The silence before the electric current

Fastener manufacturers were hardly the focus of media attention as typical suppliers. But this has changed since wind power has brought a breath of fresh air to power generation from renewable energies.
The necessary fastening systems soon turned out to be a special challenge for wind power plants. The stability of the plants – from the bearing foundation through to the rotor blade fastening connection – is subject to huge forces and strains from wind, weather, water and, of course, the vibration of the plant itself, in addition to its own weight.
Add in the planned lifecycle of wind power turbines, and the requirements for stability, which also have to resist new stresses such as salt water in off-shore wind parks, grow exponentially. Friedberg, a Gelsenkirchen-based manufacturer of high-quality fastening connections with a tradition going back 125 years, has been intimately tied up with the development of wind power over many years and is regarded as a leading company in the industry, as its attendance at the recently ended WINDPOWER 2010 fair in Dallas impressively demonstrates.