Shared Passion, Shared Progress
Vestas Wind Systems A/S
Profitable partnership between Vestas and Bachmann
For almost 40 years Vestas Wind Systems A/S, headquartered in Århus in Denmark, has been considered one of the greatest pioneers in the wind power sector. It is the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world with wind turbines in operation in over 75 countries around the globe. Market share: approximately 20 percent. With a completely new controller system based on the Bachmann controller, Vestas is taking a further step in the future of renewable power supply technology – and thus offering plant operators the key competitive edge.
Demanding task definition
The growing number of wind turbines, which are also increasing in power at the same time, are having a greater direct influence on the grid. As a result, the regulations for the operation of wind turbines are becoming increasingly more stringent. For example, the requirements for the reaction time of a wind turbine, i.e. the time in which the output or output power of the generator has to be adjusted, were previously uncritical: »In future we not only need very short reaction times but also absolutely reproducible ones,« explains Rasmus Lærke, manager of Plant Control Engineering in the Plant Power Engineering division at Vestas. The new regulatory framework, the so-called grid codes, stipulate considerably more stringent requirements to be fulfilled, which Vestas intended to cover with a completely new wind farm control architecture. Although an initial solution approach for this was soon found, »the structure conceived was far too complex,« Rasmus Lærke recalls. »Our initial concepts required too many controllers, the entire system was basically too complicated and ultimately too expensive.«
Bachmann chosen
As a result, Vestas assessed different controller systems available on the market: »We looked for a solution with a powerful controller, which perfectly combines both control as well as sensor and measurement technology, and thus enables a rapid response for the entire system,« adds Henrik Møller, lead engineer for plant power engineering at Vestas. In Bachmann, we finally found a partner that could meet these requirements: »The Bachmann automation system has a high performance capability, is very open and provides maximum flexibility in its design,« Rasmus Lærke confirms.
Together to a new level
We soon identified our aim: »We wanted to bring the efficiency of the entire wind turbine control system to a new level,« Rasmus Lærke describes in a few words the beginning of the collaboration. The engineers at Vestas and Bachmann then also worked jointly on the solution: »This took us a critical step further,« a delighted Rasmus Lærke said, »since we were able to develop the specifications together, discuss what is possible and what is not. There are naturally also relevant legal frameworks with which we have to comply. However, the best thing is: In this constellation, we didn't require any lengthy exchange of papers between each other and wait for each other's reply.«
Win-win situation
An example of this success story is the integration and further development of the power measurement technology into the overall automation. »It was clear to us that besides the optimization of the actual control solution we naturally had to pay special attention to the sensors, particularly the power measurement,« Henrik Møller recalls. »When we chose Bachmann to supply the controller we had not yet actually considered their grid monitoring solutions.« Up to this time Vestas had looked at several different solutions available on the market, however, none of them were able to meet requirements in terms of functionality and speed.
»You have to bear in mind that we are essentially operating at the limits of what is physically possible,« says Morgens Feldthaus Fyhn, plant power systems project manager at Vestas. »We set ourselves as target an update rate for measured values in the millisecond range – and this over a distance of 50 km between measuring point and controller.« A significant portion of this time is required just for the signal transmission there and back via the fiber optic cables: »Working against the laws of physics is definitely a challenge – but is clearly impressive if you find the solution,« asserts the delighted specialist at Vestas.
Faster and better – in dialog
Instead of drawing up specifications, commissioning their implementation from the supplier, testing the result, and making improvements – in short: kicking the ball back and forth – the solution arose in stages and in continuous dialog. »There weren't any bureaucratic overheads. We improved the quality and functionality of the end product – and soon achieved our aim,« Rasmus Lærke recalls. Vestas got ‘it's’ power measurement system, highly integrated, highly functional and very fast. And this collaboration will also benefit Bachmann and its customers: Many of the functions arising from the joint development have been incorporated in the standard products of the grid measurement and protection modules of the Bachmann GMP series. Rasmus Lærke: »This is exactly how it should be: A cooperation that benefits all involved – for Vestas as wind turbine vendors and for Bachmann as suppliers of control and grid monitoring systems.«
Teamwork as the recipe for success
Without this close collaboration, in which Bachmann engineers are still working regularly today in the development team on site in Århus, Denmark, the ambitious aims could probably not have been achieved. The trust established between the two companies is also great: »Bachmann looks into our task system and we into theirs. This means that everyone always has up-to-date information about the status of work, and this is an invaluable benefit,« Rasmus Lærke confirms. He sums up the recipe for success in a few words: »If you want to achieve advances like this, it is only possible if users and vendors work together, as is the case with us. Tasks are solved in the team and we complement each other perfectly with our abilities.«
However, this also requires partners to understand each other's business and speak the same language, as Henrik Møller also notes. The team members nod in agreement: »I wouldn't know what could be improved. Bachmann isn't for us just any ordinary controller manufacturer, and for them we are not just another builder of wind turbine systems. This makes the collaboration really enjoyable,« Rasmus Lærke says in closing. And we are all in agreement about this.
