WPNL 202202

#2
Volume 9
September
2022
Wind Industry Digitalisation
Protecting power plants
Power plants have become attractive
assets for hackers. Is the wind sector
properly prepared against cyber
attacks?
Page 10-11
Drones for more efficiency
The wind industry is continuously
looking to increase efficiency in all
wind farm related operations. Are
drones the future?
Page 24-28
Irene Vorrink Wind Farm
Many old, small wind farms are
making way for larger, centralised
projects. This is also the case with the
iconic Irene Vorrink Wind Farm.
Page 36-39

Editor’s note
The collective
KIVI membership
Dear reader,
Today, almost all of us live ‘in the cloud’. Our work, our
conversations, our photo moments - we store everything so we
can access it no matter when and where we are. When
travelling, Google tells you where to find the best restaurants
and hotels and, more recently, where to find the nearest EV
charging station, for example. By the way, that trip was booked
and paid for with one click via a secured app, of course after
extensively comparing the different options and prices.
We are talking about digitalisation. And yes, it has made our lives
easier in many ways. But we are also noticing more and more how
vulnerable we have become at the same time. Think of the spam mail we
receive, but also the feeling that you are being ‘watched’. How often do
you talk about something and then receive advertising about this topic on
your mobile? And even with the use of passwords, hackers still find their way to
your data.
The above can also be translated to the wind industry, in fact to all industries.
Digitalisation opens the door to more optimised and sustainable operations: optimised
operation of assets, time savings, cost savings, emission savings, just to mention a few, but
potentially also safety of those who work in the wind farms.
In this edition, we discuss the status of wind industry digitalisation (p.7) and show
examples of initiatives by existing Dutch players and start-up companies. But the wind
industry is also still relatively new in this area and if the proper measures are not
implemented, this could have a high price. Like Harold Veldkamp of Topsector Energie
says: it is not a question whether you will be hacked but when (see p. 10).
Your employees up to date
Good employership starts with happy employees, who are motivated, challenged and upto-date.
In our present time with technological developments at top speed, innovations and
transformations professional agility is paramount. Would you, as an employer like to make
a structural contribution to the technical development of your employees? Consider a collective
membership at the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers (KIVI: Koninklij k Instituut
Van Ingenieurs). Sign up ten (or more) of your top engineers and they can immediately
benefit from all advantages the largest engineering platform in the Netherlands has to offer.
But while we welcome new, modern solutions for optimising wind farm operation and all
related activities, we also say goodbye to initiatives that once were also new and innovative.
Currently two large wind energy repowering projects are taking place in the Netherlands.
Scattered, solo wind turbines and small wind farms are making way for clustered, large,
multi-megawatt wind farms. In this edition we discuss the dismantling of the iconic
‘nearshore’ wind farm Irene Vorrink (p. 36) which is making way for the large
Windplanblauw project. We also look back at a once internationally famous Dutch wind
turbine manufacturer NedWind. The last wind turbines can still be viewed...but not for
long!
I wish you pleasant reading, and if you are at WindEnergy Hamburg - make sure to visit
me at B4.EG. 327.
Are you active in the Dutch wind energy market? Send us your news at
editorial@windpowernl.com! I am looking forward to speaking to you soon.
Sabine Lankhorst
Editor in Chief
Windpowernl
Windpowernl.com
Editorial@windpowernl.com
‘Digitalisation
opens the door to
more optimised
and sustainable
operations’
02-2022 | 3

Contents
Cover
Cargo drone test flight with METIP.
© BGF
Page 26-28
Theme: Digitalisation
Wind industry digitalisation: Current status and future outlook 07
Q/A with Topsector Energie: Protecting our power plants 10
Fugro: Efficient data collection for quality cable route mapping 12
TechBinder: Smart & efficient vessel operation 16
Certscanner: Benchmark for all maritime & offshore compliance
requirements 20
Jungle: AI technology for optimal offshore wind farm performance 22
SpectX: Autonomous drone inspections for detecting structural internal
defects in offshore wind turbines 24
Determining the feasibility of drone delivery for offshore energy:
cargo drones to enhance offshore logistics 26
And more
International business opportunities: Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Baltics 30
Wind Farm in Focus: Irene Vorrink Wind Farm 36
Polenko/Nedwind: Ode to (almost) lost Dutch glory 40
Regular features:
Map with installed wind capacity 06
Column: EP&C Patent Attorneys 15
Offshore Wind Farm News 34
Onshore Wind Farm News 44
Agenda & Next edition 46
07
Wind industry digitalisation: current
status and future outlook
Windpowernl magazine highlights digitalisation
definition, main principles and benefits for
industrialisation and product & processrelated
optimised lifecycle performance.
30
Business opportunities
in Poland, Romania,
Baltics and Bulgaria
12
Fugro’s Blue Snake ® technology
Efficient data collection for quality cable route
mapping.
36
Irene Vorrink Wind Farm
16
Colofon
VOLUME 9 | SEPT. 2022 | ISSUE 021
Windpowernl is a trade magazine for
professionals who are involved or interested in
onshore and offshore wind energy
developments in the Netherlands.
Publishing company:
Blue Green Feather
Dr Boumaweg 4
8601 GM Sneek
The Netherlands
info@bluegreenfeather.com
www.bluegreenfeather.com
Website:
www.windpowernl.com
www.bluegreenfeather.com
Social media:
Instagram: windpowernl
Facebook: @WindPowerNL
Twitter: @WindEnergieMag
LinkedIn: @windpowernl
Editor in Chief:
Sabine Lankhorst
Contributors to this edition:
Eize de Vries. Denisa Kasa. EP&C Patent
Attorneys
Content contribution:
editorial@windpowernl.com
Advertising:
advertising@windpowernl.com
Subscription fees print, annual:
The Netherlands/Belgium:
€ 25 (incl. VAT)
EU & ROW: € 30 (incl. VAT)
Go to www.windpowernl.com/magazine for
digital subscription options.
Subscriptions may start at any moment
and will be automatically renewed after a
year. Subscriptions can be cancelled two
months prior to the end of the subscription
period.
ISSN 2352-7560
Copyright © 2022 Blue Green Feather
The publisher does not necessarily agree
with the views expressed by the
contributors, nor does he accept any
responsibility for any errors of translation
in the subject matter of this publication.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced and/or published by means of
print, photocopy, microfilm or any other
medium, without the prior written consent
of the publisher.
Personal data:
Windpowernl records reader data for the
purpose of distribution of the magazine.
These data may be used to inform you
about our other services or products.
Design:
DIEZIJNHOF
Blue Green
Feather
Smart & efficient vessel operation
While the industry has been digitising production processes for
decades now, the maritime sector is still cautiously taking its
first steps in this area. Dutch start-up company TechBinder
developed the Smart Vessel Optimizer for smarter and more
efficient vessel operations.
40
Polenko/NedWind: Ode to (almost) gone Dutch glory
With the trend towards concentrated, large-scale,
MW wind farms, older wind turbines are rapidly disappearing.
Windpowernl spoke to Enrico Bakker who collects everything
relating to the history of the Dutch Polenko/NedWind turbine
brands of which only a few examples remain in the Netherlands.
4 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 5

Onshore
5.844 Onshore MW
(+532 5.844 MW in 2022)
(+532 MW in 2022)
Offshore
2.460
Offshore
MW
2.460 MW
(+0 MW in 2022)
(+0 MW in 2022)
Total
Total
8.303 MW
8.303 MW
2.871 wind turbines
2.871 wind turbines
Wind Energy in the Netherlands
Wind Energy in the Netherlands
2022 so far
2022 so far
Eize de Vries
Digitalisation
Wind industry
digitalisation: ‘Current
status and future outlook’
Subscribe to the WindStats database!
Subscribe to the WindStats database!
Do you want to make an entry into the
Do you want to make an entry into the
Dutch wind market or are you simply
Dutch wind market or are you simply
interested in keeping up to date on
interested in keeping up to date on
what
what
wind
wind
farms
farms
are
are
being
being
commissioned, commissioned, or or might might soon soon be be up up for for
decommissioning in in the the Netherlands?
For For more more information:
call call us us at at +31 +31 641917187
or or e-mail: info@windpowernl.com
Largest new wind farms
Largest new wind farms
MW
MW
WP Zeewolde
95
WP Zeewolde
95
Kroningswind
80
Kroningswind
80
Oostpolder
60
Oostpolder
Windenergie A16*
60
51
Windenergie
Tweede Maasvlakte
A16*
51
42
Tweede Pottendijk Maasvlakte
42 36
Pottendijk Greenport Venlo
36 35
Greenport Den Tol Venlo
35 32
Den Other Tol(8 wind farms) 100 32
Other *not yet (8 completed wind farms) 100
*not yet completed
source: www.WindStats.nl
source: www.WindStats.nl
WindStats
WindStats
over windenergie in Nederland
over windenergie in Nederland
© © WindStats.nl 2022 2022
Commissioned in 2022
Commissioned in 2022
Decommissioned 2022
Decommissioned 2022
A number of medium to small wind farms has been completed in
2022.e A number separate of medium windfarms to small that wind together farms has comprise been completed 'Windenergie in
A16' 2022.e are being separate erected windfarms at the time that of together writing. e comprise Zeewolde 'Windenergie
wind farm,
for A16' which are being aconstruction erected started at the time in 2021, of writing. is toutede as being Zeewolde both wind the farm,
largest for which Dutch construction onshore wind started farm in as 2021, well as is touted the largest as being wind both farm the in the
world largest that Dutch is fully onshore owned wind by local farm land as well owners. as the largest wind farm in the
world that is fully owned by local land owners.
Windpowernl magazine highlights digitalisation definition, main principles and
benefits for industrialisation and product & process-related optimised lifecycle
performance.
Digitalisation as a concept definition covers a wide
range of (industrial) activities, with wide impact at
products and processes from design and
manufacturing to lifecycle upkeep support. It has
also become a key wind industry enabler for speeding up
industrialisation and automation efforts now demand grows fast
and volumes must increase in parallel.
This is also crucial for accelerating energy transition towards a
sustainable power supply based on renewables, and for rapidly
reducing dependence on fossil fuels for curbing climate change
as well as geopolitical reasons. The wind industry besides huge
opportunities faces major supply-chain disruptions, plus huge
cost pressures including steep rises in essential materials.
Early initiatives
Digitalisation at turbine level commenced already over two
decades ago. Early modest initiatives were typically characterised
by putting sensors in prototype gearboxes for testing purposes
and/or in serial produced geared and direct drive drivetrains for
condition monitoring and accumulating operational data.
Siemens Wind Power (Siemens Gamesa) during 1998 introduced
its first condition monitoring system (CMS). It focused at
providing a low-cost solution for simple management of key data
and expansion and refinement over time. The system further
served as a testing platform for envisaged future offshore
application. The initial concept comprised three vibration
analysis accelerometers, known as robust without moving parts,
and mounted at the gearbox, generator and main shaft bearing
respectively. This uncomplicated analytical tool allowed analysts
‘to seeing things’ before they turned into a failure. Data
accumulation and analysis involved rotational speed, frequency
analysis and trend analysis, with a data back-up capability and
fresh opportunities to draw from if something occurred ‘to look
unusual or strange.’
Today’s advanced turbines incorporate many sensors at critical
spots for monitoring operating status and (changes in) relevant
parameters compared to reference values like set after running-in
period ending. Key variables include rotor speed, main
component vibrations and/or operating temperatures and
temperatures inside and outside the nacelle, and blade loads.
Optimal utilisation
Turbine SCADA-based control systems continuously record,
analyse and store incoming signals and regulates turbines such
that energy in the wind is always optimally utilised plus operating
safety ensured. Further common are dual or redundant sensors
for critical components and functions like generator temperature
control and direct drive generator airgap monitoring. If during
operation the first sensor fails, a second similar device takes over
the function instantly.
OEM’s today monitor turbines and wind farms remotely from
dedicated centres with various expertise levels from experienced
technicians up to highly trained experts. These address any issues
from rather straightforward solved by a remote restart to
complex problems that could lead to catastrophic failures
without physical intervention. Data acquisition thus requires in
parallel high-level technical knowledge plus statistical and
analytical skills for adequate data analysis and data
interpretation.
One complex issue explained to me was on a wind farm where
one out of 80 turbines showed much higher nacelle temperature
levels. The experts analysed temperatures in all main
components, possible deviations in component/system vibration
02-2022 | 7

