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Demand for Maritime Shaft Generators Increasing
30 years ago shaft generators with PTI capability kept container ships sailing at top speed. That purpose gone, PTI/PTO is making a new comeback in more cargo shipping segments, this time for reducing emissions.Retrofitting a shaft generator is not an insignificant undertaking. Around 50 tons of equipment needs to be installed into the engineroom through a hole in the hull. A new section of shaft is…
BEMAC, Mitsui Ink Deal to Acquire The Switch
BEMAC, as majority shareholder, together with Mitsui have entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of The Switch from Yaskawa Europe Holding AB (a wholly owned subsidiary of YASKAWA Electric Corporation).The Switch Engineering Oy and its group companies are manufacturers of permanent magnet machines (PMM), DC distribution solutions (DC-Hub), high-power AC drives (single drives) and high-speed induction motors.The Switch possesses technology in MW-class PMMs…
Tech File: Shaft Generators 101 – What are They?
Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch shines a light on how to produce electricity efficiently on ships.A ship is like a floating city that needs electricity to power its operations and amenities on board. So how to generate that electricity while being mobile? That question has been challenging the shipping industry for more than 150 years, when exciting new technologies were being pioneered at the forefront of the new age of electricity.
Tech Feature: Next-Generation Maritime Electrical Solutions Today
Asbjørn Halsebakke of Yaskawa Environmental Energy/The Switch discusses the application in maritime for the company’s new generation DC-Hub with its unique Electronic DC Breaker (EDCB) and Electronic Bus Link (EBL).Your company is starting to talk about its new generation DC-Hub. Can you give an overview of this product evolution with insight on what makes it unique?I think one of the key features with maritime products and with DC-Hub is that you need to think first about personal safety.
Is Global Political Action Needed to Help Shipping Go Green?
Our planet is facing its greatest challenge, and it’s not coronavirus. Asbjørn Halsebakke, Product Manager, Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch, ponders how greater political action could help the maritime industry meet its most ambitious environmental goals.Why hasn’t the climate crisis elicited the same urgent response from global governments as the corona pandemic? When confronted with the terrible threat of viral spread…
Opinion: COVID-19, Climate Change ... & Changing the World, Together
Our planet is facing its greatest challenge, and it’s not coronavirus. Asbjørn Halsebakke, Product Manager, Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch, ponders how greater political action could help the maritime industry meet its most ambitious environmental goals.Why hasn’t the climate crisis elicited the same urgent response from global governments as the corona pandemic? When confronted with the terrible threat of viral spread…
Offshore wind: One-stop power conversion
With the United States and China about to start their respective offshore wind build-ups, grid operators wondering about the efficiency of their turbines or the emissions-areas compliance of their wind-service vessels will be warmed to know there’s someone they can talk to. Yaskawa’s The Switch — a Japanese industrial giant’s European environmental tech business — is offering one-stop wind-energy shopping.
Offshore wind: One-stop Power Conversion
With the United States and China about to start their respective offshore wind build-ups, grid operators wondering about the efficiency of their turbines or the emissions-areas compliance of their wind-service vessels will be warmed to know there’s someone they can talk to. Yaskawa’s The Switch — a Japanese industrial giant’s European environmental tech business — is offering one-stop wind-energy shopping.
