contractors, and to submit a proposal that includes weather they’ll be recording weather (including Hs), from the get-go. using whichever data sources (forecasts, buoys, radar sensors, etc.) are at their A few years ago, it was the other way round. disposal. Weather is one of the things they’ll Contractors would present weather-exclusive be basing their decisions on when issuing proposals where any delays received a certificates of approval for the execution of downtime rate because nobody knew what certain project tasks, and this certificate is the weather was going to be doing. what triggers insurance cover for each task. This means that the accuracy of the initial These days, of course, the developers can data is key, as once a certificate is issued, access all kinds of weather information. They that’s it, they generally don’t get retracted. provide relevant data to the contractor about the site and simply ask how much downtime Meanwhile, the developer’s own onboard they expect to rack up over the course of the representatives also monitor vessel contract. Based on the answer from the workability in the actual environmental contractor, developers can decide if they want conditions, and report back to the employer. WWW.PESWIND.COM 27

ASK THE EXPERTS: TECHNOLOGY Then it’s just a question of whether the vessel processes and help support safety across all independent monitoring could present a suffered downtime because of the weather, these areas. route to reversing that. along with how the contract has been It would be good (if not best) practice to Additionally, the further offshore these structured regarding where the risk lies for have reliable, repeatable monitoring operations go, the greater the challenge of weather delays. If the vessel stops working offshore. It’s in the interests of everyone – workability and the impacts of weather. The below the specified Hs, the developer will say, the developers, the contractors, and the emphasis on Hs will only become greater, in ‘You signed up saying the vessel could work in insurance providers. my opinion. these conditions, so it’s your cost alone, RB: I see, and what are the operating limits For more about risk and insurance in offshore because you didn’t operate in the contracted of most vessels? wind, access our on-demand webinar on the weather working conditions.’ AR: It depends on a few criteria. Crew topic by scanning the QR code below. transfer vessels will generally be looking at RB: How common are claims? Are we talking 1.5m Hs, whereas service operations vessels www.miros-group.com every project, or one in ten? with motion compensated gangways, or cable vessels operating between turbines, Andy Readyhough, MD, Red Ensign AR: I’d say to a certain degree it’s every those will be closer to 3m Hs. Solutions project. During the construction phase alone, Every offshore energy zone needs a wide With more than three decades of it may take one complete construction season range of vessels for support, construction, experience in the field, master mariner just for the foundations, then they’ll do the and many other roles, and each one will have and operations expert, Andy cables during another season, and so on, with its own weather working criteria. As the Readyhough, launched Red Ensign weather playing a part throughout. It would be insurance industry continues to change Solutions in 2017 to provide consultancy very unusual if there were no disputes about – and do so rapidly – some areas are services for marine operations. weather during any of those stages. becoming uninsurable. Having good, Primarily active within the subsea power cable transmission, operations and After that, it just depends how the dispute is Robert Bates, Sales Executive maintenance, and offshore renewables remedied. Maybe the total amount of Renewables, Miros sectors, Captain Readyhough’s weather downtime is minimal, in which case With a deep understanding of the extensive experience ranges from initial it can just be factored into the end of many and varied risks associated with involvement in offshore wind farm contract closeout. If it’s significant, the offshore wind farm lifecycle, development in 2005, all the way however, then there might be issues Robert Bates joined the Miros team in through to present-day requirements regarding contractor performance. 2020. Robert’s professional career is for far-offshore windfarms and high founded upon a specialised knowledge voltage interconnector development. RB: From contractor’s perspective, what of the challenges facing the offshore are the pros and cons of having independent wind market. This knowledge, data on Hs that can be relied on for garnered during his term at the world’s contractual purposes? largest renewable energy insurer, equips Robert with an acute AR: It’s a bit like driving a car, if there’s a black appreciation for the benefits that box installed, you get a reduced insurance Miros’ portfolio of sensors offers the premium as a young driver because there’s burgeoning offshore renewable more data available in the event of an industry. accident. That data can prove whether you were within set terms (the speed limit, for example), or not, as well as whether you were covered by your insurance if not complying with the limits stipulated. From one side, the contractor might not want to be told that the weather conditions are above the limit, because they might want to work. Meanwhile, the developer might insist in the contract that they want to see Hs taken into account so there can be no arguments about the workability of the vessel. At the same time, the insurance companies might say that it would make a project insurable if you have independent monitoring on board, as it means that you’re not leaving judgements about workability to someone’s personal interpretation of the data, or a less reliable data source. That being said, we shouldn’t forget that, ultimately, it’s the vessel captain’s responsibility to ensure the safe operation of the vessel, the safety of personnel onboard, and safety related to the environment in which the vessel is working. Hs monitoring at the vessel location would assist captains in their decision-making 28 PES WIND

