‘ SYMBIOSIS WITH TU DELFT
SPEEDS UP ADVANCES IN OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY’
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and TU Delft are collaborating on the Dynamic Wind Farm Flow Control research project. The seeds of the alliance were first sown back in 2001. PhD candidate David Molenaar needed a test field for his research into the cost-effective design and control of wind turbines and established an alliance with the company (then still known as Siemens). Now managing director of SGRE Nederland, he explains why the wind industry and TU Delft need each other. And why that makes him happy.
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Text: Karin Postelmans
S
iemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) is the world’s largest producer of offshore wind farms. The company can make a substantial contribution to resolving the climate issue while also accelerating the energy transition. The Dutch arm of the company is based in The Hague and is headed by David Molenaar. He did his degree and doctorate at TU Delft before joining Siemens as a sales engineer.
PIONEERING Molenaar: “What I missed while working on my PhD was proper collaboration with industry. That’s why I sought it out myself at the time. I even interrupted my PhD research to do it. It was real pioneering in those days. Fortunately, we’ve moved on a lot since then.” TU Delft and SGRE are collaborating closely on the TU Delft project Dynamic Wind Farm Flow Control (DWFFC), that is part of Crosswind (an alliance between Shell and Eneco). The project’s aim is to reduce the ‘wake effect’. Molenaar: Within DWFFC, Delft scientists can test the models and algorithms they have developed in a real offshore wind farm. (See box). David Molenaar (CEO Siemens Gamesa)
