Companies - Innovations
Companies - Innovations - Products Power of the future: Weidmüller equips DemoSATH floating wind turbine with interior lighting and bolt monitoring The future of offshore wind lies beyond the flat shores. Floating wind turbines can generate electricity at almost any sea depth, thus offering outstanding potential for CO 2 reduction. Weidmüller, a world-wide pioneer and partner for digitalisation and automation of industry for more than a decade, has for the first time equipped a prototype of this floating future technology with two newly developed customer solutions: The integrated LED system illuminates all accessible parts of the wind turbine on the high seas and the TwinCap remote maintenance system detects damage to the screw nuts in the blade bearings at an early stage. The TwinCap remote maintenance system reliably detects signs of wear and can thus prevent costly consequential damage (Image source: Weidmüller) Two nautical miles off the coast of Bilbao, the Spanish company Saitec Offshore Technologies has launched the DemoSATH floating wind turbine platform which will be located in an 85-metre-deep seabed offshore location. The demonstration project is a barge type floating structure using SATH technology that resembles a catamaran and is moored at only one end with a single point mooring, allowing it to rotate freely to harness the power of the wind offshore. On the tower, a 2 MW turbine will generate green energy for 2,000 households. Integrated LED system provides lighting Weidmüller has contributed the interior lighting system exclusively for DemoSATH: The tower, nacelle and the accessible part of the floating body are equipped with an integrated lighting system consisting of LED sets for regular interior lighting. As the system is battery-buffered, emergency lighting is also secured in the event of a power failure, thus ensuring that there is adequate illumination for work safety. “The Weidmüller Wind team put together a complete lighting package following a lighting simulation and a design-in. Depending on the customer’s specifications, the individual set solutions include different direct-current LEDs or alternating-current variants,” explains Jonas Fuhrmann, Product Manager at Weidmüller. “All of the installed lights, including the connections and plugs, are protected against vibrations and shocks and are moisture-resistant in accordance with protection class IP67,” he adds. Aitor Sanz, Offshore Wind MEP Manager at Saitec Offshore Technologies, says of Weidmüller’s newly developed customer solution: “We appreciate the great performance of Weidmüller’s integrated LED system because the system is really stable thanks to its designed redundancy. This lighting solution provides the highest level of safety to our on-site technicians.” TwinCap remote maintenance system detects damage to screw nuts Weidmüller has developed the TwinCap remote maintenance system to ensure that technicians rarely have to venture out onto floating wind turbines, as it permanently checks the nuts that secure the rotor blades to the nacelle. Even when the wind turbine is firmly anchored in the ground, the nuts are exposed to heavy loads. The blade bearing screws are far more exposed to the forces of nature when the offshore wind turbine is floating as well as rotating around itself. “To detect and assess damage to the screw nuts as early as possible, we’ve developed the TwinCap remote maintenance system. This detects both visually and digitally whether a blade bearing needs to be serviced on site,” says Steffen Niggemann, Team Leader of Business Development at Weidmüller. Automated damage detection minimises the need for regular on-site maintenance, which significantly reduces costs for shipping and personnel, especially in the difficult-to-access offshore sector. “With the TwinCap sensor system, Weidmüller has developed a damage prevention system that allows us to detect and repair damage in the blade bearing as soon as it occurs. This prevents cost-intensive consequential damage,” summarises Aitor Sanz. Weidmüller sees great potential in collaborating with innovation leaders such as Saitec Offshore Technologies to support the global development of the emerging floating wind technology as the power supply of the future. Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG Klingenbergstr. 26 32758 Detmold, Germany Tel +49 (0)5231 14-0 weidmueller@weidmueller.com www.weidmueller.com Turnkey garage with wallbox and solar power Cube Concept Energy, a brand of Westway GmbH, presented a complete solution for parking and charging e-cars at the Intersolar Europe trade fair. With the “ENERGY GARAGE”, every homeowner can make their contribution to the energy transition and use free electricity from their own photovoltaics. Thanks to integrated PV modules on the garage roof, the owner can charge an e-car in their own garage with self-generated solar power, even if the residential building roof does not allow for the installation of PV modules, there is no space in the house, the costs for a conventional house 48 GREEN EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES 2023