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ASK THE EXPERTS: INSPECTIONS State-of-the-art inspections Inspection flight at offshore wind turbine with the helicopter drone AERO-SensorCopter At PES we were curious about Aero Enterprise, so we decided to call Robert Hörmann, CEO/CTO and Peter Kurt Fromme-Knoch, CEO/CFO to find out more about this fast developing, innovative company. They are very happy to be part of the BUSS Energy Group, finding much mutual benefit and profiting from the global reach. However, they are not losing their own identity and are continuing to develop their hard- and software for turbine inspection. PES: A warm welcome to you both to PES digitized airborne inspection of wind covering aeronautical engineering, Wind, it’s good to talk with you. Would you turbines and other vertical objects. mechatronics and software development like to begin by giving us an overview of and of course a sales team. Aero Enterprise? Parallel to this in-house development and bringing it to market readiness, we started The company is situated in Linz/Austria, Robert Hörmann: Aero Enterprise began in presenting our services to the European the technological hot spot of Austria. 2015 by both Peter and myself, we are market, using the fully digitized and automated co-founders. In the beginning the company airborne inspection of wind turbines. In July 2020 we became a partner of the focused on the development of special German Buss Energy Group, an important hard- and software equipment for the Peter Kurt Fromme-Knoch: Our team international player in on- an offshore consists of 10 highly qualified technicians wind business. 30 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: INSPECTIONS PES: We know you are involved in various most of the offshore turbines can be with our own technicians. industries and would like to know how inspected within only one turn. This important the wind sector is for you? increases the efficiency on site significantly. Currently, we see AI primarily as a helping element when searching for anomalies, to PFK: The wind sector is the most important PES: Is research and development an find even the smallest defects, so that sector of course, because of its demand, integral part of your business? nothing can be overlooked. As yet we do not scalability and future prospects. use it as part of an automated classification PFK: Yes, it is extremely important to listen process. The final decision on the findings is PES: We have been hearing about your to customer needs and re-invent ourselves done by a human. AERO-SensorCopter Offshore constantly. Even at a very early stage of our helicopter-drone, which you developed company development, from first ideas and Meanwhile the use of AI in analysis and and we’d love to know more about it. prototypes, we received recognition from interpretation of turbine damages is leading participants, who exchanged with us becoming a standard. RH: The actual model of the on an equal footing. That convinced we were AERO-SensorCopter is the fourth generation on the right track with our hard- and PES: What is the most unique aspect of your of UAVs developed by us, and it has fabulous software development. approach to wind inspections? physical properties, especially designed for the harsh offshore environment. PES: How important is the role of AI in your PFK: Highest quality of results, that means inspections and what added value does this? high resolution images, continuous profiling Due to its design the SensorCopter flies like along the total turbine, all four sides of the it’s hung in the air, even at high wind speeds RH: We were one of the first companies to blades and tower on demand. up to 15m/sec, when operating close to the integrate AI in our software-based analysis of object on the lee side of the rotor-blade. It is blade damage. We are very proud that all AI-supported interpretation and fully digital capable of flying for more than 30 min, so development has been carried out in-house, reporting to the customer, transparency, WWW.PESWIND.COM 31

ASK THE EXPERTS: INSPECTIONS traceability and comparison of all data over Robert Hörmann Peter Kurt Fromme-Knoch the lifetime of the asset, and all of this in a very professional manner. an important role in Europe and in the PES: What makes your solutions stand out future, overseas. from the competition, what are the benefits PES: What has been the impact of the Buss to the end user? Energy Group Investment on the company? PES: Do you have any interesting projects in the pipeline that you are able to share with us? RH: The biggest benefit for the customer is PFK: We can sum it up in one sentence: to get reliable, objective and high-quality technology meets the market. The Buss RH: We just carried out important data as the basis of an internal quality Group will be a booster for Aero Enterprise to operational tests for two very big players in management system. Also, the fact that we penetrate the market much faster than we the market, one onshore and another have a great manufacturing knowledge in could manage by ourselves. offshore. Based on the already existing and both, hardware and software. I think on the upcoming results, we expect to ongoing maintenance is the key to long Another aspect is that to be part of a bigger become partners with these players. service life and the best energy output. Put and well know partner in the segment gives one euro in inspection or ten euros in the customer security and confidence. Our In the field of development, we are working maintenance or 100 Euro in repair, the wise two companies fit together perfectly, on our EU Horizon 2020 development man prevails. because of our common-sense concerning project, we won in 2019. This will open up a technology leadership. new dimension of offshore inspection. PES: How has the current coronavirus Finally, the customer has primarily ‘one face to the service provider’, independent in each project phase. We are now able to give answers and support in the planning, installation, production and decommissioning time, in all kinds of onshore and offshore projects regarding asset quality-control, inspection, repair, harbor- and ship-logistics… and this worldwide. PES: We were wondering about your geographical reach and if you have plans to expand into other areas? PFK: This was another reason for us to become part of the Buss Energy Group. Our new partner Buss is already well positioned geographically and has an expansion strategy that fits exactly with Aero Enterprise’s goals. Together we want to play The actual model of the AERO-SensorCopter is especially designed for the harsh offshore environment 32 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: INSPECTIONS The helicopter drone takes high resolution images even at wind speeds up to Aero Enterprise processes, standardizes and classifies the gathered image data 14 m/sec within the AERO-Software Package supported by AI Take off of the AERO-SensorCopter for an inspection flight situation impacted on your business and how you run it? What changes have you had to make? How do you see this developing over the next 6-12 months? PFK: Of course, we lost some international surveys due to travel limitations in this Corona crises. Orders were placed with local companies, with lower quality at higher prices. That hurts of course, but it won´t kill us. We tried to focus on in-house development and virtual customer contacts. The biggest negative impact is the postponed or canceled fairs all over Europe. We presume a relaxation will be at the earliest in the second quarter of 2021. PES: What do you think will be the greatest opportunities and the greatest challenges, for the wind industry in general and Aero Enterprise in particular, over the next few years, and where do you see yourselves in 5 years’ time? PFK: The European Green Deal of course can be a big boost for the whole European wind branch if the financial resources will actually become available. The forecasts, especially for the offshore market, sound very promising with an expansion of capacities fourfold by 2030. The grid expansion must also be driven forward in tandem so that the energy produced also ends up with the consumer. This is currently not guaranteed. RH: In this environment the maintenance of wind turbines will become even more efficient, digital and automated. We, as Aero Enterprise, will be providing a necessary service. In five years’ time, we definitely want to see our current technical leadership role on the customers’ side. www.aero-enterprise.com WWW.PESWIND.COM 33

