The Netherlands - Strategically positioned for the wind power market

The Netherlands enjoys a well-developed wind energy and wind technology know-how base with several well-known and world-leading businesses and institutions. The country is also strategically located for fully benefitting from the huge European offshore wind market that is gradually taking shape. A substantial number of Dutch companies will present themselves at HUSUM WindEnergy, which will be between September 21 – 25 the meeting place for the international wind power industry.

More than 800 businesses originating from at least 30 different countries will be exhibiting at the trade fair. Being a coastal North Sea country, The Netherlands enjoys an excellent wind potential onshore, whereas the Dutch section of the North Sea offers ample space for multiple future offshore wind farms. The cumulative Dutch wind power capacity currently amounts to 2,227 MW, of which 228 MW offshore. The average power rating for onshore wind turbines amounts to 1.06 MW, and 2.375 MW offshore. The Dutch government has meanwhile formulated ambitious goals for wind energy, both onshore and offshore. For both onshore and offshore wind power development, the goal is to achieve 6,000 MW by 2020.

Husum exhibitors Vestas of Denmark, and Germany’s Enercon together are the leaders of the Dutch onshore wind market. For Enercon Benelux, 2008 will be remembered as highlight marked by the realisation of Windpark Eemshaven comprising sixty-four units of the new 3MW E-82 turbine model that features a liquid-cooled generator. Vestas as milestone projects among others supplied the turbines for both Dutch North Sea offshore wind farms, OWEZ (108 MW) and Princes Amalia (120 MW). Besides these two market leaders, other Husum exhibitors including Siemens Wind Power, REpower, and Nordex, are also in the competition for future Dutch onshore and offshore projects.

After the bankruptcy in 2009 of its former Dutch mother company, Econcern renamed XEMC Darwind BV continues to develop a 5 MW direct drive offshore wind turbine. The now Chinese owned firm envisages erecting two prototypes in between Q4-2010 and Q1-2011, one in the Netherlands and the second (offshore) in China.

Only a handful of manufacturers today offer new wind turbines in the 80 – 350 kW range. World Wide Wind Turbines of the Netherlands is a new contender in this segment that enjoys increasing demand in several European and other wind markets, with a focus at community-based and other relatively small-scale applications. In cooperation with a Spanish manufacturing partner, ACSA, the Dutch wind industry newcomer has restarted the assembly of former Vestas V27-225kW turbines under the nameplate A27-225kW.

Exhibitor Emergya Wind Technologies (EWT) can be regarded an offspring of former Lagerwey, from which it inherited a 750 kW direct drive wind turbine model. The latter has been up-scaled to a 900 kW DIRECTWIND 900 and was more recently fitted with a new developed annular generator. The Dutch company this April presented a new 2 MW DIRECTWIND 90 – 2.0 MW turbine, featuring a 90-metre rotor and a permanent magnet type generator. EWT turbines are manufactured in China.

Husum exhibitor Stork Gears & Services BV is a specialist in marine and industrial gear technology. The Rotterdam based company offers a wide range of specialized services to the wind industry including fast gearbox reconditioning and optimizing modifications, in-house gears manufacturing, and dedicated damage assessment analysis.

Engineering consultancy Mecal Applied Mechanics also offers a wide range of wind industry services, including wind turbine design support, Due Diligence studies and wind turbine inspections. Added value to Mecal clients like for enhanced wind turbine performance can among others be achieved by combining the expertise of field engineers and wind turbine design engineers. This overall approach enables Mecal specialists to approach complex issues from a variety of different angles.

Fugro Engineers is among the world’s largest engineering consultancy forms, employing some 13,500 staff and being active in over 50 countries. This Husum exhibitor, among others, offers a range of geotechnical consulting and engineering services to the wind industry. One of these dedicated services includes marine geotechnical analysis focused at defining soil characteristics in relation to offshore wind farm foundation construction issues.

Exhibitor Belden has its European HQ in Venlo, The Netherlands. The internationally operating Group is a leading manufacturer of high performance cables and signal transmission products, including dedicated electronics and data networking applications for wired and wireless connectivity.

Finding sufficient numbers of well-skilled professionals is finally one of the major challenges faced by the rapidly expanding global wind industry sector. Amsterdam-based Worldwideworker.com will be present itself in Husum to its worldwide clients as a leading global staff recruitment company for the renewable energy sector.

About HUSUM WindEnergy 2010:
The world-leading wind industry fair – is a unique cooperation between German partner organisations Messe Husum and the Hamburg Messe. Between 21 - 25 September more than 800 businesses originating from at least 30 different countries will exhibit their products and services in Husum. Among these are the world’s leading wind turbine suppliers and component manufacturers. The industry fair is dedicated exclusively to the international wind power branch and therefore serves as a meeting place and forum for businesses as well as wind professionals. For further information please visit www.husumwindenergy.com

Contact persons: Gudrun Blickle, Tel.: +49 40-3569-2442, gudrun.blickle@hamburg-messe.de and Klaus Lorenz, Tel.: +49 2182-578780, presse@messehusum.de

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net