ENGINEERINGNET.EU -- Phoenix Contact, based in Blomberg, Germany, is this year’s winner of the internationally renowned Hermes Award.
Every year this important technology prize is presented at a special ceremony held during Hannover Messe to a company which has developed an outstandingly innovative product.
The award has been bestowed on Phoenix Contact for a system which measures lightning surges in lightning conductors and conveys operational status evaluations via the Internet to the remote control center. Lightning strikes are responsible for most incidents involving damage to wind turbine rotor blades.
This groundbreaking system facilitates continuous monitoring and ensures that maintenance work can be quickly initiated. The system is based on the electrical-optical Faraday effect and measures the full course of the lightning surge as well as the impact on each of the individual rotor blades.
Furthermore, the system helps to ensure that the plant continues to function and it increases the reliability of the electric energy supply. Maintenance work can be targeted more effectively and with greater cost-efficiency.
Germany’s Minister for Education and Research, Dr. Annette Schavan, presented the award on 22 April 2012 at the opening ceremony for the messe.
BACKGROUNDEER
In addition to the winner, the other companies nominated for the award were: ContiTech AG (Germany), Festo (Germany), Linz Center of Mechatronics (Austria) and Pepperl + Fuchs (Germany).