TALKING POINT Uncertainty and certainty All over the world, people are asking two questions: How will COVID-19 have a continued effect, and what will the next American President do? The pandemic has caused manufacturing plant closures resulting in predictable havoc, but we have also seen COVID-19 disrupt supply chains that were once rock-solid, in ways nobody could have anticipated. It’s uncertainty on top of uncertainty. 34 PES WIND

TALKING POINT ‘Nobody believes we’ve seen the end of what ships and the people to do it. A fleet like ours want clean, renewable energy. Even so, the pandemic will do to the global economy allows us to mitigate schedule changes that additional U.S tax incentives would certainly and the various industries that drive it, but arise from sudden changes in production’. help to grow the wind energy sector. we have always thrived in adversity and uncertainty,’ says an optimistic Randall Who will be the next American President, and No matter the outcome of the Presidential Sullivan, Chartering Manager, BBC what will he do? What will be important to election, the U.S. will continue to be the Singapore, ‘and our customers know we’ll him, and what parts of the American and largest market for wind turbines, and carriers work right alongside them to find our way in world economy will grow as a result? For will continue to face the challenges of the ‘new normal’. those interested in the U.S. wind turbine shipping to such a large and diverse market, the more specific question is, what geographic area, through ports that are Supply chain disruptions resulting from will the next President do to support clean often stretched to the limit of their capacity. COVID-19 have already caused problems for energy production? The Production Tax A significant number of wind turbines enter our clients, and they’ve been coming to us for credit is set to expire at the end of 2020, and the U.S. through the Great Lakes, which innovative solutions to their rapidly changing there’s no doubt that the PTC was present their own vessel and seasonal transportation needs. We’ve been able to instrumental in jump-starting demand for restrictions, placing more pressure on solve difficult supply problems, sometimes wind energy. The demand is there now, and it delivery timetables at a time when on very short notice, because we’ve got the will almost certainly continue to grow. People pandemic-related supply chain issues are already complicating the process. Supply chains throughout ports in the U.S. Gulf are also being challenged, due to the heightened demand for clean energy in the U.S. before the PTC expires. ‘We’ve had to get creative and find ways around the bottlenecks,’ says Randall, ‘but that’s what we always do. It’s a difficult time but we’ve still got the largest and most flexible fleet in the industry, and nobody is more well positioned than BBC Chartering to meet this challenge. My colleagues on the BBC wind team in Denmark, Germany, the US and here in Singapore work together around the clock to deliver wind infrastructure to the world’. BBC Chartering leads the industry with the world’s largest fleet of multipurpose and heavy-lift vessels. It is a diverse and capable fleet, with 140 ships from 4,325 to 31,800 DWT able to lift up to 800 metric tons. In a global network of 30 offices, there is a world-class team of chartering and operations professionals with years of experience and deep local knowledge, backed by extraordinary technical and engineering staff. As the demand for clean energy rises, wind infrastructure onshore is expected to continue developing. While the US will be the largest onshore windmill market for the foreseeable future, the next big market is going to be offshore windfarms like the new Formosa 2 development in Taiwan, where 47 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines are being installed in depths up to 55 metres. The BBC Onyx multipurpose heavy-lifter recently delivered six of eight batches of pinpiles for the seabed foundations these huge wind turbines will rest on. The pinpiles are as much as 78.9 metres long, with an outside diameter of 2.4 metres, and each one weighs up to 276 tonnes. ‘It’s a new market for us,’ said Rajeev Singh Brar, Chartering Broker, BBC Singapore, ‘and despite the extra challenges COVID-19 presented as well as the steep learning curve a new venture like this always presents, we’re pleased with how the Formosa 2 project has gone so far and we’re excited about the opportunities to come. Our fleet is well suited to the transportation of pinpiles, WWW.PESWIND.COM 35

