Finding clean energy is one of the biggest concerns of our times. Global warming and the limited availability of fossil fuels are just two factors in the hunt for alternative energy solutions. One key player in the battle to solve the world’s energy problems is wind power. Lately wind power turbines have become state-of-the-art power stations that achieve an operational reliability of more than 98 per cent. This in turn means that all components must be extremely reliable – which is where HELUKABEL comes in …
HELUKABEL is proud to be part of the industry right from the beginning in the 1980s, when the first wind turbines were designed and manufactured. At that time HELUKABEL provided its first wind power cable – back then a custom cable solution – to meet the requirements of the turbine manufacturer. Each year the wind turbines got bigger, the market more international and more and more players (start-ups and major enterprises) recognized the potential of that then young industry. With annual sales of 500 million USD, HELUKABEL is now one of the largest suppliers of wind power cables worldwide, with a major foothold in Europe and Asia.
The new presence in North America is supported by global approvals like UL, CSA, CE, HAR, VDE that the HELUWIND WK wind power cable series complies with. Over the years HELUKABEL high-performance wind power cables were installed in thousands of wind turbines worldwide, providing reliable service onshore and offshore under climate conditions as diverse as in Alaska and Texas.
This article specifies the parameters affecting the choice of cables and points out cutting-edge solutions for wind turbine manufacturers. Cables not only make the gained energy available and transfer it into the local power grid; they also provide the electric link between the different components and permit an efficient control and operation of the turbine. All those processes take place in or emanate from the nacelle – the heart of a wind turbine.
