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发表于 2008-6-29 18:29:46
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来自： 中国湖南株洲
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4 V7 f$ S! S; p) cwind directions — FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008
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2 U. T5 K+ V! e: Z Henning Kruse& b3 {. e9 s4 P! n5 m( m
Chairman, European Wind Energy Technology Platform" ^+ c; q/ w! c3 ~
More than 20 years in the wind industry have given Henning Kruse the experience to make a strong contribution as Chairman of TP Wind. Interview by Crispin Aubrey.
2 K" g8 E9 {) z Henning Kruse has worked in the wind turbine manufacturing industry for more than 20 years. He is currently a senior export manager with Siemens Wind Power, based at Brande in Denmark.Last year he was elected chairman of the TP (Technology Platform)Wind initiative, established through the European Commission, whose aim is to ensure an ongoing commitment to technology research and development.
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“I was largely self-taught,” says Henning Kruse. “My involvement in wind energy came from enthusiasm, rather than seeing the business potential. Most people regarded wind turbines then as something not to be taken seriously. The environment,the greenhouse effect and the climate were simply not on the agenda.”
. C4 n% {# k G2 Y4 o( R Kruse started his career in the 1980s with one of the many small wind turbine makers then active in Denmark. Almost 20 years ago he joined Bonus Energy, a company which now, under the ownership of Siemens, is still one of the top ten global manufacturers. His experience is currently being put to good use as chairman of the European Wind Energy Technology Platform (TP Wind), focused on ensuring a continuing commitment to wind technology development.So what are the most important technology changes he’s seen over this period,and do those changes have lessons for the future?0 Q: [! A" k; W! Y I! L
Kruse identifi es the most signifi cant development as the shift from a period when components, transport and installation equipment could all be easily transferred from other industrial sectors to the point when the wind industry started to demand purpose-built solutions.( z5 H, P- v% f$ i8 L
A example is installation, he says.“Originally any turbine could easily be transported on one or two regular trucks and erected using a standard crane. The situation today is totally different. The crane manufacturers are now asking us what our expected needs will be in two years time, because it’s certain that the increase in turbine dimensions means that they will have to develop their cranes accordingly.”! i" I8 t0 A2 [% C
So sophisticated have the cranes become,Kruse adds, that they are now able to narrow their belt tracks in order to travel along small country lanes, and then expand them again when they’re ready to install turbines. “That is something that has been invented just for the wind industry.”Similar examples could be found in other areas, such as main bearings or gearboxes.
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Flexibility
, E$ A z9 n+ \ The industry has also adapted very efficiently to changes in external conditions, according to Kruse. Faced with dramatically increasing raw material costs the turbines have been made more fl exible and adaptable, for example. “If you get a sudden burst of wind, a modern turbine doesn’t fi ght it, the machine uses variable speed and pitch regulation to assimilate the stress. The result is you can build a less weighty turbine. This fl exibility is also very useful for stabilising the grid, especially at its weak extremities.” These qualities proved crucial when the industry was faced with demands from the grid companies for more stringent operating regimes.
! S. g* I$ s5 u Kruse gives the example of when a breakdown occurred a few years ago at a nuclear power plant in southern Sweden. Because of their interconnected network this resulted in the whole of eastern Denmark being blacked out. Vital help in smoothing the reconnection process was provided by the 170 MW wind farm at Nysted off the Danish coast, which was able to supply reactive power. The operators were subsequently thanked by the grid company for their contribution. “These advances could not have been expected ten years ago,”he says.: U) y! @9 g: ]. M) E9 p6 M
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Consolidation7 y3 E) |# E# a3 ~) ~
Henning Kruse sees the wind industry as currently going through a period of consolidation. “There was a phase of fi erce competition, with all the manufacturers launching a new product almost every year,” he says. “Hardly any manufacturers could resist that competitive momentum, but not many of those products came to a state of maturity before they were outdated.2 l6 O N$ b: K4 W( l2 s
“Both the industry and our customers have now realised that this is not the way to compete. As far as turbines on land are concerned we have anyway reached a plateau of what might be achievable size-wise from a logistical point of view – in terms of transport to the point of installation.The real issues are therefore reliability and economics.”