TALKING POINT BBC Fuji transition pieces and monopiles when they unique challenges an offshore windfarm energy grows, so too does the physical size come in sections, not to mention the installation presents.’ of the blades we use to harness the wind. components that will have to be transported once the foundations are set.’ Rajeev went on Through all the uncertainty in the world right As manufacturers continue to design larger to say, ‘The offshore wind market is in many now – the political upheaval and rapidly components, there will come a point when ways different from onshore, but an efficient changing markets -- the demand for wind the wind turbines are too large for the transport solution is still always the goal. energy continues to grow. People want to vessels available to carry them. This will be With over 140 vessels available to us, we can know that their homes and cities are being particularly an issue in the offshore wind offer our clients a variety of solutions to the powered by energy that is both sustainable market, where every piece of wind and clean. And while the demand for clean infrastructure is bigger and heavier… and getting bigger and heavier. At some point, BBC Sapphire wind turbine manufacturers will have to contend with the fact that as their product gets larger, the pool of vessels in the world able to carry it gets smaller. They will be competing with big players in the oil and gas sector for space onboard ships that can carry their big, heavy products to market. ‘For now, BBC Chartering is ideally positioned to meet this challenge with a diverse and capable fleet, and a unique market approach’, says Rajeev, ‘and as the market presents us with new challenges, we’ll come up with new solutions. We’ll just figure it out and get the cargo moved. Innovative, efficient and flexible solutions… that’s what we do.’ Randall Sullivan summed it up with, ‘There are things we worry about, and things we know. Whatever happens in the world, we know the world will need energy and we know the wind will blow. And we’ll keep sailing.’ www.bbc-chartering.com 36 PES WIND

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ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES 38 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES You cannot control the wind, but you can adjust your sails Wim Schouwenaar, CEO is passionate about the work carried out by DHSS. He told PES that the whole work force is dedicated to their services and go above and beyond the call of duty. Well aware of the importance of location and reactivity this go-ahead team provide full vessel agency services and helicopter logistics for the Offshore Energy Industry. Currently based in the Netherlands they are looking to expand globally. In fact, it would appear that the world is their oyster. PES: Hi Wim, it’s great to welcome you back option to jack-up alongside, as well as CTV’s Wim Schouwenaar to PES Wind. Please can you begin by giving (crew tender vessels) alongside a fit for us a brief overview of DHSS? purpose quay. From here we are currently In order to avoid a huge expense for our acting as a marshalling terminal throughout customers, we provide COVID-19 tests for Wim Schouwenaar: It is good to catch up a maintenance campaign at a near shore our clients, with results on same day. This so with PES Wind again. We are quite busy in all wind farm. there are no massive extra local quarantine the service areas we provide to our offshore hotel times and therefore no extra costs. We wind clients. Our clients are keeping us busy Next to this, we have opened a brand-new arrange these tests not only in the in all the ports, where we have an agency, in helicopter terminal at our Eemshaven base. Netherlands, but also in Belgium. Off the top the Netherlands. Customers who regularly From here we provide a full service to MHI of my head, we have arranged tests for over rely on our services with regards to all related Vestas, for their hoisting flights to the 4000 crew members so far. activities during their project execution at Deutsche Bucht wind farm. We deliver the full sea and at their port calls. On a daily basis we scope of our services to this client. An PES: You have a wide range of services; how provide our services to walk to work vessels, absolute milestone for us, which we as a does this work and what are the benefits to installation vessels and the supporting crew company, regard with pride in our work for the clients? tender fleet for various wind farms. and the teamwork necessary to execute this top-quality service. The added value of our on-time services: warehousing system, customs expertise, PES: We were wondering what effects the container depots and of course our local current Covid 19 situation is having on network in each port, means we can meet our your business? clients’ deadlines and help them keep everything moving. WS: It is a weird situation we are all in together globally. Restricted travelling, social The provided assistance is completed by our distancing, wearing of face masks everywhere. ‘flying squad’; the team that arranges and It is a situation to which we need to adapt and coordinates all helicopter flights to and from to get ahead of where possible, whilst keeping the wind farm assets situated in Dutch, all the regulations in mind. You cannot control Belgian, UK and German sectors of the North the wind, but you can adjust your sails. Sea. ‘Thank you for flying with DHSS’ is a term we use more and more lately. The European Commission has declared seafarer work in the offshore wind sector as Our latest developments are the opening of vital professions, which means these workers a multi-purpose terminal at the Port of can make use of the so-called green lane, IJmuiden, where we can welcome walk to when crossing borders travelling to or from work vessels, installation vessels with work within the EU. WWW.PESWIND.COM 39

