HBM has numerous product solutions related to wind energy

HBM is further strengthening its commitment to the wind energy industry, presenting its product solutions at numerous events.

Wind energy plants are increasingly becoming a key technology in the field of renewable energy. According to the leading German statistics company, Statista, gross power generation from wind power increased in the last 10 years by just under 200%. Professional measurement technology is being used to further increase the performance and service life of wind power systems. HBM Test & Measurement offers intelligent hardware and software solutions for a wide range of applications: fatigue tests on rotor blades, simulation of realistic loading conditions, weighing of complete offshore plants and measurements of the extremely high torques that occur there.

The trend for offshore wind power plants is towards gearless systems. This reduces maintenance and lengthens the service life. Since the generator turns at a slower speed with the same power to convert wind energy into electrical energy, extremely high torques occur in the entire drive train, in some cases several MN•m. This too is feasible for HBM torque transducers. The range of products extends from series production products to customized transducers, so that almost every need is covered, for example determining the efficiency of a generator according to IEC 60034. HBM offers the right solution for almost every kind of gear test bench of this magnitude, thereby establishing itself as the world market leader for high-precision torque measurements in the MN•m range.

HBM presented this technology this year at the most important international events for wind energy and will also be active in this area during the coming year. This includes the EWEA European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition 2014 in Barcelona, Spain, as well as AWEA 2014 in the USA. Main topics include both solutions for generating wind power as well as component and structural testing.