Major Wind Power Developers Rely on EuroSkyPark

Offshore wind energy is in demand – figures from the European Wind Energy Association forecast that offshore wind turbines will feed up to one gigawatt of electricity into the European grid as early as this year. Seamless transmission of data produced offshore as well as onshore must be guaranteed. “We cannot afford a communication failure here under any circumstances. That’s why we opted for the highest quality solutions available on the market,” explains Anant M. Khadkikar, Project Manager Control Technology, Windreich AG. These solutions come from ESP and meet the high demands placed on automation, control and, above all, communication technology, even under the most difficult geographical and climatic conditions.

ESP, a global leader in satellite-based communications solutions for the energy and utilities markets, places emphasis on ensuring that customers benefit from existing experience when planning projects. “We made proposals to Windreich AG on how we could ensure data transmission at the very highest level for them. And as cost-effectively as possible,” says Thomas Maul, CEO of ESP. For a project like MEG1, the first unmanned offshore wind farm, the demands on ESP solutions are particularly high. This offshore wind farm in the direct vicinity of Alpha Ventus is located 45 kilometers north of the German island of Borkum in water depths of 27-33 meters and is expected to produce 400 MW of electricity in the future. Terrestrial connections for transmitting data are not sufficient to ensure high availability. Windreich therefore relies on the connection via space, which ESP secures via two HOT standby satellite connections that can take over the full operation of the network without delay even in the event of a submarine cable disaster.

Based on previous good experiences in the cooperation between ESP and Windreich, Investment AG is currently planning to entrust the now internationally active company with further tasks. “ESP has proven to be a professional, reliable and high-quality partner,” explains Anant M. Khadkikar, Project Manager Control Technology, Windreich AG. The design of the network, the router configuration and the calculation of the antenna masts are tasks that Windreich would like to place in the hands of ESP in the future.