Wind power is fast becoming a strategic and essential industry worldwide. A clean and renewable energy source, it already generates around 19% of Europe’s electricity and has been lauded by the International Energy Agency as showing some of the greatest potential to increase countries’ renewable energy capacity.
Organized by Wind Europe and the Global Wind Energy Council, Global Wind Day was held on June 15. It’s one of many ongoing initiatives in place to highlight wind energy, its power and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonize our planet and boost economies. The organizations used the day to raise awareness about careers in the wind sector and showcase the huge variety of jobs and skills it generates.
To successfully build a more sustainable world, Wind Europe recommends scaling up the infrastructure needed to produce more wind power and increase the share of electricity in the energy mix. To do this, it advocates for:
- Getting more wind energy into the grid by electrifying heating and cooling, transport and industrial processes
- Increasing investments in grid infrastructure and electric vehicle charging points
- Improving energy storage solutions to stock renewable energy and store it in the case of overproduction.
- Here are a few examples of how Dassault Systèmes customers are doing their part to harness the potential of wind power:
ISC: setting the standard for offshore wind farms
Danish consulting and engineering firm ISC developed the first ever offshore substation in 2003 and is a leading expert in the renewable energy sector. Its original design forms the basis for almost all offshore wind farm substations built today. Among the many projects the company is involved in is Hornsea Two, one of the world’s largest wind farms, located in the North Sea off the UK coast. Its team of engineers designed the offshore substation and reactive compensation station, which will collect and convert energy from 165 wind turbines into high voltage electricity.
ISC stores all of its designs and project data in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud so that engineers can quickly pull together the information they need and incorporate any element of its back catalogue into new projects. It is also exploring the potential of using virtual twin experiences to ensure the seamless transition between all phases of an infrastructure project, including running, maintenance, and end of life of the asset.
Discover more on how the 3DEXPERIENCE platform supports ISC’s wind energy operations.
Envision: capturing more wind with smart turbines
Envision Energy is one of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers. The Chinese green energy technology company develops smart wind turbines that automatically adjust to wind direction and speed, and have inbuilt predictive maintenance capabilities to keep downtime to a minimum.
As demand for Envision’s turbines rises, the company continues to grow at pace. It uses the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to keep track of its global activities – and product portfolio – so that it can manage its product development processes in a seamless and consistent manner, where all divisions including R&D and sales use the same best practices and workflows.
From load calculation to machine optimization, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s simulation capabilities let Envision’s engineers factor in aerodynamic data parameters and structural calculations, helping solve challenges inherent to designing large-scale and lightweight wind turbines.
Learn more about how Envision uses the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to handle all product development data related to wind turbines.