WORLD INNOVATION:
Condition Monitoring
with Fail-Safe-Function
The new Bolt Strain Sensor from Nabtesco helps to
prevent failure of wind turbines and prolong their life.
levels, output variations, etcetera. The root cause proved a bird
nest blocking a hatch in the affected turbine responsible for the
peak temperature level.
Finally, data streams must be converted from information into
knowledge for direct utilisation and incorporating in existing
databases with historic datasets on specific main components,
turbine models, plus wind farms in multiple geographical areas.
Manufacturing
Digital technology is now almost standard deployed during
development and manufacture of new products and processes.
Gearbox manufacture at ZF Wind Power, for instance, involves
‘digital intelligence’ accumulated on what parts were put inside,
production dates, dimensional characteristics, and stored values
like on individual bolt-torque values. In addition, data collected
during gearbox running-in tests including measurement
recordings on vibration patterns, noise and temperatures. Each
gear inside any gearbox typically has its own unique codes
permanently ‘stamped in.’ In the past by contrast, all such data
had to be written down and filed with inherent risk of human
error and data loss over time. Today, these values are digitally
recorded, saved and safely stored, and distributed to relevant
channels within the company and to third parties when required.
After a finished gearbox has completed all bench testing
procedures, it leaves the factory with a kind of Digital Birth
Certificate. This documentation contains specific details of the
given gearbox’ design supplemented by ‘as-built information’ of
any single unit obtained during product development and
manufacturing. It further serves as a functional interface between
gearbox development & manufacturing and operational phase.
The next digital element or Life Cycle Monitor registers and
stores gearbox performance data obtained from a standard fitted
SCADA system as well as also near-standard CMS.
The combination Digital Birth Certificate and Life Cycle
Monitor merged with in-house expertise on failure modes and
remedying solutions is then integrated in Life Cycle Analytics.
This is an advanced decision-making tool backed by advanced
statistics and provides ‘remaining lifetime predictions’ and
supports alert-based service intervention recommendations.
These in turn substantially contribute to cost-effective optimised
operation and maintenance (O&M) performance. Determining
Consumed Lifetime and Remaining Lifetime and lifecycle
monitoring/analytics are three other advanced digitalisation
options offer as part of an intelligent wind turbine gearbox.
Data analytics is finally key to reduce OPEX by increasing
output and availability, and extend gearbox and turbine
lifetime with reduced LCOE backed by science and experience.
Traceability
Comparable digital tools and processes are used by other wind
industry parties for storing key data during manufacture/
assembly and on finished products. One example are samples
stored on the composite material of rotor blades, who worked
at what dates on the specific product, eventual issues, etcetera.
Another is in the careful recording and digital storing of bolt
torque values of all hub & pitch-bearing bolts, plus eventually
as well on the employees involved with the task. All these
examples show the huge potential, options and benefits offered
by ongoing digitalisation through traceability of stored data
even during component issues or catastrophic failure events
after years of operation in the field.
Modern industrial development is today distinguished in four
distinct phases, each with specific elements and main
characteristics. A leading turbine supplier recently described
the status of the offshore wind industry regarding
industrialisation and automation levels in between Industry 2.0
and Industry 3.0 (Box).
Offshore turbine manufacture is often compared to the
production of heavy trucks, and because both industries handle
large heavy components they therefore face high
industrialisation and automation costs as well. A large
difference between truck and offshore turbine manufacture is
in annual output volumes, in the order of 5,000 - 7,000 trucks
versus 300 – 400 turbines. Further complicating these
industrialisation and automation efforts is in ever shorter
lifecycles of turbines, for onshore wind now often with a new
model each 1- 2 years. An additional challenge to further
advance automation in the production processes are customer
demands on turbine specifications, supplemented by new other
skill sets required for future employees.
Virtual assistance tools
Danish turbine supplier Vestas over a decade ago introduced
virtual-reality technology that allowed engineers and service
technicians with special helm and glasses to virtually go inside a
given nacelle. They could then ‘walk’ through, climb on top, open
generator inspection hatches, or for instance check for possible
obstructions when for instance entering the nacelle via the tower
from below. This continuously optimised digital tool offers today
huge potential for checking and in validating new turbine designs
based on and building at the virtual model for further developing
the real hardware.
Finally, turbine and main component suppliers in creating
optimised workflow and product integration at shop floor level,
increasingly deploy an advanced digital software tool to build a
digital twin of a given facility. This is performed prior to actual
plant construction and setting up the assembly process. The tool
enables to virtually predefine all necessary assembly and logistical
steps, then have it all checked in 3D, optimised and validated.
Developing a digital twin can finally be deployed within existing
facilities as well, like in assuring swift effective integration when
introducing a new series product inside these manufacturing
facilities. •
Industrial development: Industry 1.0 - Industry 4.0
Early industrial development commenced with the invention of
steam and hydropower to drive equipment and is described as
Industry 1.0.
Industry 2.0 is synonym with mass production and assembly lines
like Henry Ford made for serial production of the famous
Model-T, and equally key electricity providing new unparalleled
flexibility in power utilisation.
Industry 3.0 is by the introduction and use of Automation,
Computers and (power) Electronics.
Today’s Industry 4.0 industrialisation phase is characterized by
key words Cyber physical systems, The internet of things,
Networks, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
NEW!
Bolt Strain Sensor Control Box Power Supply Box
The high-precision sensor constantly detects external
forces. The CMFS processes and analyzes the detected
data and makes an assessment to control the yaw braking
force with high responsiveness.
Your benefits:
+ Failure protection
+ Continuous monitoring
+ Overload protection mechanism
+ Minimisation of downtimes
+ Longer lifetime
+ Cost reduction
Explore the new CMFS and meet us at:
27 – 30 Sep.
Hall B6
Booth 118
8 | 02-2022
www.condition-monitor.nabtesco.com/en/

Digitalisation
Q/A with Harold Veldkamp, Director Digitalisation Programme at Topsector Energie
Protecting our power
plants
Sustainable energy production should contribute to the Dutch government’s
ambition to achieve a fully CO2-neutral energy system by 2050. Large-scale wind
energy, particularly at sea, will make a major contribution and large investments
are therefore being made in this area. But with this capital intensification, the
power plants are also becoming more financially attractive to hackers.
Windpowernl spoke with Harold Veldkamp from
Energy Innovation NL (Topsector Energie) about
this topic. Since September 2020, Veldkamp has
been Director of the Digitalisation Programme
within Energy Innovation NL, the driving force behind
innovations that are necessary for the transition to an affordable,
reliable and sustainable energy system.
Digitalisation is a theme that cuts across all Top Consortia for
Knowledge & Innovation (TKI) within Energy Innovation NL.
Together with TKI Wind op Zee, part of Energy Innovation NL,
Veldkamp is investigating the role of digitalisation within the
offshore wind community and what digital innovations are
possible or desirable here. Cyber security is an important subject.
Is cyber security on the agenda of the wind
sector?
‘The wind sector is relatively young, certainly in the size and
application as we know it today. For years, the focus has been on
the actual realisation of wind farms; how they could be built and
financed. Issues such as cyber security, as well as circularity and
recycling, have only recently become important. When there were
not yet so many wind turbines, there was also much less a
necessity to focus on this. Now that sustainable decentralised
energy is growing and will continue to increase, cyber security has
become an important factor within the Dutch energy mix. Wind
farms, but also solar parks, are increasing in size, involving much
larger investments. This makes these energy projects increasingly
more interesting for hackers. After all, the effort has become much
more rewarding.
At the moment, new legislation in this field is being prepared on a
European level. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is responsible
for the national translation. The wind sector already falls partly
under the supervision of the Dutch Radiocommunications Agency,
which is the supervisory authority for cyber security for the entire
energy sector. This means that, for the first time, the wind sector
must prepare itself for everything that has to do with cyber
security risks.’
What are the main cyber security risks?
‘Most cyber-attacks can be roughly divided into four categories.
At the top is ransomware. With this type of cyber-attack, the
hacker is not out to destroy the system itself but purely to realise
financial gain - by temporarily blocking access to the system and
only making it accessible again to the owner in exchange for a
large sum of money. For now, the danger comes mainly from
North Korea and some Eastern European countries. Not everyone
is aware of this, but ransomware is the world’s third largest
economy after China and the US. A country like North Korea
runs almost its entire budget on this income. So this is definitely
something to take seriously.
The second form is industrial espionage. Again, no damage is
done to a system. The system is only observed to gain knowledge.
This is mainly done on a nation level and used to influence the
competitive position of a country favourably, for example in the
case of large contracts or if a country is lagging behind in a
particular area of innovation. It should be noted that this is not
only used by traditional enemy nations.
In a third form, damage is actually caused deliberately to an
(energy) system for various reasons. This involves not only direct
financial damage but also production damage. We have recently
seen examples of this in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
In a fourth situation a system is hacked in order to manipulate
production figures. An example is manipulation of meteorological
data which is used to predict the algorithms of wind farms. The
ultimate goal is to take advantage of the energy trading market - in
effect, so-called insider trading.’
What are the main risks for wind farm owners?
‘If a hack brings a wind farm to a standstill, this obviously has
financial consequences for the wind farm owner. However, it can
also have a wider impact, especially if the hack brings down several
wind farms. If a large amount of wind production is suddenly
withdrawn and then fed back into the grid, this could cause a
complete blackout in the Netherlands. However, because this is
caused at a high voltage level, it can also effect the grid at
European level. TenneT, the Dutch manager of the high-voltage
grid, has interconnectors with the countries around us. The grid
managers in the Netherlands are very active in the field of cyber
security but they have no influence over the parties that supply the
grid.’
Are the risks similar for on and offshore wind?
‘The technical risks are comparable; the same applies to solar
parks. But there is an additional risk dimension for offshore wind
as there is no permanent control with human presence. Therefore
you are less likely to realise immediately that something is going
on. As a result, it will take much longer before you can take the
necessary steps.’
Is the wind sector well aware of the risks?
‘As with all new things, this requires time and adaptation.
Unfortunately, cyber security risks can sometimes have a long
incubation period and only become visible later. We notice that
awareness in this area can still be improved significantly. For
example, there are still companies that connect their Operational
Technology (OT) directly to the Internet. An OT system is the
interface to the wind turbine, which allows you to switch a wind
turbine off and on again. We also come across examples where
some systems are still programmed on Windows XP, which has not
been supported for years and therefore entails major security risks.
This is also why Energy Innovation NL is initially focusing on
creating awareness. This applies to the wider energy sector.
For the wind sector, we want to make an assessment tool available
together with TKI Wind op Zee. This tool should help companies
to assess for themselves which cyber security risks they are
running, whether they are properly prepared, and what they need
to take into account. Of course it is not a complete cyber security
assessment, but compare it to a COVID home test. If the result is
not good, you start taking measures.’
How can companies protect themselves?
‘The natural reaction is to prevent being hacked. However,
hacking tactics are constantly evolving. It may be impossible for a
company to completely prevent attacks. The consensus among
cyber security experts is: you don’t have to ask yourself
WHETHER you will be hacked, but WHEN. It will happen one
way or the other.
Be well prepared and make sure you have the basics in order. I
sometimes compare it to a burglary. Once the burglar gets through
the front door, he has immediate access to the whole house. This is
also often the case with companies. You can prevent this by means
of compartmentalisation. Instead of just implementing a large
security wall around your entire system, you should also secure
internal parts seperately. This has two major advantages. First of
all, it will more likely discourage hackers. After all, they need much
more time to get through the various protections. Secondly, you
limit the damage. By compartmentalising, hackers will need much
more time to achieve their goal. While the rest of the company
keeps on running, you can already start taking measures.
What can be done across the wind sector?
Knowledge sharing in this area is sensitive. Those who are hacked
often feel enormous shame and prefer to keep this silent. However,
some sectors did prefer to bundle knowledge from multiple parties
because they found it impossible to keep up with cyber security
knowledge on an individual level. This is where the Information
Sharing and Analysis Centres (ISACs) originated. In the ISACS,
experts from various companies exchange knowledge about these
types of vulnerabilities, with warnings but also solutions for new
vulnerabilities. The National Cyber Security Centre advises the
government in this respect. We also want to set up this kind of
knowledge exchange for the mobility, solar and wind industries.
It is finally up to each company to do something with it or not.’
What about start-ups that provide softwarebased
products and services?
‘The dilemma with innovations is that innovative companies like
to bring their idea to the market as quickly as possible, to make
sure they are first. Here, cyber security may receive less attention.
I would definitely like to give them the “security by design” advice:
make sure you include cyber security in your design process. If you
don’t have time to build it in now, you certainly won’t have time to
correct it later. As a company, ask yourself the question: can you
afford, if your solution proves successful, to be hacked later and
have a bigger problem?’
Do we in the Netherlands have sufficient
knowledge in the field of cyber security?
The Netherlands has a good cyber security knowledge industry.
Do we have enough people? No, absolutely not. That’s why we’re
working with the ten top sectors to develop a broad-based
programme. This is a knowledge development programme for all
levels. We are going to finance all kinds of knowledge projects on
cyber security on the basis of knowledge questions that we are
receiving and are now collecting.
Part of that programme is the human capital agenda. We want to
ensure that we train enough people to do this work. This is not an
easy task. It turns out to be quite difficult to reach these people.
There is also quite a bit of knowledge involved. It’s not just about
having the practical knowledge of hacking, but you also need to
have background knowledge, including system and legal
knowledge. The National Cyber Security Strategy will contribute
to this, just as the major EU projects in the field of cyber security
will contribute to the further development of product cyber
security (minimum requirements such as 2-factor authentication,
patch management etcetera). In addition, important entities in the
vital energy sectors will soon be subject to compulsory legislation.
Fortunately, there are training courses in this area that will also
guarantee knowledge in the future. This happens at all educational
levels. With this broadly supported programme, we are trying to
give an extra impetus to further development in this area as well. •
10 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 11

