Aarhus – Capital of Wind Energy - Aarhus.dk

“They say an expert is someone whohas made all the mistakes withoutanyone noticing. This applies perfectlyto the Danish companies, with their20-30 years of experience.”Kim Nedergaard Jacobsen, Project Director, MidtVindThe tight bonds places a significant demand on thesuppliers’ knowledge skills and professionalism. In thisrespect, they can benefit from the great combined knowledgepool among the suppliers of the region.Most often, the Central Denmark wind cluster ispraised for its technical skills. But in fact, the knowledgeskills in the region cover a number of areas, from engineeringto global marketing. Because Denmark has a status asfirst mover, the region is home to a large number of playerswith thorough understanding of customers and local peculiaritiesof different markets, as they have been cultivatingthem from the beginning.This legacy means access to a knowledge and experiencenetwork with no equal anywhere in the world. Inshort, the knowledge cluster has gained critical mass. Thisgoes for recruitment as well. It is possible to engage specialistswho “were born and raised” in the industry andhave unique understanding of its operations and markets.The subcontractors constitute a central and importantpart of this regional knowledge network. Many expertswho launched their careers at the major manufacturersare now with suppliers, but equally involved in driving thetechnological development.The concentration of knowledge and experience in theregion has not gone unnoticed abroad. In recent years,a number of foreign wind turbine manufacturers haveopened offices in the Aarhus area to utilise local skills andinsource the knowledge and know-how in the region.Others are content to place specific development taskswith Danish suppliers, for example system solutions whichare tailored to suit the local needs of different markets.“The Danish subcontractors have important know-howwhich is especially valuable for new players in the market.For example, large parts of the Chinese shipping industryare changing to wind turbine manufacturing. They haveshown a great interest in the technical insight and practicalexperience found in the Central Denmark belt,” says KimNedergaard Jacobsen from MidtVind, adding: “They sayan expert is someone who has made all the mistakes withoutanyone noticing. This applies perfectly to the Danishcompanies, with their 20-30 years of experience.”The relatively high concentration of knowledge and experience– and companies – also factors heavily in attractinghigh-skill employees – from Danish universities, engineeringcolleges, and business schools, as well as from thoseabroad. This helps maintain the dynamics of the region.According to Peder Bo Sørensen from Invest in Denmark,the Danish knowledge easily bears comparison withthe world’s best-known scientific cluster, Silicon Valley inthe US. “The many development centres, public researchinstitutes, and experienced suppliers constitutes a criticalmass within a clearly defined field. This creates synergiesbetween the region’s many players and helps to maintainand attract new talent. The high concentration has a selfperpetuatingeffect,” he says.Sauer Roldskov is a specialized international law firm focusingon the cleantech sector. Our firm gives legal advice to suppliersof equipment and services, equity investors, banks, utilities,developers of new technologies, project developers andproject owners.We combine unique industry skills with deep legal knowledgeand provide value-adding advice in close, direct cooperationwith our clients, where good chemistry and trust are essentialto our business.Sauer Roldskov provides innovative legal advice on:>> Renewable Transactions>> Legal Due Diligence>> Project Finance>> Project Development>> Commercial Contracts>> Claims & Arbitration>> Risk Assessmentsauer roldskovSoender Allé 4DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmarktel. +45 7070 2928info@sauerroldskov.com34 Mondaymorning Aarhus – Capital of Wind Energy 35www.sauerroldskov.com