Continued growth in the demand for sources of renewable energy has led Parker Hannifin, the global leader in motion and control technologies, to expand still further its range of products, systems and customer services in the power sector. In particular, Parker has set up a dedicated European team of technical and applications experts to enable the company to develop customised solutions in the areas of wind and wave energy, where it will be able to offer technology that helps drive down the costs of construction, maintenance and operation, while simultaneously increasing system performance and functionality.
The new Renewable Energy Team will be led by Account Manager Kevin Rowe, Account Manager Renewable Energies, who explains that, “At Parker, we already have a comprehensive range of pneumatic, hydraulic, variable speed drive, seal, filtration and condition monitoring products that are used in many demanding applications, including offshore oil and gas and, increasingly, on- and offshore wind turbines. In addition, we have been involved from the design stage in a number of high profile wave power projects, some of which are now entering the prototype and live test phases.
As a result, we feel that the time is right to bring together the skills, experiences and resources from our operating Divisions in different countries, forming a dedicated team to help our customers capture, convert and control the power of global renewable energy resources.”
Parker’s hydraulic, filtration and instrumentation equipment is already widely used in wind turbines, for blade pitch and yaw control, and for shaft braking, where it provides a long operating life, with low maintenance and high levels of overall performance.
“Increasingly, we are being asked by customers to develop complete sub-assemblies or systems that we test and quality control off-site and which can then be easily and quickly installed on-site, almost on a plug and play basis”, points out Kevin Rowe. “This saves our customers time and cost, and ultimately produces a far more efficient and reliable energy generation system, as all of the component parts have been engineered from the outset as integrated units”.
More recently, Parker has become involved in developing solutions for use in offshore wave power systems, using a combination of its variable speed drive and hydraulic technologies, specially modified for underwater use. Kevin Rowe explains, “By integrating the latest drive technology with conventional hydraulic accumulator and cylinder systems, we have been able to help our customer create an extremely efficient wave generator capable of operating for long periods in particularly challenging environments without the need for maintenance.
This is typical of the approach that our new Renewable Energy Team will be taking, as we work with customers to deliver the best possible solutions in this exciting and rapidly growing sector”.