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“We made it available" –
switching wind power into a viable reality


The future of the wind power industry largely depends on the reliability of the deployed technology as well as the affordability of the solution. The Switch has challenged the industry, initially by making PMG technology the preferred choice and now by enabling this technology to be commercially competitive.


Switch up to permanent performance

Solid springboard from which to advance

The Switch came into the renewable energy market just over three years ago with a daunting goal of claiming well-merited ownership of “technology leadership” using permanent magnet generators (PMG) as the base for its solution. In this, The Switch has succeeded extraordinarily well.

Today GE, Siemens, Vestas, Gamesa and Goldwind, the major players in the market, have all selected PMG technology as the way forward for reliable wind power generation. And The Switch now leads in the world-class group of suppliers in terms of technology that offers turbine manufacturers both operational reliability as well as advanced grid support features. The young company already has solid experience from nearly 3 GW of installed capacity.

“The next challenge The Switch has taken on is to make PMG technology commercially viable for the wind power industry at large,” affirms Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of The Switch. “The future of wind comes down to cost and technology. Now that the technology is in place, we can focus on the pricing to make PMG not only the preferred but also affordable choice.”

The Switch is currently focusing on making this technology affordable by enabling the series production price of its PMG technology with embedded grid support features to be at approximately the same level as a complete solution carried out with double-fed technology.

Any power, any speed from standard range

Although tailoring each solution to customer’s specific requirements is still an option, The Switch has shifted its focus to proven and available machines to enable even faster implementation times. The Switch portfolio of ready-made, standard PMG solutions is now the most comprehensive on the market. A customer can choose from a range of proven model concepts, with variations that accommodate for any turbine presently in production.

“In addition to the speed of deployment, our interest lies in making this technology available to the industry at large and by mass producing the products we already have tested in turbines,” Jukka-Pekka challenges.

“The Switch promise of any power, any speed refers specifically to the fact that all of the different model concepts we offer are ready and proven in use. This is our standard range – the most comprehensive one available from any supplier for wind power generation,” he continues.

The Switch design is indeed ready and proven. Operational turbine availability rates are over 97% and grid support features ensure the highest electricity quality.

Boosting grid compatibility and energy yield

It is now possible for manufacturers with turbines now in production to boost grid compatibility and turbine efficiency by upgrading their existing drive train with a standard PM-based package from The Switch.

This provides manufacturers with a future-proof way to meet network requirements regarding to harmonics, flicker and fault ride-through (FRT) capabilities, and likewise enables them to offer their customers the latest technology turbines to maximize energy output.

Jukka-Pekka explains: “Any turbine manufacturer can now easily replace a conventional-technology-based generator with The Switch’s ready-made models to gain immediate benefits when it comes to meeting future-proof grid compliance".

The upgrade is easy: The Switch DriveTM, the combination of
The Switch PMG and full-power converter designed to work together for optimized performance, replaces the existing drive train. Shaft height and other critical dimensions remain unchanged.

Wind power giant helps make technology affordable

China is taking a leading role in the wind power industry. “This country, with its ambitious governmental policies and eager manufacturers, is already producing the highest technology for wind generation,” Jukka-Pekka states. “For example, technology from The Switch is currently being produced by our Chinese partner for mass deployment in China, Europe and North America at attractive price levels.”

“While turbine manufacturers in Europe and other regions are still in planning phase, China already has numerous companies that are now implementing PMG-based technology and have a significant installed base. And we’re pleased that The Switch is playing an active role in most of these developments,” he adds.

With its competence from nearly 3 GW of installed capacity, The Switch now looks forward to accelerating the development of PMG-based technology for reliable wind power generation in Europe and other parts of the world.


    
 
 
The Switch, Äyritie 8 C, FI-01510 Vantaa, Finland, Tel: +358 20 783 8200