0 M5 w( z; X% q( Y. T- q5 X One result of this consolidation, Kruse points out, is that identical turbines are being manufactured today not in tens and hundreds but in thousands of units. “That has never happened before. That’s a sign of maturity. It shows that wind turbines can be produced in the same serial production way as any other product.”- ?- z$ L8 U) F
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TP Wind% M# l. a$ M M, ]' d$ n- M& v# s
In a maturing industry what role is there then for technology innovation? “For onshore at least the big leaps may have already been taken,” says Kruse. “But there is still a need for progress, for instance in the use of materials and concepts, so that we can further improve performance and reliability.
* S( L0 z" E9 p4 K8 C0 f “If this industry is to play a really big role in the energy supply picture of the future, which we expect and the politicians expect, then we really need to have reliable products which can generate electricity at even more competitive prices. It doesn’t help that you have to exchange some main components during operation, for instance; it takes the profi t out of projects and it removes trust in the technology.This is one of the main focuses of TP Wind. It’s not just about inventing new turbines which are more sustainable and more economic; it’s also a question of making them more reliable.”
+ P' _& K/ f# T4 w, N3 b) _. d5 C Kruse describes the TP Wind initiative as an important part of improving the competitiveness of the European wind turbine industry, ensuring that it maintains its leading edge on a global scale. Launched under the umbrella of the European Commission, it has already established seven working groups on different aspects of technology innovation, ranging from turbine concepts to grid management issues. It is also important, he stresses, that it involves everybody in the industry–research institutions, universities and consultants as well as manufacturers and utilities. “We have always said this would be open to everyone – we wanted this variety of experience and background knowledge.”
) a2 E+ M; ^4 }1 I- R) Y, R1 E The TP Wind structure has worked very effectively, he says, especially the delegation of regular decision-making to a five person executive committee. A second General Assembly took place at the beginning of February, with the focus on establishing a strategic research agenda to submit to the Commission. TP Wind is also making useful contact with other technology platforms, for example covering steel, transportation and smart grids, where issues overlap.7 A: o1 r6 a( q4 {. A5 D$ R) C
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Commission response
- B$ i- p+ y+ e: o' A. E$ x* | Henning Kruse says that discussions with the Commission about TP Wind have shown it to be extremely positive, recognising wind as the main renewable contributor to European Union goals. “But we still need to ensure that research institutions and universities receive enough public funding to boost their commitment to renewable energy,” he says.. [. ?! z8 e8 v! b7 w6 O7 T
“They will then be able to provide the trained manpower we need in the industry. We cannot grow and deliver what the Commission wants if we don’t have the necessary number of engineers and researchers. We have been establishing our own education programmes in the industry but we defi nitely also need support for public institutions from the EU and the member states.2 l0 R5 q. a/ a6 T5 \- ^: c
“The second issue is that it doesn’t matter if you have the best wind resources you could dream about, and generate lots of wind power, if there’s no grid to carry it away. We need to revise our planning strategy in order to establish a strong grid system in Europe which is not just able to transport electricity physically to the point of consumption but also logistically move it across borders without trading barriers. Europe is one geographical area, it shouldn’t be regarded as 27 separate member states.”
- L3 Y, D% b2 e4 I Kruse underlines that all this will need massive fi nancial support for research.“The current research funding levels are not adequate in terms of structure and volume. We need new funding instruments.” The lack of interest in the last funding round (FP7) from the wind industry refl ected that, he points out. What is needed is support for institutes and universities to provide the core research and skilled personnel which a growing business requires.
' ^) R- q" J2 {! t4 U$ e “We’re talking about a technology which the European Commission has decided should supply 20 % of our electricity,” he says. “If that doesn’t justify very heavy funding I don’t know what does.” J8 O* ~+ Z$ ]! H
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