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES Bold Tern at DHSS terminal WS: Our aim is to be a strong support point related paperwork. terminals, but on the long-term tasks, while to clients. We foster a good relationship with being of assistance during installation and our stakeholders and value their feedback. At all our locations we have bonded commissioning phases to various involved Our account management is engaged in a warehouses, so we are able to receive vessels. In this segment, all three ports variety of tasks, with an excellent sense of customs related goods, without paying the where we are present are geographically satisfying our client with a wide range of import duties and VAT. These warehouses perfect: directly situated on the open sea. services, implemented by driven people, with are situated at the quayside in the ports of in-depth know-how of the demanding needs IJmuiden, Den Helder and Eemshaven, PES: We would love to know more about of today’s clients. Going above and beyond within walking distance from the vessels, your expertise in offshore helicopters, what the call of duty, is our success. when in town. are they used for, when, are the pilots employed by you etc? The 4 main services we offer are beneficial to PES: Is there a reason you chose to locate in our clients and with these we are able to give ports in Holland? WS: Our experience has built up from 1997, them total peace of mind in the widest sense, directly from the start of our company. We with regard to logistics: goods and people, WS: The company was founded in the Port have arranged thousands of so-called crew customs regulations and local requirements. of Den Helder in 1997, the capital of the change flights for oil & gas related projects. Dutch North Sea during the oil & gas high Instead of the vessel coming in to port, they PES: Please could you explain your role as times. During development at the quayside are able to continue working at their projects, ships’ agent, what is involved in this? where we were in Den Helder, for a while we while we arranged crew changes on 1 day via were forced to re-direct our clients to Port 5, 6, 7 flights depending on the number of WS: DHSS is not just a ships’ agent. We are a of IJmuiden. crew to change out. full-service provider, the local point of contact for all our clients’ needs. They can ask us to fix Throughout this period, we built up a local For oil & gas companies, daily crew flights are anything, and on-time. Our challenge is also to network of suppliers as well. This is a strategic organised, during the peak times we handled arrange all ad-hoc requests coming in to our port at open sea, close to Amsterdam Airport between 600 to 700 flights per month. ‘captain’s room’ when vessels are moored and with a great opportunity to leap frog its Sometimes we only do the ground handling, alongside. Time in port is expensive and it is utilization for offshore wind developments in planning and manifesting, if a client already on us to minimize this down time. the Dutch sector over the coming years. has a contract with a helicopter operator, but Hence why we are expanding at this site. With more and more we also take care of the PES: Can you give us an idea of what the Oil & Gas industry’s downturn, we saw a lot chartering the specific helicopter type. warehousing you have to offer, including of our clients, vessel owners, shifting towards the location and the add on extras which the wind industry. This is because we have a fit for purpose form part of this? model to do so on ad hoc basis and also on This is the main reason we opened a terminal long term contracts. Arranging helicopter WS: We are specialized in 3PL warehousing in Port of Eemshaven, the port where it is all flights is more than just flying, especially at (3rd party logistics) which means we receive, started big time in the Netherlands, next to this time with COVID-19. It is the whole store and handle equipment from our clients, the near shore wind farms at IJmuiden. Our picture, where all involved parties can focus including picking/packing/labelling and all focus is not on operating huge installation on their specialty. 40 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS: SERVICES PES: In this day and age when health and to protect pilots from passengers. All area, but we are looking into going abroad in safety is a top priority, do you at DHSS passengers have their temperatures taken the near future as well, which means going organise regular training for your employees? prior to check-in and a special COVID-19 global. Our organisation is ready for this and separation area is installed for every crew our top-quality services are becoming known WS: Through regular risk (and opportunity) member picked up by helicopter, if they are more and more in our industry. management we identify, assess, monitor, found to be infected offshore. and manage our relevant internal and PES: It would be good to have your thoughts external issues, understand the needs and A so called COVID-19 test street has been on what you think will be the greatest expectations of our workers and other created at our base in Eemshaven, to test our opportunities and challenges for the interested parties, including the prevention clients’ crew members. This testing service is offshore industry in general and for DHSS in of foreseeable QHSE risks. This includes also available for crews from other operators. particular, over the next few years? focus on daily awareness and frequent Safety is our concern. We want all to work training of our employees. safe, but also go home safe. WS: The offshore wind energy is booming in Europe, and is set to take off in other parts of PES: Are there other measures you take to PES: What makes your company stand out the world. That’s creating significant logistic ensure the safety of crew and passengers? from the competition, why should challenges. Europe’s offshore wind industry customers choose you? is keen to grasp new export opportunities, as WS: Beside our QHSE commitment, we the global market expands. Companies have engage personnel and promote participation WS: We aim to be the partner of choice for to build new partnerships with local specialist of workers, providing an environment in our stakeholders, in all our service areas. The logistics providers. which QHSE issues are addressed and way in which we conduct ourselves, while appropriately actioned. working towards achieving this vision, is Our facilities bring together people with fundamental to our success. In everything we specialized knowledge of offshore wind In this particular COVID-19 situation, we do, we are resourceful and responsive to our logistics, with commercial teams and make sure all crews we need to transport, customers’ needs. Innovative in the solutions regional logistics experts. This is vital, either via taxi or via helicopter, are provided we apply to everyday challenges. because logistics projects, especially during with proper face masks. Our clients are kept the construction phase, of this complexity, up to date with the latest regulations PES: Geographically speaking where are depend on local knowledge as well as applicable in the Netherlands. your main markets and are there any you industry expertise. A proactive presence at would like to break into? the quayside is needed for sure, add the In our helicopters, distancing measurements expertise of helicopter operations to the are taken and transparent dividers are placed WS: Our current main market is the North Sea offshore assets, to keep the crews going and this is where we as DHSS step in. The offshore building boom has created some formidable logistics challenges, however. It has required the development of entirely new processes and supply chains, even in areas like the North Sea with its decades of experience in large-scale offshore engineering. We bring our immense project related offshore logistics experience, with the high safety standards, which we have implemented into the offshore wind DNA: a different industry from oil & gas. Floating turbine technology is very important, since it allows the installation of offshore wind farms in water of any depth, enabling the exploitation of wind resources in regions that don’t have the benefit of shallow seas. Approximately up to 80 percent of the world’s useful offshore wind resources are in waters more than 60 meters deep, where the costs of foundations for fixed turbines would be prohibitive to build. From installation to the operation and maintenance phase of offshore wind assets, our services span the entire life cycle, bringing benefits for partners, clients and investors at every stage. At DHSS, we play our part in sustainability and care most about how efficiently we can support our clients with offshore wind logistics. We do this by running our support bases at A1 located spots in marshalling ports for offshore wind farms and coordinate necessary helicopter operations. We are confident we can also give our added value at a global level. Windea Jules Verne OWF Merkur www.dhss.nl WWW.PESWIND.COM 41