Interview
Sabine Lankhorst
Fugro’s Blue Snake® technology:
Efficient data collection
for quality cable route
mapping
Digitisation contributes to an increase in efficiency in the processing and
interpretation of data, which enables timely and well-informed decision making.
Improving the technology that is used to produce data can, in turn, help make
data available even faster. As the sustainable energy market continues to grow at a
rapid rate, the need for efficient data delivery is critical.
Blue Snake® on the geotechnical vessel Fugro Synergy © Fugro
This is confirmed by Sven Plasman, Principal
Commercial Manager at Fugro, the world’s leading
Geo-data specialist firm that, among other things,
conducts geophysical and geotechnical surveys in
offshore wind farm zones around the world. With the acquired
Geo-data, potential wind farm developers can make intelligent
decisions on the optimal wind farm layout, foundations, cables
and cable route designs for future projects.
The roll-out of offshore wind energy in the coming years is a
key part of global strategies to combat climate change and
support the move towards green energy. Many of these wind
farms will be huge, such as the IJmuiden Ver offshore wind
farm zone which could see up to 6 GW of installed capacity in
total.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) also has a number
of large tenders out for offshore wind areas, with these set to be
awarded in November. Fortunately, Plasman has noted that as
the drive for wind farms increases, clients have become more
flexible and open to new ways of working.
Blue Snake ® : 2 in 1
With the fast roll-out of offshore assets, Fugro began
developing the Blue Snake ® , a geotechnical system which
integrates cone penetration tests (CPT) and vibrocore
sampling, a technique for collecting core samples of the seabed
sub-strata sediments, to enable safe, efficient and high-quality
data acquisition along wind farm cable routes (see Box). The
Blue Snake ® system delivers many benefits.
Improved operation efficiency
The obvious advantage is time saving. With traditional methods,
two different systems are used on board a research vessel for
the CPT and sampling activities. These systems are separate.
Each is lowered onto the seabed – one after the other – and
retracted again on deck. With the Blue Snake ® , these two
operations take place simultaneously using one system,
therefore making the operations more efficient.
‘With the Blue Snake ® , two operations take place
simultaneously, using one system, therefore making the
operations more efficient’
In addition to this, an advanced heave compensation system
ensures that workability is improved. ‘The extent of this
improvement depends on the type of vessel on which the
Blue Snake ® is used,’ Plasman explains. But significant wave
heights of 1.75 or 2 metres are possible for the Blue Snake ® .
This time saving automatically translates into a reduction of
emissions because the vessel is out on the water for a shorter
period.
The Blue Snake ® design also leads to safer work operations due
to less manual handling. Plasman: ‘With the traditional method,
you bring the vibrocorer on board, over an A-frame. This can
involve some movement which needs to be manually corrected.
The vibrocorer needs to be manually coupled and uncoupled,
this makes it a difficult manual handling operation. With the
Blue Snake ® , the vibrocorer is transferred hydraulically in one
go and is immediately fixed. That makes it much safer to work
with for the crew on deck.’
Improved data correlation
When it comes to the data quality itself, there are also major
technical / quality benefit. In the traditional method, the two
activities take place somewhere near each other but never really
at a fixed distance, Plasman explains: ‘With the Blue Snake ® ,
the distance between the two operations is fixed. As a result,
you get much better correlation between data which leads to
better interpretation of the data.’
Faster data processing
Faster operations also mean that the data can be examined
more quickly. The 6-metre long vibrocore samples are cut into
1-metre pieces on deck and placed in refrigerated 20-foot
containers until the vessel enters port again. Depending on the
project, there are two laboratory assistants and an engineer on
board the vessel. They perform a ‘top-bottom’ classification
analysis. These first results are processed and then sent to shore
through Fugro’s cloud-based Geo-data platform.
Plasman: ‘Based on the initial data, we can already determine,
together with the customer, which laboratory tests are required.
By the time the samples arrive at the port and can be shipped
out to the labs, the geotechnical lab team knows which
programme they need to run.’ The data from the geotechnical
survey also goes to the geophysical team who integrates it into
their data interpretation. This is all digitally processed and
interpreted with geographic information systems (GIS).
Fugro has recently opened a new laboratory in Belgium and
made significant investment in their UK and global
geotechnical laboratories. ‘This has resulted in around 50
percent increase in capacity which will significantly reduce
turnaround time of test Geo-data and ensure a rapid response
to the growing demands of the energy sector,’ says Plasman.
Commercial application
The market launch of the Blue Snake ® came at a good time.
Fugro was awarded a tender by RVO to carry out a geophysical
investigation for the IJmuiden Ver (Noord) V and VI wind farm
areas. These areas are part of the larger IJmuiden Ver offshore
wind farm zone, the largest offshore wind farm area in the
Netherlands to date.
Geotechnical soil investigations also had to be carried out at a
number of locations. Working from a third-party vessel, Fugro
deployed its new Blue Snake ® system to conduct 25 co-located
CPTs, thermal cone penetration tests (T-CPT) and high
performance corer (HPC) tests.
The IJmuiden Ver scope provided Fugro the opportunity to use
their new system and confirm the quality of the results. This
first project was followed by a large project in the Danish part
of the North Sea, where Fugro was commissioned by Energinet
to carry out soil investigations at 230 locations along the
proposed export cable route for the planned Danish energy
island. The system will also be used for activities in RWE’s Thor
offshore wind farm in Denmark.
Blue Snake ® is currently the only geotechnical system on the
market that works in this way. ‘How the Blue Snake ® is further
marketed depends entirely on how the market responds,’ says
12 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 13

Column
Wind energy
software protection
Walter Hart
Dutch and European patent
attorney at EP&C Patent
Attorneys
Like with most industries, digitisation of the wind energy industry is increasing. Good
examples of software that provide energy production gains or cost savings are already
available on the market. But what if you develop a new software solution? Is
protection possible then? After all, European law does not permit the patenting of
software as such. However, more is possible than you might think. Patenting software can
therefore be very worthwhile.
Fugro’s advanced lab in Wallingford, UK © Fugro
Plasman. For the efficiency of the system, it is desirable that the
customer requests a CPT and vibrocore sample in the same
place. But sometimes customers want alternate samples, he
explains: ‘That is still possible, but the efficiency and benefit of
better data correlation will be reduced. These are benefits that
clients value, so we’re already seeing an increase in demand for
the system.’
Blue Snake ® deployment
The Blue Snake ® system can be deployed on various vessels.
Preferably, a dedicated vessel is assigned for the Blue Snake ® as
it takes a few days to install the system and requires some
modifications to the vessel.
Continuous improvements throughout the
company
‘The Blue Snake ® is just one type of system within Fugro’s
geotechnical range of equipment,’ Plasman stresses. The
company is also working on several other technical
developments in this area, particularly in the CPT field.
Plasman: ‘We are continuously looking at how we can give
customers better in situ information. With the standard CPT
we can get to depths of 50 to 55 metres. We are developing
cones that can go deeper and press harder, because the deeper
we go, the better the data will be for our customers. We are also
improving and refining the quality of our seismic CPTs. The
data obtained provides insights into all kinds of soil
characteristics which are important for foundation design.’
Blue Snake ®
With the Blue Snake ® geotechnical system, the CPT is
mounted in a frame and can be pushed into the seabed up
to 6 metres - and even deeper with some adjustments – to
Of course, efficiency gains are not limited to the geotechnical
survey equipment that Fugro provides. On the geophysical
survey side, for example, Fugro’s uncrewed surface vessels
(USVs) are remotely controlled via remote operations centres
(ROCs) across the globe. With real-time data transfer, staff can
analyse and interpret Geo-data without having to mobilise
offshore. The USV’s are also becoming larger: from 12 and 18
metres to 24 metres with greater endurance, station keeping
and payload capacity.
Another focus for Fugro is sustainable operations. Along with
growing its range of USVs, which have up to 95 percent
reduction in fuel consumption when compared to traditional
survey vessels, Fugro is also in the process of converting its
vessels from marine gas oil to methanol and biodiesel.
‘Ultimately, we want Fugro to be completely carbon neutral by
2035. It will take small steps, but the goal is rock-solid,’ says
Plasman. •
acquire soil samples using a fixed sample tube. The
Blue Snake ® can be used in waters from 3 to 100 metres
deep. The system is therefore very suitable for preparations
of the construction of wind farms, submarine cable routes
and pipelines.
‘Due to a legal
provision, the
software must be of
a sufficiently
technical nature in
order to be
protected by a
patent’
Software is subject to copyright, providing already limited protection. With a patent broader
and thus better protection is possible. Due to a legal provision, however, the software must be
of a sufficiently technical nature in order to be protected by a patent.
Technical impact
If you are the inventor of a new and innovative physical product for generating wind energy,
then it is clearly a technical solution. With software, that is not always the case. A programme
that processes customer data, sends out invoices, or collects data is usually not categorised as a
technical solution to a technical problem. It can therefore not be protected by a patent.
Nevertheless, under certain conditions a patent can also be obtained for software. One
condition is that the software has a technical effect. For example, an application that adjusts the
position of wind turbine blades in relation to the direction and speed of the wind. Or artificial
intelligence that learns to recognise, via photos, when corrosion is developing on the tower or
other parts. This enables timely maintenance. In other words: a technical solution for a
technical problem, with an effect in the physical world.
Ahead of the competition
The average software innovation in the wind energy industry is therefore patentable. But what
is the advantage? An important advantage is that you offer something that someone else does
not have. In a tendering process, this will give you an advantage over your competitors. Think,
for example, of an application that allows you to carry out maintenance remotely. This is faster
and cheaper for your customer and makes you more interesting as a supplier.
Licence
It is not only personal use that makes a patent worthwhile. With the patent, you are in control;
you determine who may use your innovation. You do this, for example, by licensing the
software. This gives you control over the parties that work with your innovation and you also
reap the financial benefits.
Expertise
Even though many things are possible, applying for a patent on software remains a complex
matter. Research into novelty and a watertight description of the innovation are required. The
novelty and inventive step must be clearly evident. Therefore, always call in an expert when you
are thinking about patenting software applications and, together with a patent attorney, ensure
that the patent will benefit you.
14 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 15

Digitalisation
Sabine Lankhorst
TechBinder’s Smart Vessel Optimizer
Smart & efficient vessel
operation
While the industry has been digitising production processes for decades now, the
maritime sector is still cautiously taking its first steps in this area. A pity, thinks
Bram van den Boom, CEO of Dutch start-up company TechBinder, as the
advantages are enormous and the step is necessary.
The fact that the industry has
such a head start - more than
40 years - has everything to do
with the pressure imposed by
regulations to trace the origin of products,
explains Van den Boom who has a background
in the Food and Pharmaceutical
industries. All data from the production
process therefore had to be recorded in detail
in order to comply with the mandatory
reporting.
The various assets in a production line
send out signals. Van den Boom: ‘You can
do smart things with these signals. You can
create automatic reports, predict
maintenance, but also optimise your
operations and reduce waste or emissions,
for example. He tells of a project at beer
brewery Carlsberg where the performance
of all production lines worldwide was
collected in one control room. This made it
possible to compare the different
production lines and to implement best
practices for less performing production
lines. Also, the state of the assets and
possible faults could be captured in one
single place.
Van den Boom: ‘This allows for continuous
improvement. When a fault occurs, the
dedicated technician can do his or her job
very specifically, which greatly improves
the uptime (and therefore profitability) of
the production line.’
16 | 02-2022
Industrial machine
Van den Boom came into contact with the
maritime world when he was asked one day
to speak at a conference on how the
experiences of digitalisation in Food and
Pharma could be translated to the
maritime sector.
‘The conclusion of that talk was actually
simple,’ he explains, ‘a vessel is just a
floating machine. A production machine
contains generators, engines, valves, et
cetera - all the things that you also
encounter on an average vessel.’
‘We can map out in
great detail where
optimisations can be
made and how they
contribute to your
business model’
However, there are also major differences.
A factory machine operates in one set
location; in a conditioned space and 24/7
at the same level. A vessel, on the other
hand moves continuously. The conditions
in which vessel assets operate also fluctuate
more. For example, the temperature can
vary continuously on a vessel and vessel
assets have to run at different power levels.
External factors, such as the weather, also
have a much greater impact on vessel assets
than factory assets. But also, who is the
captain? Moreover, the value chain is more
complex within maritime operations.
Otherwise, it is exactly the same units that
run.
Conservative sector
The maritime sector could therefore also
benefit from digitalisation, it appears. After
all, this market is facing a number of
challenges. Vessel assets are becoming
increasingly complex and there is a
growing need for reporting. In addition,
there is continuous pressure to reduce
emissions. In 30 years’ time, every vessel
will have to be climate-neutral. Taking into
account the lifespan of a new vessel, steps
have to be taken quickly to reach that goal.
According to Van den Boom, the fact that
the maritime sector is still slow to take
steps in this area is due to the (more)
complex value chain and because it sticks
to the same working methods. Moreover, it
is a small world in which new players and
start-ups have difficulty getting in. Then
you really need the help of a coach or
initiatives such as the PortXL maritime
accelerator programme, Van den Boom
explains.
View from Damen Aqua Helix on Egmond aan
Zee OWF © BGF
02-2022 17 | 02-2022 | 17