Companies - Innovations - Products system exceed the budget, or neither components nor craftsmen are available. The system solution from a single source includes high-quality PV modules, a storage battery and a ready-wired wallbox. The ENERGIE GARAGE is completely assembled in Germany in the assembly halls of Cube Concept House and delivered by lowloader. At the designated location, it is erected within one day, for example on prepared simple strip foundations, and put into operation. In the evening, the owner can already charge his car or e-bike in his own garage. Composite construction technology, increased fire protection, modern insulation According to the company, the garage is made of robust and durable composite construction technology. It does not place high demands on the foundation and, thanks to modern insulation, prevents high humidity and dew formation. It has a separate storage or technical room, which also offers the possibility of alternative storage technologies. For increased fire protection, the interior walls have a steel layer in the composite. The high-quality impression of the interior is not disturbed by cables - Cube Concept House conceals them in the wall. From the outside, the ENERGY GARAGE impresses with an easy-toclean plaster look. The brand-name sectional door scores with motor drive and radio control. This modern burglary protection provides additional security. Solar energy storage and heating with green hydrogen COSBER is proud to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the SMART H 2 Energy Platform, a green hydrogen-based energy storage and generation system designed for buildings. It provides users with a stable, decentralized, and CO 2 -free energy supply for their homes, multi-family houses, or commercial properties by combining renewable energies as a source of energy generation and green hydrogen as an energy storage medium. The excess energy generated, from a photovoltaic system on sunny summer days, is stored as green hydrogen and used during the dark winter months to provide electricity and heat. The SMART H 2 Energy Platform incorporates the most advanced technologies for energy storage and generation. Its modular design allows for high customization based on user needs and circumstances. The platform comprises a photovoltaic inverter, electrolytic water hydrogen production system, hydrogen storage system, fuel cell power generation system, auxiliary electric energy system, and a synergy control module. By combining two energy storage technologies (lithium batteries for short-term storage and green hydrogen for longterm storage), COSBER’s SMART H 2 Energy Platform offers CO 2 -free and decentralized energy when needed. COSBER's SMART H 2 Energy Platform makes it possible for everyone to transition towards an independent and CO 2 -free energy supply. The smart H 2 energy platform product consists oft wo main units: the energy management Unit and the hydrogen storage unit. The energy managent unit can convenietly placed indoors in a basement or corner oft the stairs, while the pressurized hydrogen storage unit should be placed outdoors. These two units are connected by hydrogen pipelines and electrical cables to ensure seamlee communication and operation between them. Individualisation, project solutions, extensions Various versions of the “ENERGIE GARAGE” will soon be available at www.cubeconcept.eu/shop. The supplier promises to implement individual wishes such as the choice of floor construction, windows, the colour of the door or other dimensions just as smoothly as the adaptation of the number of units for project solutions, for example. In addition to stand-alone operation, the ENERGIE GARAGE can also be operated with larger or alternative storage units as well as extended PV power. According to the company, the owner can easily expand it, for example, with additional PV modules from another roof or a free area. Of course, he can also connect the “ENERGY GARAGE” to the actual residential building, and thus outsource the entire PV installation, such as inverters or buffer storage, to the garage's technical room. WestWay GmbH Dieselstr. 1 32683 Barntrup, Germany Tel +49 (0)5263 956024 0 info@cubeconcepthouse.de www.cubeconcepthouse.de The integrated PEMFC of the modular storage system delivers up to 10 kW rated point net power output. Cosber Shenzen 10 th , F1, TCL Intl. Science E-Park 1001 Zhongshanyuan Road Nanshan, Shenzen, China Tel +86 (0) 755 8262 0833 info@cosber.com www.cosber.com GREEN EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES 2023 49
