Sustainability as a driver for innovation in the wind energy sector

An article by Nestor Ajuria Isasi, Global Renewable Energy Manager & Key Account Managerby Ormazabal

A look at the recent past, a brief analysis of the different areas of daily life today and a vision of the future regarding the possibilities offered by the planet make it clear that it is essential to adopt an approach that brings together different sensibilities and actors to achieve acceptable human development without harming the environment in which we coexist with nature. The higher value of the search for sustainability in human activity will drive much of the technological innovation in the coming years – let’s hope that this is so for our own good.

Sustainability is a tree with three main branches: environmental, economic and social. This requires long-term, constant care and the commitment of everyone. Measuring progress is key to the success of this commitment, which is why numerous indicators have been promoted that focus on different aspects of a product or activity such as, for example, the analysis of the carbon footprint in relation to a product, the social impact of certain economic activities at the individual and/or community level, or transparency and the management of human diversity at the governance level. Ormazabal, as a natural part of its DNA, has been contributing its grain of sand in this field for more than 30 years.

And as the Madrid painter Antonio Lopez would say, “a copy is a reverence.”

It was Ormazabal who, thanks to its design of the ORMALINK solid busbar – which allows cells to be sewn together to form different configurations – defined the concept of the modular medium-voltage cell. This innovation was key in rationalizing customer needs and defining designs tailored to their needs without additional functions that consumed unnecessary space, materials, and energy.

Paraphrasing that great executive of a North American “fruit company,” everyone copied us and that innovation is today a worldwide industry standard. As the Madrid painter Antonio Lopez would say, “a copy is a bow.”

The definition of the modular solution, together with Ormazabal’s commitment to integrating its protection and control systems into the cell, facilitated the deployment of wind energy in Europe, a pioneer worldwide both on land and at sea. Ormazabal, with more than 100 GW of wind energy connected and protected worldwide, is today one of the leaders in medium-voltage wind energy, as demonstrated by its presence in one in four offshore turbines in Europe and its combined wind projects in more than 50 countries. This began with a focus on providing a product more tailored to customer needs and minimizing waste. For ultimately having a more sustainable product.

On the occasion of this WindEurope 2024 fair, which we also celebrate at home, Ormazabal gives a step forward and presents its complete product range for the wind energy sector using SF6-free technology. A technology that represents a key qualitative leap that Ormazabal has been working on for more than 10 years. The ZERO range represents the virtues that the company has demonstrated over all these years: passion for innovation, obtaining a much more sustainable product with a significantly lower carbon footprint than the current standard; and humility, working side by side with its most loyal customers, whom we take this opportunity to thank for their collaboration and commitment.

The result of the work of the last 10 years will be presented at our stand at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) from March 20 to 22, where we invite you to come and where we will be delighted to show it to you.