Media Relations

UK systems and engineering consultancy, Frazer-Nash, and German wind energy research institute, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Bremerhaven to work together to provide their complementary expertise to the wind energy market.

€ 12 million for testing rotor blades measuring up to 115 meters in length:  in Bremerhaven, a test bench is set to be constructed that offers not only new testing opportunities for full-scale blade testing, but also rigs for segment and component tests. The predecessor project investigated the viability of new test procedures; now they will come under scrutiny on a larger scale within the new project.

Gaining a better understanding of power converter failure is vital in order to develop more effective protective measures and thus improve the profitability of turbine operation. For this purpose, field data from various sites and turbine types are being analyzed, damage models derived, and experimental tests performed on components.

Three 20 meter long rotor blades that were developed within the context of the SmartBlades2 project will be assessed under natural weather and wind conditions in Boulder, Colorado (USA), over the next four months. The measuring campaign with the SmartBlades2 research project aims to clarify how well the rotor blades with bend-twist coupling are able to effectively dampen peak loads during strongly variable wind speeds.