Vestas celebrates opening of Asia R&D Centre in Singapore with key research partnerships underway
Press release from
Vestas Wind Systems A/S
Randers, 3 November, 2008
Press release No. 8/2008
Vestas celebrates opening of Asia R&D Centre in Singapore with key research
partnerships underway - Research partners include Nanyang Technological
University, National University of Singapore and Agency for Science, Technology
and Research (A*STAR)
Danish company Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world's leading supplier of wind
power solutions, today announces the opening of the Vestas regional R&D Hub for
Asia at Fusionopolis, Singapore, one of its largest R&D centres outside Denmark.
This marks the first milestone of the company's 10-year plan to invest up to
S$500 million in Singapore to advance research in wind power technologies in
light of the world's growing energy challenge.
Located at Singapore's newly launched Fusionopolis - an iconic science and
technology powerhouse that brings scientists, engineers and technology experts
from public research institutions and the private sectors under one roof -
Vestas' regional R&D hub will embrace high quality technology research, new
component and sub-system development, as well as innovation in product
development to maximize wind turbine performance, product reliability, and
reduction in wind energy cost.
Having begun operations here in the second half of 2007, Vestas Technology R&D
wasted no time in identifying and driving new collaborations with research
institutions and Universities. The company has since established three local
Master Research Agreements with Singapore varsities, namely Nanyang
Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS) and
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). In addition, two regional
Master collaboration agreements have also been inked with Tsinghua University in
Beijing, China, and the Cooperative Research Council (CRC) based in Melbourne,
Australia. These range from working with NTU on advance composites development,
NUS on material fatigue studies, CRC on applied research in sensor technology,
as well as further research and development programmes underway.
Come December 2008, this R&D facility will house over 100 researchers and
engineers holding PhDs and Engineering Masters from 16 nationalities. Next year,
the R&D facility will continue to grow and exceed its target of 150 engineers in
2009, doubling this community to over 300 R&D engineers by 2012.
Only in its first year, the Asia R&D Hub has already experienced a fast ramp-up.
Prior to the opening ceremony today, Vestas announces that it will make the most
of Singapore's dynamic research environment and pool of talent so as to develop
synergies in other multi-disciplinary science and technology areas through
external industry partnerships. “Drawn to Singapore's culture and reputation for
research and innovation, robust intellectual property laws, ethical frameworks
and governmental support for the industry, Vestas is confident of leveraging our
new R&D Hub to consolidate our leadership position globally, and to propel our
growth in Asia, where the role of wind energy in powering the world's long-term
energy sustainability is increasingly being recognised,” says Finn Strøm Madsen,
President, Vestas Technology R&D.
On the search for manpower resources, Managing Director of the regional R&D Hub,
Mr. Matthew Low notes, “Wind turbine generators are multi-disciplinary
engineering machines. We need different calibres of talents from all fields of
science and engineering. So far, we have been able to source this from a rich
and broad engineering-based cluster in Singapore and the surrounding countries,
such as the semiconductor & electronics sector, industrial automation,
aero-space and automotive industries.”
The establishment of the Vestas regional R&D Hub for Asia at Fusionopolis will
thus enable Vestas to accelerate its capabilities in harnessing wind power, a
highly viable solution to the world's long-term energy demands. The sharp rise
in energy consumption calls for a sustainable resource that does not create more
greenhouse gases, pollution or waste for future generations. Wind power is a
renewable, predictable and clean source of energy. In addition, substantial
capacity can be built up quickly, offering the energy independence demanded by
the world's largest and fastest-growing economies.
Any requests for interview or comments may be directed to the following contact:
Maran Gopalakrishnan, Communications
Tel: +65 6303 6553
Mobile: +65 9786 6553
Email: magop@vestas.com
General contact details for Vestas Technology R&D:
Vestas Technology R&D, Denmark
Finn Strøm Madsen, President
Tel: +45 9730 3600
Vestas Technology R&D Singapore Pte Ltd
Matthew Low, Vice President & Managing Director
Tel: +65 6499 8300
About Vestas
Vestas installed its first wind turbine in 1979 and has since played an active
role in the fast-moving wind power industry. From being a pioneer in the
industry with a staff of approximately 60 in 1987, we are today a global,
market-leading group with over 17,000 people employed. We are the leading
producer of high technological wind power solutions. Our core business includes
development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and maintenance of wind power
systems that use wind energy to produce electricity.
With a 23 per cent market share, Vestas is the world's leading supplier of
modern energy solutions. We have installed more than 35,500 wind turbines in 63
countries on five continents. And we install an average of one wind turbine
every four hours, twenty-four hours a day. In fact, our wind turbines generate
more than 60 million MWh of energy a year - or enough electricity to supply
millions of households.
Wind power is a competitive, predictable and clean energy resource. It has a
fast ramp-up and offers the energy independence demanded by some of the world's
largest and fastest growing economies. This is why Vestas calls wind power
Modern Energy.