Electronic Bus Link Installed on North Sea Giant
An Electronic Bus Link (EBL) has been commissioned on North Sea Shipping's subsea construction vessel North Sea Giant, said manufacturer from Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch.The technology, a key element in a retrofitted Wärtsilä hybrid solution, connects the 18,151 GWT vessel’s DC-Hubs, providing complete redundancy, enhanced efficiency and significant fuel savings. Thanks to the EBL, the advanced DP3-class vessel can now conduct demanding operations using one engine…
Ice and Easy: The next level of hybridization
The demanding conditions of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia are plain sailing for MS Viikki, the world’s first LNG-fueled bulk carrier. The solution, built around WE Tech’s variable frequency drive technology WE Drive and The Switch direct drive permanent magnet shaft generator, helps the vessel achieve Ice Class 1A propulsion, while still slashing fuel consumption, costs and emissions. It is…
OSV Cuts Costs with new Energy Storage Solution
Eidesvik’s offshore supply vessel (OSV) Viking Princess reportedly can now operate with only three generators instead of four after a retrofit of an energy storage solution with The Switch DC-Hub at its heart, helping the 5,381 GWT ship to save around a ton of fuel every day.The solution entails replacing one of the main generators of Viking Princess by batteries connected to a DC-Hub. This energy solution allows the shipowner to reduce the operating costs…
The Switch Scores Its Largest Marine Contract to Date
advanced drive train technology specialist Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch said it has signed a contract to provide 16 DC-Hubs and 32 frequency converters for a innovative new shuttle tanker concept developed by Teekay and Wärtsilä.The four tankers will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, with Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch set to begin deliveries to Wärtsilä in…
Successful Factory Acceptance Test for The Switch EBL
The Switch Norway, part of Yaskawa Corporation’s Yaskawa Environmental Energy Division, reports it has completed a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for its Electronic Bus Link breaker (EBL). It is the first time the new EBL, a key element within its DC-Hub, has undergone a FAT.The procedure was conducted in Trondheim under the supervision of class society DNV-GL and the undisclosed end customers. There were no issues recorded with the first three EBL units to undergo stringent testing…
The Switch Partners with Shipbuilder CSIC
Drive train technology specialist The Switch has become one of the first foreign companies to sign a partnership agreement with Chinese shipbuilding conglomerate China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC). On Monday, September 11, The Switch entered into a strategic partnership agreement with CSIC/711, which operates under the direct jurisdiction of CSIC as the sole R&D institute of marine diesel engines in China.
The Switch Returns to Profitability
Advanced drive train technology specialist The Switch said it has seen a sharp jump in growth over last year, increasing its net sales from $43 million to more than $78 million, and returning to profitability after several years of losses. “The Switch financials finally started to improve briskly in the right direction,” said Dag Sandås, The Switch CFO. “We are no longer dependent on just one big client, but we have more clients in different parts of the world, from Asia to Europe.
Magnetic Attraction: The Switch Targets Marine Growth
The Switch is targeting growth of 200 percent within the marine segment in the next five years, building on the momentum of a flurry of recent orders, its acquisition of Wartsila Drives and the financial muscle of its parent company, the EUR 3.3 billion turnover Yaskawa Electric Corporation. The Finnish headquartered business, a specialist in the development and supply of advanced drive train solutions…
The Switch Buys Wärtsilä Marine Drives Business
Finland based drive train technology specialist The Switch said it has closed a deal on October 31 to purchase Wärtsilä’s Norway-based marine power drives product range for megawatt-class applications. Backed by Yaskawa, this acquisition aims to provide a platform for the operations to focus on developing its core competences together. “This business unit fits into our own long-term strategy to offer environmental energy solutions for marine…
The Switch Acquires Wärtsilä Drives’ Products
The Switch, a technology specialist of advanced drive trains, announced its acquisition of Wärtsilä’s marine drives business that encompasses specialized megawatt…
The Switch Opens Headquarters in Helsinki
The Switch, a supplier of megawatt-class electrical drives for wind energy, marine and industrial applications, has opened its new global headquarters in Helsinki. According to Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of The Switch, the primary motivation behind the location change is to be located in the center of Helsinki, making meetings with partners, clients and suppliers more convenient. Mäkinen called the new office an investment in the company's future…
The Switch Receives PM Shaft Generators Order
The Switch, a supplier of megawatt-class permanent magnet (PM) generator and full-power converter packages for wind power and other renewable energy applications, received another order to deliver two PM shaft generators to WE Tech Solutions of Finland. At the end of February 2015, WE Tech Solutions placed another order for two PMM 1000 M shaft generators from The Switch with the option for an additional two to be used in future WE Tech Solutions projects.
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