CLEAN FUEL OFFSHORE WIND GREEN MARINE FOSSIL ENERGY MARINE ENERGY SUBSEA DREDGING HOME OF ENERGY TRANSITION Connecting the maritime & o shore world for sustainable solutions. From phasing out fossil fuels to investing in greener innovations within the maritime and o shore industry, the energy transition is relevant for all of us. The developments in these industries are driven by the changing landscape in the energy sector and the necessity to have all industries working together for the same goal: a more sustainable future. The platform focusses on the energy transition and sustainable solutions in the maritime and o shore energy industry. With a team of editors, content developers and sales & marketing professionals O shore Energy brings the industry daily news, in-depth stories, networking events and conferences. WWW.OFFSHORE-ENERGY.BIZ Created and produced by



CORPORATE FOCUS CTV access to wind turbines: improving efficiency and reducing costs Mainprize Offshore has operated in the North Sea for over thirty years, and the family behind the company has a fishing heritage that dates back generations. This team has extensive experience in the offshore oil and gas industries, and has been going from strength to strength since entering the offshore renewables sector in 2012. 44 PES WIND

CORPORATE FOCUS Mainprize Offshore’s radical multi-purpose The team’s assessments include roll, pitch, off-the-shelf unit. CTV designs have been met with strong heave (and the effects each of these have), demand. They’ve taken delivery of eight the temperature of the saloon, light levels, They achieve this by investing in a multitude vessels since 2012, with a further three being leaching of chemicals from the fit out of systems. The engine, gearbox, drive train, built and plans to expand the fleet even further. materials and the installation of negative propeller design, rudder, fender, and hull are pressure toilets. By understanding all this, all assessed and each and every component As well as achieving an impressive fifteen the vessels can operate successfully in and its placement on the vessel is carefully industry firsts, Mainprize Offshore’s vessels higher wave heights, meaning clients can considered. are also notable for features including fuel plan servicing with a higher level of and water pump speeds, transit speeds in confidence, reducing turbine downtime, From each component’s weight to its adverse weather and their deck space of using technician time efficiently and hugely CAPEX–OPEX cost and reliability, all aspects 200m. All this makes the fleet really versatile, reducing the scopes of work. are taken into account in the plans and saving clients the costs of bringing in other specifications. When building a site-specific vessels when they need to undertake scopes All that, in turn, reduces the number of days vessel, the team assess over 30 site-specific of work that are beyond the capabilities of a needed and therefore means large points so that they can fine-tune the design standard crew transfer vessel. reductions in fuel burn, fewer in-port days, even further. and higher power generation. The cost Fifteen industry firsts savings are significant and the additional Another good example of the team’s work is power generation can be substantial. the evolution of the hull, fender and propeller Mainprize Offshore Ltd has been design from the MO1 vessel to the MO3. The accredited to ISO9001 2015, ISO14001 CO2 emissions and environmental impact MO3’s propeller is designed for higher bollard 2015, ISO45,000 2018, Achilles, push, reducing speed efficiencies by 4.5%, but Sellicha, and holds records for fifteen Mainprize Offshore has a keen eye on CO2 these improvements increase push industry firsts: emissions and green credentials. When efficiencies by more than 25%, meaning higher designing their CTVs they assess each and safety margins when pushing on, lower overall • 2014 (1) MO1 and (2) MO2 highest every component, with a focus on lightweight fuel for the same operations and overall cost speed 25Kts with high payload 25T products. They also operate the vessels in the efficiencies including higher transfer height. lightest condition possible, keeping the hulls • 2 016 (3) MO2 largest deck at 160m, clean, impressed systems and operating the That means that for a site that is close to (4) fuel capacity 50,000L, (5) fuel vessels in the optimum range for the most the base port and has a smaller site area, pump speed 500L/Min, (6) water efficient parameters. Looking to the future, speed efficiency will be less weighted than capacity 20,000L they’re also investing in hydrogen dual fuel bollard push efficiencies. With that in mind, and hybrid technologies. the team can tailor each component to the • 2017 MO3 (7) largest deck 180m, (8) site-specific values. This gives them a fuel 55,000L and (9) water capacity Flexible, cost-effective solutions for valuable head-start in future-proofing their 30,000L and (10) pumping speed site-specific operations fleet and designs for the advent of 350L/Min, (11) largest deadweight 65T zero-emissions CTVs