Gamesa, a global leader in wind energy technology, opened a technology centre in Singapore to focus on advanced materials research. The new laboratory begins its work with three important research projects, conducted jointly with the Nanyang Technological University, the National University of Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Gamesa expects the tech lab to employ more than 30 engineers by 2014.
The partnership agreement signed today with the Nanyang Technological University enables Gamesa to conduct research projects on wind turbines blade coatings and methods for incorporating the materials into the company’s manufacturing systems.
Along with the National University of Singapore, the company will study methods for monitoring composite materials using embedded sensors and will assess their industrial applications. Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), a research institute of A*STAR, Gamesa will gauge the performance of turbine blades’ carbon fibre polymers after nano-reinforcements are incorporated to lend them added strength. Gamesa will explore R&D in manufacturing with the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), a research institute of A*STAR.
"As leaders in technology, we are determined to offer our customers the best solutions for generating wind energy," said Gamesa Chairman Jorge Calvet at the facility’s opening ceremony. "We are convinced that our alliance with these institutions will help us to remain at the forefront of advanced materials research, a field in which our new partners are likewise a global benchmark."
According to Gamesa Chief Technology Officer José Antonio Malumbres, "These agreements offer vast potential for improving the reliability, efficiency and availability of our wind turbines and, by extension, their cost of energy (COE). We have found the ideal partners for this journey, and together we will remain at the cutting edge of the industry".
Mr Yeoh Keat Chuan, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said "We are pleased that Gamesa has decided to establish its advanced materials R&D centre in Singapore. This reflects well on Singapore’s strengths as a location for wind energy research, namely our strong R&D infrastructure, skilled cosmopolitan workforce and favourable intellectual property protection. Gamesa can also leverage complementary capabilities from industry clusters such as aerospace and offshore marine engineering, to accelerate the commercialisation of new technologies and applications."
Efficiency and availability through research
The new wind power tech lab in Singapore is part of Gamesa’s strategy for becoming a global standard-bearer in lowering wind turbines’ cost of energy (COE), based on the reliability, efficiency and availability of its current and future catalogue of products and services.
Gamesa plans to cut its customers’ cost of energy by 20% through 2013 and by 30% through 2015 by introducing new products (five onshore and offshore turbine systems) and developing new applied technologies, maintenance improvements, etc.
The company’s commitment to R&D calls for boosting engineering hours (to 1.5 million hours per year) and doubling its number of R&D staff through 2013. Gamesa will open five tech labs (in the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Singapore) in 2011, increasing its global network of R&D hubs to 10 sites.