Digitalisation
Optimisation before
transformation
According to Van den Boom, optimisation
is the first step before the shipping industry
can transform. Digitalisation is a huge
enabler in this process and ultimately also
ensures that you can sail more efficiently,
run more efficient operations and do more
with fewer people. The latter is actually
where our real story begins, explains
Van den Boom: ‘Asset technologies are
becoming more complex while more and
more people in the field do not have the
knowledge or training to deal with this
complex technology. The generation that is
now entering the market is also much less
loyal to an employer. As a result,
knowledge does not stay within the
company and is not enhanced.’
Digitalisation offers a valuable input here,
thinks Van den Boom. ‘The efficiency of an
organisation is determined by the efficiency
of knowledge transfer within certain
knowledge domains. We are used to
transferring knowledge from one person to
another. Digitalisation ensures that this
knowledge becomes ‘fluid’. You then have
instant access to information and are no
longer dependent on a specialist.’
Smart Vessel Optimizer
A few years ago, together with his former
employer Schneider Electric, Van den
Boom was given the opportunity to run a
pilot with a Dutch shipyard. This
immediately produced a number of
interesting insights for that shipyard. Van
den Boom: ‘We concluded, for instance,
that the operational profile did not match
the technical design of the vessel. This
caused more wear and tear. In the end, we
created a return of investment of one
month for this party.’
This pilot project further aroused his
interest in the maritime world.
Van den Boom founded TechBinder,
together with the former service manager
of the shipyard. The company is supported
by Schneider Electric, among others. The
piece of technology that was developed for
the shipyard was further fine-tuned and is
now marketed under the name Smart
Vessel Optimizer. A vessel is not
fundamentally designed to be digital.
Moreover, every vessel is different ‘under
the bonnet’. A somewhat complex vessel
can already have 300 different systems
integrated on board, all producing their
own data/signals and speaking their own
‘language’. The signals are often lost or
stored in a log file in the system of the asset
itself and are difficult to retrieve. Often,
these log files are only called upon and
analysed after an incident.
Van den Boom: ‘That’s regrettable, because
Smart Vessel Optimizer makes it relatively
easy to retrieve these signals (live) ashore.
‘This way you can always monitor the
condition of your asset and react sooner
based on trending. It is also possible to
perform remote troubleshooting and
instantly solve a failing asset much more
often. This benefits the availability of your
‘A vessel is just a
floating machine. A
production machine
contains generators,
engines, valves, et
cetera - all the things
that you also encounter
on an average vessel’
vessel, and the cost of repairs. As a vessel
owner or operations manager, you want to
own the data streams. You can use it for
your own benefit but you can also tune the
whole value chain, such as service
providers, insurers and the shipyard to
what you are doing.’
Faster decision making
‘Because a selection of all available data
points are now brought to shore in a
structured way, you can start making
combinations and sharing insights with
people who can then do their work more
efficiently and faster,’ Van den Boom
explains. ‘He tells of a customer who used
to call all the vessels every morning to ask
what they were doing, what their ETA was,
how much cargo they were taking, etcetera.
‘That is a time-consuming activity for both
the captain and the company. Based on just
a few data points, we were able to present
this information in a live dashboard and
only the salient issues of the day were
highlighted. This brought enormous
efficiency to both operations and also
avoided a lot of miscommunication,’ says
Van den Boom. By only highlighting the
things that stand out, you can create a
much better overview with fewer people.
A good data system also works in such a
way that the more information you put
into it, the smarter it becomes for an
operation. Van den Boom: ‘We can map
out in great detail where optimisations can
be made and how they contribute to your
business model. You can only create that
kind of insight by monitoring in detail and
in a structured way over time.’ Another
advantage of the system is that connections
can be made between assets. He mentions
the example where TechBinder traced the
rootcause of a high energy consumption of
a vessel. It turned out to be a leak in the air
system that caused the compressor motor
to be urged to increase its pressure every
15 minutes.
Cyber security
TechBinder develops purely in a functional
area. They set up the infrastructure, the
data belongs to the customer. The
customer determines who sees what and
who does not. The back-end of the tool is
heavily tested and scalable technology that
is also used by the industry. Van den Boom:
‘For us, it is a strategic consideration to
take that industrial technology, which is
already 40 years old and was designed for
this purpose only. You can’t actually do
that yourself. It also offers advantages in
terms of Cyber Security, then you know as
a small company that you’re in the right
place. All our systems are continuously
monitored and proactive action is taken
when a suspicious situation arises. In
addition, it is only possible to retrieve data,
you can never access a PLC or modify
anything on the vessel.
Progressive shipping
company
But is the maritime market ready for this
now? Van den Boom: ‘Yes indeed! The way
the maritime market should look at it is
that this technology simply changes the
rules of the game. If you do it right, you
can gain an enormous (competitive)
advantage. It does require a completely
different set of skills and insight within the
organisation. Van den Boom has noticed
that the people on board often get excited
to get started. Many captains want to sail
more sustainably, for example by getting
the best setup between engine power and
pitch, but do not have the proper
information to do so. ‘We use people’s
creativity to look for the optimum. They
are all professionals who want to do their
jobs properly. With this information, they
can also steer more actively in that
direction.’
Fortunately, there are already more and
more initiatives taken and maritime players
are warming up to digitalisation. ÈTA
Shipping in Leeuwarden is one of them.
They are building up a shipping company
from scratch and have a number of new
ways of looking at things. The company is
going to be set up digitally from the ground
up and will be building modularly. Van den
Boom: ‘We are going to take care of the
complete digitalisation for them. Because
they do not have any vessels yet, we can
Shared experiences
also be involved in the design of the vessels.
ÈTA Shipping focuses on short sea and
large transport. Eventually, they will also
start transporting wind turbine blades.’
Future vision
In principle, TechBinder focuses on
shipyards, shipping companies and OEMs,
the parties that supply components,
although the service providers can also
benefit. In doing so, the start-up has an
ambitious goal: in four years, they want to
have their service implemented on at least
1,000 vessels worldwide. •
Flexible, modular systems
TechBinder has designed the Smart Vessel
Optimizer system in such a way that it can
be gradually expanded. At this moment the
system can talk to 600 different types of
PLCs. These are computers that control
assets. The smallest system consists of a
box of 47 x 54 x 23 centimetres and can
extract 50 measurement values from up to
3 systems. For example, for measuring fuel,
speed and location. It is aimed at retrieving
data for OEMs or on inland vessels. Van
den Boom: ‘With the largest system, you
can extract infinite systems and measured
values. We see these more often
implemented in seagoing vessels and larger
vessels.’ The company Reikon links a small
version to their ballast water treatment
systems. The company will provide remote
support and will take steps in a digital
transformation internally to maintain their
systems more efficiently, but also use it to
automate the Ballast Water Treatment
Book, a report that is still processed
manually. TechBinder also cooperates with
parties such as the Maritime Data
Company. Based on the API provided by
TechBinder, they are now processing very
detailed financial performance of a ship in
a financial graph.
Currently, the quantity of signals allows the
system to still sends all signals to shore via
satellite. ‘Eventually, you also want to
enable intelligence on board to analyse the
assets on site. We are prepared for that,’
adds Van den Boom. •
11 NOVEMBER 2022
KIVI - The Hague
The Netherlands
09:30 h- 18:00 h
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN THE ENERGY MARKET!
Networking
Tickets available on:
www.womeninenergy.nl
Job opportunities
Meet & Greet
18 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 19

Digitalisation
Certscanner:
Benchmark for all
maritime & offshore
compliance requirements
Anyone who wants to work in an offshore wind farm has to make sure they are
complying before even being allowed to go offshore. Organising the certification
status of own, hired or subcontractor staff can be a time consuming activity if not
organised properly, especially on multilevel projects. Terschelling-based
Certscanner found much room for improvement in this area and developed an
automated digital solution for all compliance and certification needs.
Windpowernl spoke to Jens Doeksen, Director of
Marine Coordination Services BV (MCS), based
on the Wadden Sea island Terschelling, and
founder of Certscanner.
Doeksen has been involved in several wind farm projects as a
marine coordinator and later as a supervisor. In almost every
project he worked on, he faced the same challenge in the area of
certification and compliance. He noticed that the collection and
processing of (hired) staff and subcontractor certification was
often inefficiently organised at the various projects. More often
than not, Excel sheets were used to keep track of certification and
compliance and was often performed ad hoc, when required. To
the surprise of Doeksen: ‘You need to comply before you are
allowed to go to an offshore wind farm. Organising this properly
can save a lot of time and money, not only on a current project,
but also on future projects.’
Hence he came up with the idea to develop a tool that would
provide a single point for managing all compliance and certificate
related activities. Doeksen: ‘I wanted to create a solution where all
parties involved on a project are brought together in one single
automated digital platform that would enable efficient, safe, and
optimal project operation.’
At a certain point, he started to involve more people on his
project. First his partner in MCS, Cor van der Velde, later followed
by Heert Schroor. Together they started the actual development of
the digital solution, Certscanner, in 2019. And now it is time to
bring the solution to the market.
Certscanner
The company is focused on multilevel scopes in the maritime,
shipping and offshore industries and provides an efficient SAAS
solution for various (flexible and cross) project & personnel
management for offshore wind farm (OWF) developers, main
contractors (EPCI, T&I, commissioning), subcontractors, and
(offshore) professionals.
The foundation of the multi project level ecosystem is the
digitalisation and verification of professional certification subject
to user desired multilevel trainings matrices - all automated via the
platform itself.
Developers & Contractors
OWF developers, main contractors and subcontractors can costeffective
benefit by having all their own and/or hired staff or
subcontracted personnel on all levels of the assigned project
registered (and transferred to other projects for compliance
checks) in some clicks in the platform in order to maintain
compliance to subsequent OWF employer, main or subcontractor
requirements for offshore or site access.
The platform allows them categorisation of their personnel under
various customised projects & departments (including marine
support vessels) own training matrix.
Certscanner also offers a team management solution for creating
and monitoring their daily planning, while staying up to date in
real time about any changes in the status of the certification of all
(hired) staff or subcontracted personnel on all levels of the
assigned project.
Professionals
The Certscanner portal for professionals offers these users a
digital wallet for professional certification, a personal work
scheduler and an environment that keeps them up to date about
the projects on which they’ve been assigned to.
Training
The SAAS solution in addition enables all users to source offshore
energy sector (or other) courses within a secured environment and
provides a simple booking management for training institutes.
Training institutes can provide verification for certification they’ve
issued in the past, but also promote new courses and issue new
certification.
Future vision
Certscanner is already being integrated in the day to day business
of MCS. And Doeksen has high ambitions: within five years, he
wants Certscanner to be recognised worldwide as the benchmark
for all certification and compliance requirements. He elaborates:
‘See it as the central hub in a project where all parties are brought
together in the same digital environment and where processes can
run optimally, safe and cost-efficient.’ •
20 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 21

Digitalisation
Jungle:
AI technology for
optimal offshore wind
farm performance
Data is the key to wind farm optimisation. It is important, however, that wind
farm owners have the right tools to interpret their data properly. Dutch/
Portuguese start-up Jungle AI (Jungle) has developed technology that empowers
these companies to increase production, prevent failures and reduce CO2
emissions.
© Jungle
Jungle was founded in 2016 by three
young men, two Dutch and one
Portuguese, who met at TU Delft and
spotted the growing gap between the
availability of data on the one hand,
and the ability to interpret data on the
other. As the company name suggests, data
has become one big jungle, which makes it
difficult to see what’s really going on.
‘Data can provide companies with the
opportunity to improve and develop.
However, we still see many professional
organisations with very large portfolios
struggle to interpret large amounts of data
with in-house developed and rudimentary
tools,’ says Pim Breukelman, Chief
Commercial Officer of Jungle.
Data jungle
This is also applicable to wind farms.
Breukelman elaborates: ‘Nowadays, wind
turbines are equipped with hundreds of
sensors. For each sensor, static parameters
are set which signal if there is a deviation
from these parameters. This leads to a
continuous flow of notification and alarms
via the SCADA-system. However, not all
notifications are alarming. This leads to socalled
“alarm fatigue” with operators, with
the result that they don’t take action when
in some cases they should.’
Jungle developed their Artificial
Intelligence (AI) product Canopy which
creates a deep understanding of machine
performance and component health by
detecting impending failures ahead of time
and underperformance issues e.g. related
to curtailment and component
misalignment. This allows customers to
significantly increase the availability, output
and lifetime of their assets. Earlier this year,
Jungle won the public award in the finals of
the Offshore Wind Innovators Award 2021.
Normality modelling
Using historical data from wind turbines,
Jungle is able to identify patterns of normal
operational behaviour under all conceivable
circumstances. By applying Artificial
Intelligence (AI), the normal behaviour of
a wind farm can be learned within weeks.
The actual behaviour is compared to the
normal predictions, providing valuable
insight into component health and turbine
performance.
The result is that you now only receive a
notification when a deviation from normal
behaviour occurs, a so called dynamic
alarm. Canopy clearly shows and ranks at
which component the highest deviation or
under performance was found, down to the
level of the sensor(s) that detected the
deviation. At that moment, it can be
determined whether the deviation requires
immediate intervention or whether it is
something that could be taken into account
during planned maintenance. By
identifying the need for intervention early,
you prevent unnecessary downtime at a
later stage. Canopy can be used to detect
component failure at a very early stage, but
also, for example, undesired automatic
power curtailment, icing or yaw
misalignment. This leads to better
performing wind farms that generally
produce 1-2% more energy, thus bringing
down the Levelized Cost of Energy. All of
this is powered by software, no single visit
to the wind farm is needed to get these
instant benefits.
Level playing field
Jungle mainly targets the wind farm owners
and operators. ‘They don’t always have
access to the full picture or don’t have the
tools to put it together,’ says Breukelman.
Canopy enables them to keep a close eye
on the performance of their wind farm and,
where necessary, to exchange information
with the party that performs the
maintenance contract, usually the wind
turbine supplier (OEM), on what steps to
take. ‘This creates a level playing field
between the wind farm operator and the
OEM,’ says Breukelman.
However, Canopy is not only suitable for
wind farms, says Breukelman. Next to
wind farm optimisation, Jungle also works
for solar farm owners and operators and is
also deploying Canopy as a Predictive
Maintenance solution for Service
Operation Vessels for offshore wind farms.
In principle, the software can be applied to
any electromechanical equipment with
sensors, he stresses, as the software is asset
agnostic. Because the same algorithms can
be used and no extra hardware is required,
the software can be applied quickly and is
scalable as well.
Since its foundation, Jungle has onboarded
large and small customers from around the
world in the wind industry and is scaling
up rapidly. Just before this article was
published, Jungle raised five million Euros
in additional funding which will enable the
company to strengthen its global team and
expand its product offering to a growing
number of customers across additional
markets and sectors.•
22 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 23