and other vessels. A great example of Mainprize Offshore’s • M O4 (12) 1.3m operational draft and work is the delivery of their MO4 vessel to Team culture drives innovation and the 1.5mHs transfer height, 23 meters Deutsche Windtechnik for operations on the highest standards with a payload of 40T Nordergründe Wind Farm. The level of innovation seen in these designs • MO5 26m semi swath, (13) transfer The contract scope was to put forward a is all thanks to the team’s drive and passion height 2.0mHs highest in class for the cost-effective solution that met the site to move forward and embrace new working given deadweight. (14) 70T requirements: a minimum of 20 meters LOA, methods, designs, smart thinking and deadweight, (15) 50,000L of water 20T of fuel, 20T of water, 20T of cargo, 1.4m solutions. They’re willing and able to think draft 1.5mHs and 20Kts cruise speed. The outside the box, and their clients can see the Reducing the costs of CTV access to results have been unbelievable. The MO4 cost savings the innovations will offer. turbines outperformed comparable and larger CTVs operating on the same site, and what was With the team forming such a core strength There are many ways to reduce the costs of even more apparent was that Mainprize of the business, it’s no surprise that operating an offshore wind park, including Offshore could save up to 2,000L of fuel per Mainprize Offshore puts a high value on bringing down capital and operational costs day by using a site-specific design over an workplace culture and take great pride in the by reducing the size of the CTV. These savings pale into insignificance, though, when you consider the offshore, on-turbine daily cost of a technician, the fuel, CTV costs, back to back, managers, weather and more. Add in the potential downtime of an asset, the loss of power generation and associated revenue, and the costs add up even further. That’s why Mainprize Offshore focuses on wave height transfer, using research and development to increase this and refining their capabilities further by assessing the vessel. It’s more than a question of transfer height, though. They also put a great deal of importance on comfort and on delivering the technicians to site feeling refreshed and ready to work (think of them as a kind of a first-class delivery service!). WWW.PESWIND.COM 45

CORPORATE FOCUS business organically and sustainably. level of knowledge and know-how among They plan to maintain their focus on overall their employees. In line with client site profit, with higher performing vessels expectations, they demand the highest and crews not coming cheap, but being offset standards and ownership from the team, and by an increase of 25% uptime, which reduces balance that out by making the company a the number of technicians needed, allows for great place to work. better planning, reduces downtime, costs Mainprize Offshore strives to maintain a and fuel and hugely increases power workplace that attracts people of the highest generation. This is an approach that they’ve calibre, providing a culture with a healthy clearly demonstrated over the years, and its work-life balance where the team feels (and success is reflected in the increased profits really is!) valued. They foster a ‘family’ culture they see recorded by their clients. and if any of the vessels are in dock for service and other vessels are in the same port, Mainprize Offshore has a five-year look-ahead then it’s all hands on deck. Personal wellbeing, with various plans ready to implement should lifestyle, respect and support to achieve the need arise. Those plans include designs personal goals all feature strongly, and that’s above 40 meters, ultra-fast designs of over all backed up on a practical level by a 45kts and designs for zero-emissions. There semi-flexible working pattern, career are no immediate plans to build these on progression and a commitment to having speculation, however, with the company key dates off. preferring to wait instead until the market is Strong partner relationships are crucial ready for the designs at a commercial scale. As well as the strength of their own team, The future is looking interesting indeed. service partners play an integral part in enabling the truly 24/7/365 service that www.mainprizeoffshore.co.uk Mainprize Offshore provide. That’s down to the relationships they’ve built over the years with trusted, respected, and hard-working providers such as Esbjerg Shipyard, Grumsen Esbjerg, Zeppelin Esbjerg, RG Seasite DK and Allset Esbjerg. These service providers play a vital role in maintaining the vessels to high standards and are ready to react at any moment to ensure that when the inevitable happens, downtime is kept to a minimum. Planning for the future Mainprize Offshore plans to continue reinvesting in research and development into hull design, lightweight materials, enhanced efficiency items and future technologies, keeping the company at the forefront of crew transfer and multi-role transfer vessel designs. As well as maintaining technical excellence, they also want to grow their 46 PES WIND



