COWEC 2013: where the wind energy industry meets

COWEC (Conference of the Wind Power Engineering Community) on 18th and 19th June 2013 in Berlin, Germany, brings together experts from the wind energy industry worldwide and discusses current challenges

Wind energy is on the advance throughout the world. However there are still a number of hurdles to overcome before widespread large-scale utilization is possible. The international VDI conference COWEC (Conference of the Wind Power Engineering Community) and accompanying industrial exhibition on 18th and 19th June 2013 in Berlin, Germany, will discuss all relevant aspects of the wind energy industry. Wind energy installation operators, component manufacturers as well as energy suppliers and research institutes of international repute will present the full range of topics in technical developments. Organizer of the event is VDI Wissensforum GmbH.

With Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Reuter of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES) and Dr. Andrew Garrad of GL Garrad Hassan as technical co-directors of the conference, more than 80 speakers from 20 countries will share deep insights into all technical aspects of the wind energy industry. Garrad opens the conference with his paper on the subject of "Wind energy: short-term turbulence, long term growth".

This event in five parallel sessions covers topics which include gearbox types, rotor blade designs, maintenance, damages and damage analysis as well as vibrations and the international wind power market. "The main attraction of COWEC is its technically ambitious program", says Reuter. From the point of view of an energy supply and wind-farm operator with a presence throughout Europe, Dirk Simons of RWE Innogy in his keynote presentation describes how the future of renewable energies can be secured by market integration. In his keynote presentation, Lars Thaaning Pedersen of Dong Energy Wind Power addresses the topic of reducing energy costs in offshore wind power installations.

In addition, Martin Knops of REpower Systems will be discussing integrated testing strategies for gearboxes. Methods are presented by which high-quality and extremely safe gearboxes can be developed. Lars Landberg of GL Garrad Hassan presents short-term wind forecasting for on- and offshore installations. An exclusive insight into the results of a concept study for 12 MW offshore turbines is provided by Sebastian Schmitz of MECAL Wind Turbine Design. João Fernandes of Amorim Cork Composites looks at the advantages of cork composites for noise and vibration mitigation.

Other interesting presentations come from Ross Hall of GE Power Conversion, Igor Bryzgunov of the Russian Association of Wind Power Industry (RAWI), Victor Sellwood of Siemens Transmission and Distribution Ltd, Glen C. Grenier of MTS Systems and others. "This mixture of industry and research at the highest level enables us, by assessing the abstracts beforehand, to prepare a particularly interesting and ambitious programme that will be unique", says Reuter.

On 20th June 2013, the day after the conference, two in-depth seminars entitled "Wind resource assessment - from measurements to financial reports" and "Legal aspects for the supply and construction of wind farms" will be held. The program is rounded off by a visit to Enercon, one of the leading manufacturers of wind energy installations, on the day before the conference.

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