Digitalisation & Robots
SpectX
Autonomous drone
inspections for detecting
structural internal defects
in offshore wind turbines
With wind farms being built and planned further offshore, it brings along
additional costs. This is also the case for the inspection and maintenance
activities taking place once a wind farm becomes operational. Developing
solutions that can be performed remotely will help bring down costs. Dutch
start-up SpectX is working on such a solution.
SpectX is developing an autonomous inspection and asset
management solution for application in offshore wind
farms. The Delft-based start-up, founded last year, was
one of the finalists of the Offshore Wind Innovators
Award 2021.
Akhilesh Goveas, one of the three co-founders of SpectX, tells
more about their solution: ‘Current initiatives are mainly focused
on detecting external damage on wind turbines. However, as is the
case with rotor blades, it is often an internal break which occurs.
It is therefore vital to identify this on time, to prevent total shut
down of a wind turbine. Beside the loss of power generation, and
therefore income, it also requires a lot of time to organise a repair
campaign. It often requires workers to perform repair activities by
rope access, which is not totally without risk, is time-consuming,
and restricted by weather windows.’
Structural internal defects
SpectX is building an aerial radiography system capable of
detecting internal structural defects in real-time through Artificial
Intelligence (AI). Goveas: ‘We have tested several different
equipment and, in the end, we found a battery backed X-ray
system that can be used non-traditionally. It doesn’t need a bulky
system anymore so we tried to base the solution on drones. It now
needs to be automated.’
Inspection is performed by two drones that are stored in a docking
station on site. There are several options being investigated for
placing the docking station, for example on a wind turbine
platform or a future docking station for robots in the wind farm.
The drones can be activated and operated remotely, from the
control room onshore, therefore no physical presence is required
on site. The two drones with onboard LiDAR system asset
mapping work in sync: one functions as a sender and the other as
the receiver of the X-ray spectrum. High accuracy is achieved in
aerial positioning using the RTK-GPS aerial position triangulation
aerial principle.
Predicting maintenance & repair campaigns in
advance
‘The solution can be used for scanning the entire wind turbine
from the splash zone up, with the exception of the nacelle,’ Goveas
says. The data is collected and sent to the control centre after
returning to the docking station. The data is stored on the cloud
for analyses of the data by deep learning and is made visual for the
end user. The data allows for repair campaigns to be predicted and
planned in advance, saving expensive OPEX expenditures on
unplanned repair campaigns.
SpectX is working on developing drones that have a reach of
approximately 10 km radius and have a battery life of around 30
minutes. A full inspection of a wind turbine can take up to 1 or 1.5
hour (based on a 3.5 MW wind turbine). To compare: rope access
inspection can easily take several hours (up to 7), requiring several
technicians. The drones are expected to be able to operate in
weather conditions with wind speeds of up to 10 metres per
second.
Development and pilot testing
The system is still in the Research & Development stage. While the
SpectX-team is working on the software, they have partnered with
Avular, a Dutch innovative robotics company, to develop the
hardware part of the innovation. Tailor-made drones need to be
built to actively suppress vibrations during operations. Existing
drones are merely designed for visual inspection. Goveas explains:
‘This technique had not been tested on composite material wind
turbine structure for critical internal defect detection before. Up
to now, we have performed feasibility tests on a used wind turbine
blade to prove the technology for this specific use case.’
In the meantime, SpectX is taking further steps. From the
Offshore wind innovators final event, a Letter of Intent was
© SpectX
obtained from Eneco to SpectX through Glenn Bijvoets, who was
the juror of the competition. At the end of August this year, a
demonstration of the aerial positioning & synchronization
algorithm for two drones, with accuracy capable of performing
radiography took place.
Goveas: ‘The goal is to perform a test on a nearshore wind turbine
in summer time next year. At the moment, the startup is busy
gathering the remaining of the required nearly 1 M Euro to
complete the system and start the pilot.’ •
24 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 25

Digitalisation & Robots
Determining the feasibility of drone delivery for offshore energy:
Cargo drones to enhance
offshore logistics
On 18 August, in the presence of some invitees and public, a small cargo drone
took off from Den Helder for a test flight to the isle of Texel and back again. This
first drone flight from the mainland to Texel marks an important milestone in the
development and test phase of the “Long Distance Cargo Drone Network”
project, which investigates the deployment of cargo drones to offshore
installations.
The Long Distance Cargo Drone Network
project is an initiative that falls under the
Maritime Drone Initiative (MDI), the
drone cluster of METIP (Maritime
Emerging & Enabling Technologies
Innovation Park) in Den Helder where the
latest and emerging technologies are used
innovatively for maritime, marine and
offshore (energy) applications. With regard
to drones, METIP-MDI looks at how
existing or recently introduced drones can
be applied in certain sectors and for certain
business processes.
As such, the Long Distance Cargo Drone
Delivery project focuses on the
development of cargo drones technology
and its sustainable application for
delivering cargo to offshore installations.
In this drone cluster, METIP collaborates
with main partners AirHub, a Dutch drone
software developer and consultant who
create, among others, ground control apps
and Drone operation centers (DOC) for
drone operations, and DroneQ Robotics,
an Unmanned Robotics Systems Operator
& Integrator based in the Netherlands and
the United Kingdom. The activities range
from in-house development of technology
and optimisation of processes, to
compliance with legislation and
regulations.
Demand driven project
The project originated about two and a
half years ago from the demand of the
offshore community, when METIP and
DroneQ Robotics signed a cooperation
agreement with Energy Reinvented
Community, a platform initiated in 2013
by Shell, Siemens and TNO with the aim
of stimulating cooperation between players
active in the energy industry. Many
offshore players are affiliated with this
platform. Its Digital working group posed
the question to METIP and DroneQ
Robotics how the entire offshore logistics
chain could be optimised, not only in terms
of technology but also in terms of the use
of data. This included the question on how
to further optimise transport of freight to
offshore installations in a most sustainable
and cost-efficient manner, while
guaranteeing safety at all times.
Integration into the
operational processes
DroneQ Robotics has been a core partner
of METIP for more than 2 years, and is the
central coordination partner for the
project. They operate Vertical Take-Off And
Landing airplane (VTOL) drones, supplied
by the German company Phoenix-Wings
GmbH, and equip them with all the
technology needed for offshore application,
including self-developed cameras. John
Troch, one of the founders and managing
director of the company, explains more: ‘
In this project, we are not so much looking
at how we can simply fly from A to B, but
at how we can optimally use drones in the
operational processes and specifically in the
offshore logistics chain. We integrate them
into the operational processes.’
High-priority, high value
goods
To determine how cargo drones can be
integrated optimally in the operational
processes, the project partners first had to
identify where the demand is within
offshore logistics. DHSS, a logistics service
provider also based in Den Helder, turned
out to become an important partner.
DHSS has been a specialist in transporting
people and cargo to offshore installations
for many years. The company made two
years’ worth of data available for analysis:
what is transported to, from and inside
offshore sites, and where are the
opportunities to transport part of the
freight with drones in addition to
helicopters and vessels?
The analysed data showed that cargo
drones are mainly suitable for high-priority,
high-value goods. These include
documents, spare parts, samples and
medicines. For example, when someone
forgot his or her passport, Troch explains.
Drones could provide a more cost effective
alternative here. Troch emphasises that a
drone, however, is not to become a
replacement for a helicopter, it is an
addition. ‘It is all about cooperation. We
need to look at how we can make the
logistics chain more efficient together,’ he
adds.
Social acceptance
Another aspect to look at was human
interaction. What is required, not only from
drone pilots, but also from the people
working with the drone pilots and drones.
Troch: ‘Robots and interaction with robots
will only increase in society. We must learn
to manage the interaction with them. It is a
new technology requiring a cultural
change. This will always be difficult in the
beginning. We need to provide people the
knowledge to work with robots. That is why
we have developed a programme for this.’
Software
For a drone flight to operate smoothly and
safely, more is needed than a drone and
drone pilot. This is where AirHub comes
in. AirHub provided the drone software for
the project which is translated into a digital
operations centre from which you can
practice and plan the flight path and then
view, track and control the drone, and the
surrounding fly zone, in a live environment.
Michiel Froling, Business Development
Manager at AirHub, explains: ‘The flight
path is planned in advance: how are you
going to fly and what possible restrictions
are there in the fly zone? After preparing
the whole flight with AirHub, they use a
flight simulator for practising the flight,
offering the same characteristics as the
drone.
Troch: ‘We can simulate changing weather
conditions such as strong wind, gusts, wind
directions and precipitation. We simulate
the whole flight to see if the parameters
meet our desired plan.’
Back in the AirHub software the flight area
is drawn and the flight path is set within it.
26 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 27

Creating a flight path with AirHub © AirHub
Waypoints are determined along the route.
These can be used to change the route or
to go into holding mode when other air
traffic crosses the flight path. Also
characteristics like take off speed, waypoint
altitude, coordinates and holding time can
be entered. Two cameras are attached to
the drone: one at the front for obstacle
detection and one below.
If everything is correct, the live flight can
be planned. Froling: ‘You can choose
whether to send the route to the drone or
to a drone pilot. With the AirHub live
stream you can also create multiple
sessions to follow the flight from the
ground or the drone via the RTMP live
streaming.’ Because of the Secure Data
mode which AirHub developed, it is
possible to automatically block all
unnecessary outgoing data. In this way,
the security risks can be limited and the
PWOne could be used safely that day.
The AirHub software also offers other
supporting services. A “live airspace” shows
the restrictions in the flight area and where
other pilots are flying. An “activity feed”
shows what is happening within the team.
This will provide an operational manager
with a complete overview. In addition,
AirHub takes care of the entire compliance
process, Froling says; ‘In aviation, you have
to log everything, from flight time to all the
checklists you follow. These days, you also
have to keep track of maintenance and
report incidents.’ Prior to the flight,
coordination took place with the Human
Environment and Transport Inspectorate
(ILT – CAA) and military air traffic
control De Kooy, Den Helder and the
necessary approvals were granted.
For that day’s test flight, Phoenix-Wings’
personal cargo drone PWOne was used,
which can carry 1 kilo up to 40 kilometres.
The 15-minute flight was performed
entirely on 4G with a radio connection as
backup.
Rules & Regulations
At first sight, the flight path for the test
flight that day looked inefficient. Rather
than flying in a 4 kilometre straight line to
the landing point on Texel, the flight path
was leading around a large sand bank – a
total distance of 15 kilometres.
‘A cargo drone is not
to become a
replacement for a
helicopter, it is an
addition’
This has to do with an old decree from
1999, Troch explains. Drones legally fall
under aviation and this decree requires that
motorised traffic cannot fly over the
Wadden Sea below 450 metres. This while
drones legally can only fly up to a height of
120 metres. And that bothers Troch:
‘Drones didn’t exist back then. We believe
that the government should stimulate and
facilitate innovation instead of strictly
enforcing the rules that are currently in
place.’
Pilot with Neptune Energy
The primary goal of the test flight was to
test the connectivity systems and the selfdeveloped
camera systems. With this test
flight successfully completed, what are the
next steps? Troch: ‘The intention of the
project is to build it up gradually; starting
with stationary offshore platforms and then
moving to more complex structures.’
In the meantime, the offshore company
Neptune Energy already has agreed to take
part in a pilot as soon as permission has
been granted to fly offshore. For this
purpose, the offshore energy company is
making its production platform L10-A,
located approximately 65 kilometres
northwest of Den Helder, available to test
flights with cargo drones from Den Helder.
The drone that will be used there has a
wingspan of 3.5 metres and can carry 15
kilos over a distance of 150 kilometres.
Deployment at offshore wind
farms
Troch also sees potential for cargo drones
to offshore wind farms. But, he says: ‘It will
still take between two to three years before
we move on to wind turbines. Wind
turbines still offer some technical
limitations. The landing decks, for one, are
too small and the turbulence around the
turbines also plays a role.’ Cargo drones
can, however, potentially already be used to
transport goods to the offshore transformer
stations in wind farms or to the larger
vessels that work on these wind farms.
They are currently talking to several
players. •
JOIN
US!
Do not miss out on the opportunity to meet the entire industry!
Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference is where the energy transition takes place.
It is Europe’s leading event for the entire offshore energy industry and your opportunity to
reach business leaders, highly qualified experts and professionals across global markets.
WWW.OFFSHORE-ENERGY.BIZ/OEEC2022
Supporting partners
Created and produced by
28 | 02-2022

