Making the global energy transition a success will take nothing less than a total transformation of the existing energy supply infrastructure. Greater flexibility, system-independent solutions and more investments in land and sea-based wind energy are prerequisites. A gigantic task that will require plenty of human brainpower and fresh ideas. With its newly created 'Startup Area', WindEnergy Hamburg, the world's leading wind industry expo, will for the first time provide a separate area for young, innovative enterprises to present disruptive ideas for a sustainable energy world as a springboard for successful entry into the world market. Apart from a joint exhibition stand for German newcomers, there will be 'speed-dating' event for numerous young companies from many countries on two days of the fair. All in all there will be more than 1,400 companies from 40 different nations exhibiting at WindEnergy Hamburg from 25 to 28 September. The world's leading wind industry expo has joined hands with the WindEurope conference to form the Global Wind Summit 2018 in Hamburg. 

Game-changing innovations from the technology-leading nation 

For the first time, the fair organiser Hamburg Messe is presenting a joint stand for young, innovative companies on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics. "WindEnergy Hamburg is providing a special platform for wind industry start-ups to show their innovative solutions to industry visitors from around the world and jump-start their export business. The fair offers them ideal conditions to establish contacts with business partners in many markets," says Klaus Brunner, a senior official from the International Commerce and Trade Fairs division at the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) which manages the Startup Area. 

Among the young enterprises represented will be the Hamburg-based morEnergy which has developed a new measurement system allowing customers to detect the first signs of instabilities in onshore and offshore wind energy grids so appropriate action can be taken to avoid preventative curtailment or disconnection of wind turbines. "We developed this technology together as part of a research project at Helmut-Schmidt-Universität Hamburg under the guidance of Professor Detlef Schulz. Now we offer measurements as a service," explain the morEnergy founders Michael Jordan, Hauke Wilken and Thanh Trung Do. "We see WindEnergy Hamburg as an opportunity to introduce our services and our product to the national and international markets." 

The range of products and services offered by other start-ups at the stand extends from painting towers to blend into the surrounding landscape, wind turbine cleaning services, and emergency management services including telemedical assistance, through to underground utility reporting services for construction projects, and cybersecurity and protection of industrial networks.

Lively interest in international 'speed dating' event 

On Wednesday and Thursday 26 and 27 September, WindEnergy Hamburg and Innovationsnetzwerk Energieloft will jointly host an international 'Speed Dating' event in the Startup Area in Hall B7 (stand 490). In a sequence of eight-minute conversation units, well-established companies and investors will meet up with innovative start-ups to discuss and plan new joint products and business models. To identify the suitable partners for these meetings, the participants have been asked to provide information regarding their interests and intentions ahead of the event. "We have been receiving a lot of participation requests for these 'Speed-Dates'; as the world's leading wind industry expo, WindEnergy Hamburg has a highly international profile that offers unique networking opportunities within the global wind industry," reports Sven Pietsch, CEO of Energieloft, summarising the feedback to this innovation-friendly event format. "We have even received some registrations from countries such as India and Australia." Registration for the Speed Dating event is possible until one day before the beginning of the trade fair. 

One of the participating start-up companies is BPU Blockchain Power Unit, a firm focused on sector coupling. "We have developed a solution that supports continued operation of wind turbines after expiration of the feed-in tariff scheme of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act. A portion of the wind power from the turbines will be used for computing power so operators can generate an additional contribution margin," explains the founder and CEO, Tobias Mader. "We hope to find cooperation partners within the wind industry who would be interested in letting their wind turbines operate longer instead of dismantling them." The young company will inform its conversation partners about options to use wind turbines in connection with artificial intelligence, rendering and block chain applications. 

New patents and promising cost-cutting solutions 

Young companies will also be exhibiting in other exhibition halls outside the Startup Area. In Hall B6, InnoEnergy, a firm specialising in supporting the commercialisation of innovative technology, will introduce attractive, high-potential companies from across Europe. New patents, improved methods and promising cost-reducing solutions will be presented to the interested industry audience. Among these international start-ups is Nabrawind Technologies from Spain. The company has developed a self-erecting power concept that does not require a large crane. Nabrawind Technologies CEO Eneko Sanz explains: "We are looking forward to being able to report about the successful installation of our Nabralift prototype just before the beginning of WindEnergy Hamburg." The prototype confirms a cost-saving potential between 15 and 20per cent thanks to simplified logistics and construction, Sanz adds. "We are also presenting Nabrajoint, an innovative development enabling production of rotor blades in two or more individual sections that can be transported individually and assembled on site," he continues. Nabrajoint and Nabralift have been highlighted by MAKE Consulting as two of the "technological solutions capable of revolutionising the wind power industry." 

Principle Power is the name of another young manufacturer exhibiting at the fair. Headquartered in Portugal, with additional operations in the United States and France, the company is active in offshore wind markets globally, selling its floating wind turbine support structure WindFloat and providing services to developers, utilities and IPPs. Three WindFloat bases are currently being built for Portugal. They will carry 8.4MW MHI Vestas V164 turbines. 

Another first at the Global Wind Summit is an event called "Hack the Wind 2018", organised by InnoEnergy and WindEurope: Designers, blockchain developers, wind energy experts and others are invited to collaborate with some of the biggest names of the industry. 

WindEnergy Hamburg and Husum Wind | www.windnergyhamburg.com