The Wind Energy industry is a collaboration between many diverse organisations aiding its rapid growth around the world. The WESA Conference Day (WCD) 2019 was organized by the Wind Energy Student Association (WESA) at DTU celebrating this diversity.
Five different companies came forward to share from their experience and expertise to over 80 students. WCD 2019 proved to be a great time of learning and networking between current professionals and future engineers of the wind energy industry.
An exhibition space was set up facilitating interaction with the students. Moreover, each company had a dedicated presentation. Here are some of the highlights from each of them:
K2 Management
Søren Neckelmann (Manager, Wind Turbine Engineering) was the first to present at WCD 2019. A big part of his presentation was about sharing his very own experiences throughout his career, inspiring students to think about the kind of company they would like to work in by evaluating on the decisions he has taken throughout his career. Søren spoke about K2 Management’s services in the wind energy industry and how intercultural competencies are valued while catering to clients and projects in different countries.
Masoud Etezadinejad (Specialist, Electrical Engineering) from K2 Management gave his perspective of transferring from another country to Denmark and how getting hired at K2 was for him. Furthermore, he evaluated on K2 Management’s role in the wind energy industry and how his background of electrical engineering comes into play. Here, he outlined the importance of electrical knowledge for the daily work and operations at K2.
Copenhagen Offshore Partners
Kristian Pallesen gave a very interesting look at the Offshore Wind industry. He spoke about how COP works with a project-based structure catering to its projects around the world. A case study on the Vineyard Wind 1 project was shared. Students got a look at how COP considered risks and opportunities, buying a sea bed zone early when there was not even a legislation yet and moving towards achieving financial close end of 2019.
David T. Johnsen, having a High Voltage Engineering background, delivered a very insightful case study on one of COP’s projects in Taiwan. David explained how the design of the grid connection and offshore converter station underwent numerous iterations based on yearly tender allocation outcomes and governmental decisions. Students saw how the design and project size changed from the initial plan to what was finally accepted as a feasible investment.
Both Kristian and David are graduates of DTU themselves. They were joined by Yvonne Amanchukwu (Senior Manager, PMO) and Mads M. Madsen (Student Assistant) who spent the day interacting with students at WCD 2019.
ROMO Wind
Nick Jannsen presented the logic behind ROMO Wind’s iSpin sensor, comparing it with met mast and lidar measurements. The iSpin sensor was invented by Troels Friis Pedersen and was invented at DTU. Nick detailed the sensor’s capability in providing accurate wind speed measurements as well as in correcting yaw misalignment. He also shared about “Bat Control” using the iSpin i.e. how improved measurements of wind and temperature using the iSpin senor can help to control turbine operation with minimal loss of energy whilst trying to avoid bat collision. Measurement for turbine lifetime extension was another presented use-case for the iSpin sensor. Students were able to see a demo of the sensor during the Conference.
Nick was accompanied by Katrin Ritter. Both Nick and Katrin are graduates of DTU through the Wind Energy Physics track of the European Wind Energy Master.
PEAK Wind
Magdalena Zajonc introduced PEAK Wind as a leading consultancy within Wind Farm Operations and Asset Management, covering know-how of different stages in the entire lifecycle of a wind farm i.e. from pre-liminary planning and End Of Warranty (EoW) to decommissioning.
Next, Morten Vanggaard recounted how his passion for wind energy is seen both in his career as an Asset Manager as well as out of the office as a wind turbine owner. It was inspiring to see how Morten was able to apply all the technical knowledge he had gained. He encouraged students to find their own ways to do the same. Morten also stressed on the importance of safety when it comes to Asset Management. He shared how PEAK Wind provides consulting on turbine issues and the technical as well as management aspects of resolving them, showing some practical examples from his own turbine.
Anemo Analytics
Last but definitely not the least, the final presentation at WCD 2019 was delivered by Tommy Berg (Co-founder) of Anemo Analytics. Tommy spoke on current trends in data analysis, AI and Big Data. He explained why data from wind turbines requires different type of analyses. Moreover, he explained the use of turbine data for calculating yaw-misalignment, mass imbalance and asset management.
Furthermore, Tommy stressed that the answers to the problems in wind turbines are hidden in the already available data and that thus analytical and domain knowledge should be used to discover solutions. Towards the end he described the business model of Anemo Analytics as providing a software solution for data driven decision making.
Michael Johansen (Co-founder) was also present at WCD 2019 to interact with students and share his experience.
Paving the way to greater collaboration
WESA is made up of DTU students from different nations and cultures, mostly studying Wind Energy. As the wind energy industry continues to be opened in new markets around the world, this unity in diversity is even more valued. The WESA Conference Day was able to aptly capture this spirit. It was the second time WCD was organized at DTU. The conference saw active participation and enthusiasm from students and industry professionals alike. An eagerness towards future collaboration with WESA was expressed.
We are grateful to everyone for their support and cooperation in making WCD 2019 a great success! We thank the participating companies for the time, insights and opportunities shared. We thank WESA Members for their participation, questions and enthusiasm.
See you again next year at WCD 2020!
WESA