International
Denisa Kasa, Investment Advisor at Energy Investment Management
Exploring international markets:
Business opportunities in
Poland, Romania, Baltics and
Bulgaria
In the Dutch wind energy sector, established corporations as well as individual
investors, are always running after the next “hot project”. Despite this hunger for
investments, the construction of new onshore wind projects in the Netherlands,
especially in the latest years, has faced difficulties for reasons related to the
bottom-up approach of the Regional Energy Strategies and in general the high
population and the limited space that is available for the construction of these
projects.
1
3
2
However, investors and service
providers can overcome these
challenges by considering
investment opportunities in
other countries, where wind energy
markets are still in their development stage.
Denisa Kasa, Investment Advisor at Energy
Investment Management, has been
conducting research on the entrepreneurial
and investment opportunities created by
the energy transition in Eastern European
and Balkan countries since September
2021. She published a series of country
specific articles on the Dutch news site
Windenergie-nieuws.nl and chaired table
talks on this topic at this year’s WindDay,
the yearly event for the Dutch wind sector.
Windpowernl collected these country
assessments in this article.
1
Poland
Poland, with approximately 80% of its
energy coming from coal and lignite, offers
vast opportunities for foreign investments
and business opportunities in on and
offshore wind energy projects. The
ambition of the country, inspired by the
Green Deal, is to have 27% of its energy
mix consist of wind energy by 2050,
thereby making wind the most attractive
source of renewable energy in Polish
markets.
Poland has signed its first Offshore Wind
Sector Deal in 2021, which reinforces
Poland’s commitment to accelerate its
further development of offshore projects,
while in the meantime, ensuring a
maximum of 60,000 jobs through the
years. The capacity of these offshore wind
projects will amount to 16.9 GW by 2040,
with 5.9 GW of these projects anticipated
to be built by 2030. An auction system will
be used by the government to attribute the
projects to the interested parties, starting
from 2025. However, as of today, Poland
does not have any offshore wind farms and
therefore it is lacking in expertise when it
comes to the development, building and
maintenance of these wind farms.
Nonetheless, the government continuously
pushes for local content to be present
throughout the supply chain involved in
these projects. Due to the above-mentioned
lack of expertise in offshore projects,
domestic suppliers can only account for
20-25% of the supply chain. This offers a
rather attractive opportunity for Dutch
companies experienced in: project
development, engineering, construction
and operation & maintenance of offshore
wind projects. By entering the Polish
market at this stage, Dutch companies
could reap the benefits of having the early
mover’s advantage. At the moment, the
Polish offshore wind market is quite high
on the agenda of several Dutch companies,
with several initiatives, supported by the
Dutch trade organisation and Dutch
Enterprise Agency, being initiated to close
partnerships and ways of sharing
knowledge.
When onshore wind is taken into account,
the situation differs, as the latest intel
shows that the country already has an
approximate installed onshore wind
capacity of 6 GW. Similarly to the
Netherlands, investments in onshore wind
are highly dependent on the underlying
policies, which, in Poland’s case, were
restricted by the “Distance Act” which
stated that wind turbines could only be
located in distances bigger than (at least)
ten times their height from residential
building. For a long time, domestic actors
have lobbied against this regulation,
submitting an amendment draft to the
government in 2021. This July, the
government loosened this act, allowing
wind turbines to be built based on a
modified minimum distance from
residential buildings, respecting the local
zoning plan but not falling behind 500
meters. This ease in Poland’s Distance Act,
will translate into an increase of onshore
wind projects in the country. Best case
scenarios by the Jagiellonian Institute
estimate that a high degree liberalization of
the Distance Act, could bring forth
Onshore Wind projects for 2022-2030
amounting up to 11,1 GW. While
development experience is available in
Poland, there is still place for contribution
by Dutch companies as investor/financier
or as service provider: consulting,
engineering, operation and maintenance
services. •
2
Romania
Romania was accepted in the EU in 2007
and ever since, the renewable energy field
of the country has been developing at a fast
speed. At the time, the country had not yet
directed its efforts towards introducing
new technologies in efforts of emancipating
their energy production ecosystem; rather,
it had put a high importance on the
development of hydropower plants, which
accounted for 25.8% of the consumed
energy. While investments in wind power in
Romania have their genesis in 2004, major
developments did not occur until 2008.
At that time, new legislations presented
electricity producers with the opportunity
of being granted Green Certificates for
producing energy from renewable
resources. As a matter of fact, according to
one of our interviewees, Varinia
Radu,partner at CMS Romania, this first
wave of investments (2008-2016) increased
4
Romania’s wind energy-producing
capacities by more than 3 GW. One can
derive from this that the wind energy sector
in Romania is rather similar to the Dutch
one when it comes to its dependability on
the support schemes and subsidies that the
government establishes. According to Wind
Europe, the installed wind energy capacity
in Romania remained the same, at 3.03
GW, between 2016 and 2020. Regardless
of these facts, now Romania is once again
preparing itself for a new wave of
investments in wind energy projects as
companies and organizations across the
country are anticipating new support
schemes that include enhanced policies
regarding Power Purchase Agreements
(PPAs) and Contract for Difference
(CFDs).
A representative of the Romanian Wind
Energy Association (RWEA), Kees
Stiggelbout, told us that the sentiments for
future investments in the wind energy
30 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 31

sector in Romania in the upcoming years
are rather positive. He mentioned that
there are interesting small and middle size
onshore projects planned to be developed
and built in Romania in the near future.
Estimations place the cumulative size of
some onshore wind developments to 1.5
GW, plans which are in line with the
country’s aspirations to increase the energy
mix share of renewable energy to 35% by
2030 (currently 12.4% of Romania’s
energy comes from wind). Interestingly
enough, the World Bank has estimated that
in addition to the attractiveness of onshore
wind projects, Romania has an offshore
potential of roughly 76 GW. However, thus
far there have been no investments in
incorporating wind turbines in the
Romanian territory of the Black Sea.
One of the first investors in this new
segment, is Hidroelectrica, a major
Romanian power producer which is now
diversifying its investments to not only
include hydropower, but also wind energy
projects. The company has pledged to build
an offshore wind farm with a capacity of
300-500 MW in the Black Sea by 2026.
Nonetheless, due to the ongoing conflict
between Russia and Ukraine, developments
in the Romanian territory of the Black Sea
might be put in hold or postponed.
The new investments that will be made to
comply with the Green Deal, will not be
exclusive to wind farm developments, but
rather, will extend to investments in the
grid and conventional capacities. In
addition, as the cost of labor in Western
Europe is surging, it can be beneficial for
Dutch manufacturers of various
components for wind energy projects to
relocate their manufacturing centres to
Eastern European countries.
Dutch wind energy companies ought to be
alert for support schemes or amendments
of law that the Romanian government
might introduce in the future, as these
represent an opportunity for sales of such
equipment to the country. Netherlandsbased
companies working on consultancy
projects, in the upcoming years can hop on
the opportunity that the introduction of
offshore wind turbines in Romania for their
line of business. In addition, solutions for
energy storage would also be welcome in
Romania as the southern region of the
country – where most wind farms are
located – is currently experiencing an over
saturation of the grid as nuclear reactors,
coal-fired power plants and also wind and
solar farm are concentrated in this part of
the country. •
3
Baltics
Governmental policies, permitting
procedures, environmental regulations,
supply chains and availability of work-force
in the wind energy sector is known to be
highly volatile when moving from one
country to the next.
However, as new deals are endorsed by the
European Union, the development of new
projects is no longer a “one-man job” that
can be performed by solely relying in local
expertise. For instance, the ‘Baltic Sea
Offshore Wind Declaration’ got Denmark,
Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Finland, Sweden to agree on
increasing their combined efforts in
developing offshore wind farms, as this
maritime region has an untapped potential
of 93 GW. This declaration requests its
participants to “cooperate on identifying
potential joint and hybrid projects across
the Baltic Sea and fostering their
development among the countries
involved”. Following this official
proclamation, a first collaboration in the
offshore wind sector was announced by
Estonia and Latvia, who have agreed on
the joint development of a 1 GW offshore
wind farm. Both countries have attributed
space to this project in their updated
maritime spatial plans and intend to hold a
joint auction in 2026 while commissioning
the wind farm by 2030. Between the two
countries, Estonia is more familiar with the
wind sector as it currently operates onshore
wind farms, the capacity of which amounts
to 312 MW. Its government has expressed
that wind energy will be one of the main
bearers of renewable energy in the country.
Additional plans are currently being laid
down by the Estonian government.
The government has postulated that in its
new maritime spatial plan, 1700 square
kilometers will be allocated to offshore
wind farms (the capacity of which can
amount to 7 GW). On the other hand, the
Latvian government has been more
reluctant to increase its wind capacities.
Apart from the shared offshore wind farm
with Estonia, it has allocated no budget or
EU funds to other on/offshore projects that
would be beneficial for the country.
Finally, Lithuania is similar to its
neighbours as it pertains to ambitions in
creating new offshore wind farms. Its
government has developed the “National
Energy and Climate Action Plan of the
Republic of Lithuania for 2021-2030“
which predicts the building of 700 MW
installed offshore wind capacity.. In
addition, estimations for onshore wind
development in Lithuania by Wind Europe
predict a potential increase of capacity of
approximately 1 GW.
Taking into account the different levels of
expertise available in on/offshore wind
developments in Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania, there are a lot of opportunities
for Dutch companies to get involved in the
above-mentioned energy transition plans.
For instance, Dutch consultancies can
contribute by developing impact
assessments, technological project designs,
aiding in documents submitted for
permitting, and most importantly, conduct
R&D.
Other attractive opportunities lie in its
developed logistic capabilities, which have
been inherited by the oil and gas
companies. As new offshore projects are
developed in the Baltics, European supply
chains ought to be engaged. Dutch logistics
and installation companies can take the
lead here due not only to their experience
in the Dutch markets, but also because of
their already-established links with the
Baltic Region. •
4
Bulgaria
Denisa Kasa at WindDays 2022
Old energy systems in Eastern Europe are
being abandoned as the European energy
transition goals foster new developments in
the sector, and Bulgaria is no stranger to
these developments. Having joined the EU
in 2007, Bulgaria opted to increase the
share of renewable energy in its energy mix
to more than 11% by 2010. Following this
agreement, and establishing the Renewable
and Alternative Energy Sources and
Biofuels Act, the country started operating
its first onshore wind farms in 2008. Since
then, the capacity of wind energy in
Bulgaria has seen a steady increase
throughout the years, amounting to
approximately 700MW in 2021.
Furthermore, the country’s plans to deploy
wind energy have not stopped at that. The
Bulgarian government has executed the
Bulgarian Energy Strategy for 2020-2030,
which prioritizes the acceleration of efforts
to increase renewable energy deployment
even further for the upcoming years. The
minister of energy has made public plans
that stipulate the doubling of wind energy
capacity by 2030 in efforts to meet the
goals established by the Green Deal.
When offshore wind projects are
concerned, enthusiasts will have to wait for
developments to kick off. Bulgaria
possesses a share of the Black Sea but due
to uncertainties resulting from the ongoing
conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the
development time for projects in this area
has increased. Regardless, the potential for
developments in Bulgaria’s maritime
territory has been estimated at 116 GW,
thereby inspiring a desire for the
introduction of this segment of the sector
in the country.
In a piece by CSD (Center for the Study of
Democracy) named “Wind Power
Generation, Assessment of the Black Sea
Offshore Potential”, researchers have
further elaborated on the potential of
offshore wind in Bulgaria. They estimate
that of the 116 GW of potential, 26 GW
can be realized with mature bottom-fix
technology whilst also depicting the
Shabla/Romanian maritime border, Varna,
Obzor and the Turkish maritime border as
the most attractive areas to place floating
offshore projects.
Similarly to the input that the Dutch can
give with the previously discussed
economies (Poland, Romania, Estonia,
Lithuania, and Latvia), in Bulgaria there is
still place for contribution by Dutch
companies as investor/financier or as
service provider: consulting, engineering,
operation and maintenance services., As
well as with offering assistance in the
supply chains that will be formed,
especially when the offshore wind sector
comes is inaugurated. •
32 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 33