PES ESSENTIAL Extended validation and certification of new generation power converters reduce the cost of energy Words: Ion Etxarri, R&D Quality & Innovation Manager at Ingeteam Wind Energy As market demand for wind turbines has grown, so too have the demands for quality and performance, in order to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) and demonstrate that the technology is not just a clean solution for electric power generation, it is also a profitable addition to the energy mix. This is especially the case for critical components such as power converters because the performance of the whole turbine depends on them. Inspection in progress The response is focused on increasing the Ingeteam participates in the committees Ion Etxarri reliability and durability of these which issue these requirements and components, making wind turbines more integrates the latest regulatory economically viable assets. High quality developments at the design phase of the design and extended validation methods of company’s new generation power power converters are key to guaranteeing conversion solutions. the reliability and durability of the turbines in wind farms facing the toughest This method is also applied to the operating conditions. company’s manufacturing plants to comply with all marking requirements. Indeed, the Ingeteam’s new-generation power certification of the converter facilitates converters have been validated using the the certification process for the whole toughest test scenarios and most realistic wind turbine. configurations, to prove in advance that the converter will be properly integrated within Validation process the turbine and operate correctly under the most demanding situations. IEC1 standards are the reference conformity assessment for all electrical, electronic and The market demands continuous related technologies. As a critical wind turbine performance improvement and regulatory component, Ingeteam’s new-generation innovations take this factor into account. 1 International Electrotechnical Commission 48 PES WIND

PES ESSENTIAL power converters must meet the highest ‘extended validation’ of power converters is provide accurate data about the behaviour of quality requirements, since wind turbine appropriate in order to optimize the design its converters when installed onsite: performance is dependent upon them. and minimize any potential issues that may Ingeteam’s new power conversion solutions arise during the integration of the o Combination tests in full-scale test have been subjected to the tests required by component within the wind turbine. benches. IEC61400 for wind turbines, and IEC62477-1 and IEC61800-3 for power converters, The objective of this ‘extended process of o Extreme climatic condition tests. verifying the correct performance and the validation’ can be summarized as follows: highest level of safety. o Extreme mechanical condition tests. Within this validation process, a large number • To identify design improvements or detect of tests are focused on the assessment of any design failures of the converter at the o Electromagnetic compatibility tests. energy and temperature hazards. For earliest stage of development, thereby example, the behaviour of the converter in minimizing subsequent design and Combination tests in full-scale test bench the event of failure of a cooling system or manufacturing costs due to modifications insulation components is assessed by means at a later stage of implementation that The correct behaviour of a power converter of functional tests, simulating these failures would imply the use of more resources. can be verified without the use of a or in temperature rise tests. In addition, generator by means of external power mechanical tests such as IP degree, • To test the converter under the most supplies and passive components; corrosion, impact, or vibration also form part realistic conditions to validate the design however, this kind of validation process of the validation. All these tests guarantee under all possible scenarios and to verify it cannot fully guarantee the correct the safety and the correct performance of complies with requirements. The more integration in the field. the power conversion solutions. accurate the test is regarding the Based on its experience in the wind turbine behaviour onsite inside the turbine, the Specific characteristics of the generator market, Ingeteam considers that an greater the reliability of the tests and the could affect the behaviour of the converter, results obtained. and combination tests make it possible to Figure 1: a) Schematic b) Final layout anticipate them. Some processes are not Ingeteam carries out four types of test to possible to simulate and assess by means of calculations, and empirical methods are the best way to do that. In addition, combination tests with power- limited generators or mock-ups may not allow the required points to be assessed. Ingeteam carried out these tests, using the same generator as in the final application, which is critical. The schematic of this kind of tests, together with the final layout of the test bench is shown on the left. Combination tests with a generator at full scale enable the correct performance assessment of the converter at any desired point. Thus, a full validation process is obtained as the converter operates along the whole operation ranges. This process includes at least the following variable parameters including grid voltage and frequency, generator speed, reactive or active power, or temperature: Operational range: static (long-time) and dynamic (short-time) load points are used in order to confirm the correct operation of the converter. The limits of the converter are tested and include all the strategies of the control in order to fulfil the requirements of the grid. These tests cover all the operation points of the application and include the following cases: • Steady and overspeed points within PQVF range • S tatic VAR mode • Efficiency along the P-n curve • Harmonics • DVDT • Dynamic response (torque and Q steps) As an example, the following figure shows an overspeed working point where GSC & MSC currents, N, P & Q can be seen. WWW.PESWIND.COM 49

PES ESSENTIAL Figure 2: Overspeed working point 50 PES WIND