Wind power Vestas introduces new options for customers

Vestas operates in 65 countries, providing jobs for over 22,000 passionate people at our service and project sites, research facilities, factories and offices all over the world.

Vestas’ customers in Central and Eastern Europe are being introduced to new options that can increase the productivity of their wind farms for the long term.

Active Output Management and higher tower heights are being rolled out as Vestas aims to help customers optimize energy output and ensure productivity and profitability.

Active Output Management (AOM) 4000 is new level of agreement between Vestas and its wind energy customers. AOM guarantees a defined wind turbine availability and productivity, giving the customer a better business case and the security that the wind turbine will provide revenue – guaranteed. AOM 4000 ensures the highest possible output at all times, so customers’ return on investment is more secure.

High expectations are formalised – liquidated damages and bonuses are in the contract, and scheduled as well as unscheduled maintenance and consumables are included. Flexibility and convenience are achieved through minimum paperwork and a fast and transparent settlement of claims.

AOM takes the business case for wind turbines to the long-term – 20 years – giving customers more flexibility and reflecting their demands to manage wind turbines in a predictable and consistent way over the 20 year lifespan of a turbine.

This kind of service is made available from Vestas, thanks to our deep understanding of our products – based on years of collected performance data from thousands of wind turbines worldwide and analyzing this data to bring greater knowledge and value to our relationships with our customers. AOM 4000 reflects our confidence in our wind turbines’ quality and performance.

Maximizing or optimizing wind resources means putting the turbine in the ideal wind farm locations – and in many parts of Germany and elsewhere in Europe, this means higher towers. In forest areas, for example, winds can become turbulent and force developers to seek higher hub heights in order to harness the wind resources.

Vestas will be introducing towers with a hub height of 140m for the new V112-3.0 MW wind turbine in order to give customers more flexibility with forested sites and sites requiring higher hub heights. These new tower heights will be available from Q3 of 2011.

Vestas tops sustainability indexes:
Vestas has been nominated as the global “sector leader” for renewable energy equipment by the renowned Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. In fact, Vestas also takes a prominent position on the similar index FTSE Environmental Technology Index Series.

This is good news, as a growing number of investors perceive sustainability as a catalyst for enlightened and disciplined management and thus a crucial factor for success.

“Being ‘sector leader’ on Dow Jones’ Sustainability Index is one of the most prestigious titles a company can get. It will make Vestas even more interesting to the increasing number of customers and investors who care about sustainability. It’s something all in Vestas can be proud of,” says Senior Vice President for Sustainability, People & Culture, Jakob Larsen. “However, with a total score of 68 points out of 100, we need to improve further,” he points out.

To be nominated by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, companies have to be more than just “green”. When it comes to corporate citizenship, safety, and ethics, exemplary behaviour is equally important. This year, Dow Jones had nine companies up for examination. Only two passed, with Vestas taking the top spot as “sector leader” in front of competitor Gamesa.

“Among several initiatives, Vestas has improved its score on “code of conduct” with the deployment of e-learning on corruption and ethics. At the same time, we have become much better at communicating all the great things we do,” explains Sustainability Reporting Specialist, Lilian Harbak from People & Culture.

Every single day, Vestas wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the global fight against climate change. Wind power from Vestas’ more than 41,000 wind turbines currently reduces carbon emissions by more than 40 million tons of CO2 every year, while at the same time building energy security and independence.

Vestas is the world leader in wind energy technology, with a history of technological innovation and over 30 years of experience in developing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining wind turbines. Vestas was a pioneer in the wind energy industry and started to manufacture wind turbines in 1979. In 1987, the company began to concentrate exclusively on wind energy.

Today, Vestas operates in 65 countries, providing jobs for over 22,000 passionate people at our service and project sites, research facilities, factories and offices all over the world.

For further information:
English: Andrew Hilton, Vice President, Communications, Tel: +49 40 46778 5163. Mobile: +49 175 933 4397, Email:ahilt@vestas.com

German: Andreas Eichler(Director of Sales and Christina Buttler(Germany Communications Advisor)
Tel.: +49 4841 971 151; Mobile: +49 17 19 73 35 21; ae@vestas.com