Offshore
Wind Farm News
BGF BGF
©
JACKET JACKET HKN
© RVO
1
The Dutch government wants
to accelerate the realisation of
wind energy in the North Sea.
By 2030, the combined
capacity of the wind farms will
increase to approximately 21
GW, instead of the 11 GW
agreed earlier. After 2030, the
21 GW capacity will supply
approximately 90 Twh of
electricity each year. In March,
the Dutch government
designated new offshore wind
areas and confirmed two
others. In June, the
government disclosed
indicative tender timeliness
for these areas. IJmuiden Ver
(noord) V and VI: 2025 (each 1
GW), Nederwiek (zuid) I: 2025
and Nederwiek (noord) II and
III: 2026 (each 2 GW),
Hollandse Kust West VIII:
2026/2027 (0.7 GW), Ten
noorden van de
Waddeneilanden I: 2026/2027
(o.7 GW), Doordewind I and II:
2027 (each 2 GW). For
Nederwiek, RVO has already
issued a tender for
geophysical studies.
2
Hollandse Kust Noord
The topside for the Hollandse
Kust Noord offshore
transformer station is soon to
be completed and ready for
transport to the jacket
foundation which was already
installed in November 2021.
The export cables for the
Hollandse Kust Noord
connection, in the meantime
have been laid. They were
supplied by LS Cable &
System and installed by
Belgian contractor Jan de
Nul’s cable laying vessel Isaac
Newton. Hollandse Kust
Noord is a 759 MW offshore
wind project by CrossWind, a
joint-venture between Shell
and Eneco and will feature 69
Siemens Gamesa type SG
11.0-200 DD, 11 MW wind
turbines. The wind farm is due
to become operational in
2023.
3
Hollandse Kust Zuid
Early September, the last of
140 monop ile foundations for
the 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust
Zuid (HKZ) offshore wind farm
was installed. The installation
of the TP-less foundations,
fabricated by Sif Group at
Maasvlakte 2, was performed
by Seaway 7, using the Seaway
Strashnov. The foundations
were installed in 2 campaigns,
with the first 34 installed in
2021. According to Seaway 7,
‘installation cycle times
exceeded expectations
reaching productivity levels of
3 installations in less than
24-hours’. The company is
also performing cable laying
activities. They are expecting
to complete their full scope in
the coming months.
© VHKZ ATTENFALL
In the meantime, the
installation of the Siemens
Gamesa SG 11.0-200 DD, 11
MW wind turbines is in full
progress. The first power was
delivered to the grid at the
start of August. The
installation will continue in a
continuous campaign of four
turbines at a time until
completion in early 2023.
HKZ, located around 18-35
kilometres off the Dutch coast
in the North Sea, is owned by
Vattenfall, BASF and Allianz.
4
Hollandse kust West
While the winners of the
tender for the Hollandse Kust
West Offshore Wind Zone
Sites VI and VII (each 700
MW) are expected to be
announced in October this
year, offshore grid operator
TenneT is already working on
the offshore grid connection
for the future wind farms.
TenneT will install two offshore
transformer stations:
Hollandse Kust West Alpha
and Beta. At the end of
August, DEME’s installation
vessel Orion installed the
jacket foundation for the
offshore transformer station
Hollandse Kust West Alpha at
about 70 km off the Dutch
coast. The jacket was built by
Heerema Fabrication Group.
The topside of the jacket will
be installed on the jacket
foundation next year.
Two export cables will connect
the offshore station with the
land connection near Wijk aan
Zee. Cable work has already
commenced. The export
cables are supplied by LS
Cable & System and laif by
Belgian contractor Jan de Nul.
The connection is expected to
be fully operational beginning
in 2024. A second transformer
station, Hollandse Kust West
Beta, is planned for next year.
5
IJmuiden Ver
Fugro has completed a
geotechnical site investigation
at the IJmuiden Ver (Noord) V
and VI offshore wind farm
sites in the Dutch North Sea
for the Netherlands Enterprise
Agency (RVO), as part of the
geophysical survey package
the company was awarded
earlier this year. Fugro
deployed its new Blue Snake ®
geotechnical system. Read the
interview with Fugro on p. 12.
1
5
4
3
2
Read the full news on
www.windpowernl.com
(EN) or
www.windenergienieuws.nl
(NL)
34 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 35

Sabine Lankhorst
Wind Farm in Focus
Irene Vorrink Wind Farm
decommissioning
This spring, the iconic Irene Vorrink wind farm in the IJsselmeer was dismantled.
It was time for this wind farm by Vattenfall, dating from 1997, to make way for
new wind turbines as part of the larger Windplanblauw project. The Dutch
company Iver was responsible for dismantling the 28 Nordtank wind turbines
that for years dominated the view along the A7 near Ketelbrug.
Irene Vorrink Wind Farm © BGF
Iver only recently announced the new name following the
merger between F&B Group from Franeker and Certion
from Lelystad. In the meantime Mocotech has also been
added. By joining forces, these companies want to present
themselves as an all-round European ISP (Independent Service
Provider) that can supply the entire spectrum to the wind sector.
Not just decommissioning services but the complete O&M during
the cycle of a wind turbine.
Offshore ambitions
Although most of the activities are still taking place on land, Iver
certainly keeps an eye on the enormous growth for wind at sea.
Jesse Cuperus, manager sales and operations at Iver, explains that
the Irene Vorrink Wind Farm was an interesting pilot project in this
respect, acting as a stepping stone to the dismantling of offshore
wind turbines. Together with Pieter Thys Faber, Project Manager
at Iver, they tell Windpowernl more about this project.
The turbines of the old wind farm had their ‘roots’ in the
IJsselmeer lake. Although the wind turbines were only located 40
metres from the dike, accessible via a footbridge, the dike’s
maximum axle load did not allow for the transportation of the
heavy components or the installation of cranes. Therefore the only
solution was to dismantle the wind turbines from the water.
‘That made it a unique project,’ Cuperus explains, ‘because it has
common ground with both onshore and offshore projects.
However, we did have to take into account specific offshore
procedures and regulations. In addition, the turbines were installed
on monopile foundations, as with most offshore projects.’
Iver was not entirely in the dark with the Irene Vorrink project.
Cuperus continues: ‘Last year, as part of the Delft Offshore
Turbine project, we assisted in the installation and dismantling of a
test turbine at the Princess Amalia Wind Farm.’
They won the Irene Vorrink decommissioning project after
participating in a tender issued by Vattenfall. The scope of activities
was all-encompassing; from procurement to the foundations, as
well as the subsequent disposal of the components.
As sustainable as possible
The 600 kW Nordtank wind turbines could not be given a second
life elsewhere. The wind farm already had its service life extended
once, and an investigation by Vattenfall had shown that the wind
turbines had now really reached the end of their service life.
However, Vattenfall did want the removal to take place as
sustainably as possible. Iver wrote a sustainability plan for this.
Cuperus: ‘We removed all components from the water in order to
keep the transport lines as short as possible. The machines also ran
on blue diesel. With regard to recycling, we have removed
components that are still usable as spare parts.’ Iver has a large
storage facility in Franeker and Lelystad for this purpose. Faber
adds: ‘People sometimes think we are just demolishing. No, we
dismantle and look for re-use and high-quality recycling.’
Multi-phased dismantling
The project was divided into several phases. The wind turbines and
part of the foundations were removed first, followed by the
remaining parts of the monopile foundations. In a parallel phase,
the cables were removed.
The first phase started on 4 April. A main pontoon was used to
remove the wind turbines and part of the monopile foundations.
This platform of 24 by 55 metres consisted of two connected
smaller pontoons on which a 350-tonne Kobelco main crane and
a 130-tonne Hitachi auxiliary crane were installed. A Multicat was
positioned next to the work platform to manoeuvre the pontoons
during the work.
The Nordtank turbines had a rotor diameter of 43 metres. The
rotor was removed in one go with the main crane and placed on
the platform. With the small crane, the three blades were then
removed and placed on the adjacent Wagenborg auxiliary pontoon
(55 x 11 metres). The components of one entire wind turbine
(nacelle, three blades, three mast sections), the footbridge between
the wind turbine and the dike, and a piece of monopile were
eventually placed on this auxiliary pontoon. These were then
36 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 37

Wind Farm in Focus
transported to the port of Kampen, a journey of one and a half to
two hours. Two pontoons were used to keep the momentum going.
And while the components were being prepared for transport, a
team was already on its way to the next wind turbine to make
preparations.
In total, 11 people were working on the water every day. Engineers
from Iver, two seamen from Wagenborg who secured the cargo on
the auxiliary pontoons, the engineers on the cranes, a skipper on
the tugboat and one on the Multicat, and finally a specialist cutter.
The latter cut the monopile. Cuperus: ‘We would have preferred to
remove the entire monopile foundation, but the specifications stated
that they had to be cut two metres below the bottom level of the
IJsselmeer.’ Faber adds: ‘This has to do with the stability function
of the dike. The Water Authority was also concerned about potential
rising seepage water due to leakage.
In the first phase of the project, the monopiles that still protruded
about 150 cm above the water surface were cut with a cutting torch
to 80 cm above the water surface. With a diameter of 3.5 metres
and an edge thickness of 3.5 cm, this process took an average of 45
minutes. The last wind turbine was removed in May. This first phase
proceeded to Iver’s complete satisfaction and without any delays.
Faber: ‘We had a lot of wind in the first week, which meant that we
could only dismantle three wind turbines. After that, we removed an
average of five wind turbines per week. The weather conditions were
great. In the end, we finished ahead of schedule.’
Processing materials
The components were transported over water to Kampen and
immediately sorted and processed on arrival. The cables and
control boxes were removed and the metals separated. The bare
steel towers and hub remained and were immediately scrapped at
the company Hoeben in Kampen. The nacelle and control boxes
were kept. Cuperus explains: ‘This is because we think there is still
a market for spare and overhaul parts and that demand will remain
for some time. Energy prices are high so now it’s attractive to keep
wind turbines that qualify for an extended lifespan operating
longer.’
The blades went to Vattenfall as agreed. Cuperus: ‘We ourselves
also offered to process these blades sustainably. Via Germany, where
these glass fibre reinforced plastics are processed as an energy
substitute and the residue as a building material for cement. We also
used this recycling method in an earlier project with the blades of
the Landtong Wind Farm. This seems to be the only method
available on a large scale at the moment.’ However, he understands
that Vattenfall wants to go a step further and challenge the market
for better applications where rotor blades can be recycled to a
higher standard. Iver was therefore only responsible for cutting the
blades into small pieces (pre-treatment) so that they could be
transported more efficiently and with fewer emissions.
Removal of monopiles
The removal of the remaining monopile sections was somewhat
exciting for both men. After all, the piles were still some 21 metres
into the ground and had to be cut off at 2 metres below the bottom
of the IJsselmeer. Cuperus: ‘We had obviously never done that on
land before. The question was therefore, how could we efficiently
cut the steel tubular piles at this depth?’
In the end, the decision was made to cut the piles from the inside.
Faber explains the process. The combined pontoon was split for this
purpose: the one with the large crane was removed, while the other
remained behind with the small crane. The piles were then dredged
to 2.5 metres below ground level. Cuperus: ‘It was important that
this work was carried out meticulously without clay adhering to the
inside of the pile. This was to prevent the cutting tool’s cutting
heads from getting stuck during the firing process.’
After the dredging of all monopiles was completed, the cutting of
the piles was started. Iver used the offshore cutting tool of TMS
from Werkendam. A winch was used to bring the tool to the right
depth, after which the lifting frame of the tool was fixed to the pile
with clamping blocks. The tool has two cutting heads and a scraper
to clean the surface to be cut. Both cutting heads rotate 185 degrees
and can thus cut the entire diameter of the pile. Underwater
cameras monitored the quality of the burn-off. The entire cutting
process was controlled and monitored from a control unit on deck
in a container. After cutting the monopile, it was lifted out of the
water with the cutting tool’s lifting frame. The monopiles were then
transported in two batches on a pontoon to Kampen. The removal
of the monopiles took only 2 weeks in total.
After removing the monopiles, the IJsselmeer lakebed was fully
restored by filling and dumping sediment. A sonar survey was
conducted to check whether the bed had been properly restored.
Repair work also had to be carried out on the dike itself. A support
remained when removing the footbridge at each wind turbine.
These had to be removed and the dike was then repaired with
basalt blocks, set by an experienced company.
© Iver
Extensive preparation
A wind turbine dismantling project is sometimes underestimated.
The complexity increases. In reality the work is similar to the
construction process but in reverse. Not everyone realises that it
involves a considerable preliminary process, says Cuperus. That was
certainly the case with the dismantling of the Irene Vorrink Wind
Farm, as it is part of the larger repowering project Windplanblauw
and has a complex maritime character.
For example, Iver’s activities took place in an area where regular
shipping and various other parties and contractors were also
working, including Ballast Nedam who were preparing the
construction of the foundations for the new wind farm further out
in the IJsselmeerand also the fishermen using fishing pots. This
involved a lot more coordination and fine-tuning, with the Marine
Coordinator of Windplanplan having to be informed on a daily
basis.
Necessary permits and notifications were also required for this
specific location. For the dismantling activities, Iver applied for a
permit from both the Zuiderzeeland Water Authority and the
municipality. As the competent authority, the Water Authority is not
only responsible for the dike but also for the first few metres in the
water. Rijkswaterstaat is also closely involved in this process because
of the use of the IJsselmeer. Such a permit process with a complex
project requires the necessary preparations, coordination and a long
lead time.
Iver has therefore drawn up an extensive project plan for this
project. Both focused on the execution method as well as the safety
measures. In addition, an ecological work protocol was drawn up
describing management methods to prevent, for example, birds
from breeding in the work area. Iver mowed strips of grass on the
dike to prevent this. The work area was checked weekly by an expert
for breeding birds and the presence of nests.
‘We took advise on the height at which to cut the piles so that a
cormorant could still escape at any time’, adds Faber.
Cuperus: ‘When you map out the preliminary process well and
make good mutual agreements, the work can proceed smoothly and
according to plan. We started on 4 April and our work proceeded
without incident or any need for intervention by the authorities or
the client.’
End of era
For Iver, the Irene Vorrink project is now complete and delivered,
although the company will continue to dismantle more wind
turbines in the region for Windplanblauw in the coming years. The
men look back on the project with pride. Never before has Iver
dismantled a wind farm with 28 wind turbines in such a complex
environment. For a number of mechanics, however, this has been
an extra special project, says Faber: ‘As a company, we have been
involved in this wind farm for years: from construction, to carrying
out maintenance for years, to dismantling.’ Cuperus: ‘A mechanic
from Iver was involved in the installation of the wind turbines in
1995 and still has photos of it. Now 27 years later (still working as a
mechanic for Iver), he and the Iver team were commissioned to
dismantle the wind turbines, for him the circle is complete.’
Anyone driving by now sees only a dike, like many other dikes in
the Netherlands. But that is only temporary. If you pay close
attention, you will see the activities that are taking place for the new
wind farm to be constructed in the IJsselmeer. Admittedly, this
wind farm will be located further out in the water from the dike,
but the new wind turbines will still be visible from the A6. •
38 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 39

Interview
Sabine Lankhorst
Polenko/NedWind
Ode to (almost) lost
Dutch glory
Anyone driving through the Dutch provinces of Noord-Holland and Flevoland can
hardly avoid the many tall wind turbines rising on the horizon. Not that long ago,
these predominantly flat landscapes still housed small kilowatt-sized wind turbines
scattered all over the area. With the trend towards concentrated, large-scale,
megawatt wind farms, these small, sometimes first-generation, wind turbines are
rapidly disappearing or have already disappeared.
Such is the case with the wind turbines of the Dutch brand
NedWind. The last examples of this brand, 17 in total,
can still be seen in all their glory along the Eemmeerdijk
in Flevoland. Special two-bladed, 1 MW units from 1998
with towers in all the colours of the rainbow. But if you want to see
them, you will have to be quick. These wind turbines are also on
the list to be removed.
Windpowernl spoke to Enrico Bakker who collects everything
relating to the history of Polenko/NedWind. And his collection is
pretty impressive. Bakker himself has long since lost track of
exactly how many collector’s items he has, but that they pass well
over several thousand is certain.
Bakker came into contact with the wind turbine brand by chance
when he started working as a maintenance engineer at Vestas in
Rheden in 2005. What he didn’t know at the time was that Vestas
had just acquired the Danish company NEG Micon. NEG Micon,
in turn, had previously taken over NedWind. It was with these
turbines that Bakker initially worked. This is also when his interest
was first aroused.
No simple task
However, collecting NedWind information and material proved to
be no easy task. Bakker: ‘When I started, I had the illusion that I
could find everything on the internet. But a Google search ended
up with next to nothing.’ And that’s quite remarkable, admits
Bakker. For between 1990 and 1998 NedWind was a very wellknown,
purely Dutch wind turbine manufacturer that sold its
products worldwide (see box). NedWind built wind turbines from
250 kW up to the very first 1 MW modular, three-bladed wind
turbine. The latter was in fact the forerunner of everything you see
nowadays, Bakker emphasises: ‘You had the nacelle, built the
gearbox into it, fitted the cover, then the hub, and finally the
blades. In the end, only one prototype was ever built. It stood on
the Zuidwal near Rotterdam.’ That is what particularly attracted
Bakker to the brand, that it was 100% Dutch. Nowadays, many
wind turbines have been taken over by the big ‘giants’ and are
increasingly similar in shape.
Through his work, Bakker eventually came into contact with
Hennie Veldhuizen, who had once started at Polenko, a
predecessor of NedWind, and had experienced the whole cycle of
takeovers. He turned out to be a big NedWind fan and even
wanted to write a book about it. And that’s how Bakker became
really enthusiastic.
Gathering information was going to be a job in itself. Fortunately,
he was able to make a start with the information and material
Veldhuizen was willing to share with him. In the first instance,
Bakker tried to contact as many former NedWind employees as
possible by telephone, but that proved to be a difficult task. Via the
internet proved to be no easy task either. Bakker: ‘Many former
employees of Polenko or NedWind are now of advanced age. Often
they have little or no experience with the internet or whatsapp.’
So he searched for addresses and decided to make contact via a
handwritten letter of two A4 sheets and a photo of his Polenko/
NedWind collection.
This proved to work better. Bakker: ‘It takes a lot of patience.
These people are like guardians of a treasure. They have very good
memories of these companies and don’t just give anything away.
Sometimes it takes months before I have their trust. Finally, I am
asked to come over for a cup of coffee.’ Each of these visits is
special, says Bakker: ‘You can tell that there is a bit of emotion
involved with these former employees. They all seemed proud of
that period in their lives. These men and women really do have
very beautiful stories to tell.’
Last NedWind wind turbines in Emmeerdijk Wind Farm ©
BGF
40 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 41

Interview
A museum full of mementos
He was also surprised by the amount of materials they still kept at
home. In the end, the will to share proved great. The mementos
Bakker took home varied from thousands of photos and slides of
all types of turbines and of how a farm or turbine was constructed,
to advertising brochures and leaflets showing prototypes that did
not make it. They didn’t have many real gadgets back then,
although he does have a number of unique Polenko and NedWind
pens and folders and a large Newinco flag, he says.
But he does not only owe his collection to former employees. A
while after Vestas acquired NEG Micon, the company wanted to
get rid of NedWind. This put an end to the existence of the
production of NedWind wind turbines. Another company then
took over the maintenance of the operating wind turbines for a
long time. With the removal of the wind turbines later on, that
company also ceased to exist. Bakker managed to take over a lot of
material from that company.
So, what does he ultimately want to do with all this material?
Bakker: ‘Ideally I would love to start a museum. But will there be
anyone visiting? My ultimate goal now is to publish a book with
information, images and stories - to let everyone know: Hey, this
was Polenko/NedWind and we were pretty big!’ Finally, with so
much material, do you still miss anything to add to your collection?
He didn’t have to think long about the answer: ‘I’m looking for
everything!’•
Polenko/NedWind history
To really understand the history of NedWind you have to
go further back in time. It all started in 1976 with the
wind turbine manufacturer Polenko from Rhenen, which
supplied wind turbines with steel blades in the 30 kW
range. There is only one (non-working) example of this in
the Netherlands, high up in the north of Friesland, dating
from 1981. In the end, it never really worked properly.
Bakker recently spoke to someone who made the lattice
mast for it. There are, however, still a few of this type left
in the United States.
Polenko was eventually taken over by TCR, then
Newinco, Hollandia BV, before becoming NedWind.
Under Newinco, they made one of the most popular
wind turbines, says Bakker. They were found in
Herbaijum, between Harlingen and Franeker, and near
Enkhuizen.
During its existence NedWind has brought various wind
turbine models onto the market: including the NedWind
25, 30, 40, 50 and the Pantheon (NedWind 60). Only
one of the latter was built, this one stood on the south
bank near Rotterdam. Almost all wind turbines had two
blades. The NedWind 25s were mainly located around
Amsterdam. The company had four 500 kW red and
white versions of the NedWind 40 installed in Lelypark
Wind Farm in the IJsselmeer near Medemblik. At a
certain moment one blade broke off from one of the
turbines. It was then decided to dismantle all four
turbines. The turbines had been in operation for about
25 years. Bakker: ‘In Noord-Holland there were also a
number of NedWind 35s with something unusual about
them,’ explains Bakker. ‘One half had polyester blades
with a round connection and the other half had a square
connection. This turned out to be a gentleman’s
agreement.’
The NedWind 40 stood throughout the Netherlands.
They are now only found in Greece, India and China, says
Bakker. The most popular of the series were in Palm
Springs, in the United States. However, these were
removed two years ago. Bakker: ‘With this turbine
model, the nacelle, hub and blades were lifted together
and in one go. In 1998, the company fell into the hands
of the Danish company NEG Micon and a piece of pure
Dutch glory came to an end. •
Blue Green
Feather
Publisher & co-organiser of:
ONLINE/OFFLINE NEWS
EVENTS
Do you know anyone who still has items from the
Polenko/NedWind time or has stories to tell about those
days and would like to share them? Or are you
interested in the book? Then send an email to
enrico74bakker@gmail.com. He also collects scale
models of any other wind turbine type. •
A small selection of Enrico Bakker’s collection © E. Bakker
42 | 02-2022
WWW.BLUEGREENFEATHER.COM

Onshore
Wind Farm News
1
Strekdammen
At the end of August, Pondera
and Rebel officially opened
the Strekdammen Wind Farm
in Eemshaven, Groningen.
The wind farm features two
5.5 MW Cypress wind turbines
from GE Renewable Energy.
These turbines have a hub
height of 141 metres and a
rotor diameter of 158 metres.
Together, they can generate
an annual yield of 40 million
kWh. At the end of 2020, the
financing was completed and
the construction could start.
The first pile was driven in
August 2021. VolkerWind and
Alsema were responsible for
the civil works and electrical
infrastructure.
2
Nij Hiddum-Houw
The onshore wind farm Nij
Hiddum-Houw has produced
green electricity for the first
time mid August.
Nij Hiddum-Houw comprises
nine Enercon wind turbines,
type E136 EP5, with a hub
height of 109 metres, rotor
diameter of 136 metres, tip
height of 177 metres and a
capacity of 4.65 MW. The nine
wind turbines are replacting
sixteen older ones in the area.
The first turbine was
completed in May this year.
The wind farm is expected to
be fully operational by the end
of this year. With an installed
capacity of almost 42 MW, the
wind turbines will produce
160,000 MWh per year.
©WINDPARK ZEEWOLDE
5
Vattenfall and Gooyum-Houw,
a partnership of 45 private
individuals and companies
from the region, are
developing the project
together. Vattenfall owns 4
and Gooyum Houw 5 turbines.
3
Windplanblauw
Currently foundation
construction activities are
currently taking place in the
IJsselmeer in the north-west
corner of the province of
Flevoland. The activities are
performed by Ballast Nedam.
The foundations will support
24 GE Cypress onshore wind
turbines. They replace the
wind turbines of the Irene
Vorrink Wind Farm (see p.6).
The nearshore project is part
of Windplanblauw, which also
include 37 onshore wind
turbines. Windplanblauw is a
repowering project by
Vattenfall and SwifterwinT.
4
Hanze
The first pile driving has
started in the Hanze wind
farm near Dronten. This farm
will have 15 GE wind turbines
with a 90 MW total installed
capacity. The wind farm will be
put into full commercial
operation in 2023. Vattenfall
will purchase the 78 megawatt
output of the planned onshore
wind farm under a 15-year
Power Purchase Agreement
(PPA). Cargill will purchase
2.9 terawatt hours from
Vattenfall under a 10-year
Corporate Power Purchase
Agreement. Hanze is part of
© VATTENFALL
Windplan Groen. The plan
consists of 11 wind farms with
85 wind turbines in total.
5
Zeewolde
On August 26, more than 200
farmers and local residents
inaugurated the Zeewolde
Wind Farm in the province of
Flevoland. With 320 MW of
installed capacity, it is the
largest onshore wind farm in
the Netherlands. Moreover, it
is also the largest onshore
wind farm owned by local
residents in the world.
The wind farm consists of 83
wind turbines distributed in
six line configurations across
the 300 km2 project area.
Four different types of wind
turbines were provided by
Vestas: the V136 (20), V126
(33), V117 (21) and V110 (9).
The range of the tip height is
140 to 220 meters. On
average, each turbine has a
3.9 MW capacity.
The 83 wind turbines are
replacing 220 smaller wind
turbines in the area.
6
Windenergie A16
Windenergie A16’provides for
28 wind turbines over a length
of 28 km along the A16
motorway. They are developed
in clusters: Streepland (3
turbines) and Klaverspoor (6
turbines), Zonzeel (6
turbines), Galder (3 wind
turbines) and Nieuwveer (2
1
2
turbines). In the fourth
cluster, Hazeldonk, 8
turbines will be realised.
The wind farms are
developed by several
parties, including the
energy companies Pure
Energie, Eneco and Vattenfall.
The Klaverspoor project is
almost completed, while the
transportation and installation
of the wind turbines are now
starting in the Galder,
Nieuwveer, Zonzeel and
Streepland projects. The
turbines are expected to be
operational at the end of
2022.
7
Maasvlakte 2
Ballast Nedam completed the
construction of all 22
foundations beginning of
September. Maasvlakte 2 is
built partly on the soft and
hard sea walls. On the soft sea
wall, on the beach, 12 wind
turbines are supported by
monopile foundations while 10
wind turbines on the hard sea
wall will be supported on
concrete foundations. The
wind turbines are supplied by
Vestas. Construction is
ongoing, with the first
electricity already fed into the
grid in July. The wind farm, a
project developed by Eneco,
by order of Rijkswaterstaat, is
planned to be completed by
2023.
NEDAM
©BALLAST
©BALLAST
7
6
7
2
5
3
4
Read the full news
on www.windpowernl.com
(EN) or
www.windenergienieuws.nl
(NL)
1
44 | 02-2022
02-2022 | 45

BOOK YOUR STAND
Agenda
WIND RELATED EVENTS
IN THE NETHERLANDS
2022
Vakbeurs Energie 2022
11-13 October
‘s-Hertogenbosch
www.vakbeursenergie.nl
R&D Seminar 2022
2 November
Wageningen
www.marin.nl/events
North Sea Energy
7 November
Nieuwegein
www.north-sea-energy.eu
Women in Energy NL
11 November
The Hague
www.womeninenergy.nl
NEXT EDITION IS OUT IN: APRIL
2023
THEME: HUMAN CAPITAL
READ WINDPOWERNL
MAGAZINE THE FIRST YEAR
WITH 25% DISCOUNT
Subscribe at
Windpowernl.com/magazine/25
DAILY REPORTING
ON THE DUTCH
WIND ENERGY MARKET IN
ENGLISH AND DUTCH!
WINDEUROPE ANNUAL EVENT
COPENHAGEN
25-27 APRIL 2023
Offshore Energy
Exhibition & Conference
29 & 30 November
Amsterdam
www.offshore-energy.biz/events
2023
Offshore Seminar
March
Rotterdam
www.offshoreseminar.nl
EVENT AMBASSADORS
IN COLLABORATION WITH
R&D Seminar 2022
2 November
Wageningen
www.marin.nl/events
Windpowernl.com (EN)
Windenergie-nieuws.nl (NL)
CONFIRMED EXHIBITORS INCLUDE:
WWW.WINDPOWERNL.COM/AGENDA
For advertising or content contribution
go to Windpowernl.com/contact
...and many more
46 | 02-2022
To become an exhibitor or sponsor please contact: sales@windeurope.org
windeurope.org/annual2023

“We unburden”
Managing liabilities made easy
www.costarenewables.com/costaclarity
Due Diligence I Market Entry I Contracting I Risk Management I Compliance I Governance