19.000.000 $

STX buys Netherlands turbine maker in $19m deal aimed at gaining global market share

On BusinessGreenAsia details of the deal (STX buys Harakosan Europe) are published.
For the price of $ 19.000.000, after 4,5 years (started 1 February 2005) and a big increase of number of employees.

Read article on BusinessGreenAsia website

On the same website details of another take-over can be found;

Shipmaker aims to be one of the world's largest wind turbine makers by 2020
South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding snaps up DeWind for $49m

Read article on BusinessGreenAsia website

Both articles are written by Yvonne Chan in Hong Kong

Dutch TV item about wind turbines & Darwind

On August 5, 2009 Dutch TV showed an item about the problems wind turbine companies are facing in The Netherlands. It's one of the reasons why The Netherlands is not really getting as many wind turbines installed as was planned. Expansion of number if wind turbines in The Netherlands is really slow. Why ?

Netwerk ; from time code 06:25 (approx.) the item shows Darwind and CEO Vincent van den Brekel, who informs us about their direct drive wind turbine (5 MW offshore - to be produced in 2010), nacelle will be on low level, only generator will be on top of the tower.

Video (may not be available outside The Netherlands :-(

Reasons of the delay ? Bureaucracy ! rather a shame for a country that was famous for its wind mills. Investors now prefer Belgium, where things seem to be better organized.

See also promotion video of Zeekracht (Sea Power)

In 2020 20% of total energy in The Netherlands should be "clean" energy, but it doesn't look as if they will make it this way.

According to the reporter in Netwerk the issue will be discussed in parliament in September.

Vestas

One of the wind turbine manufacturers that still have a base in The Netherlands is Vestas, a Danish company.

The Dutch website can be found here.

According to their information they have about 200 persons working in the Benelux area. Something the Dutch government could take into account when looking for wind turbine companies.

XEMC

A little bit of information about XEMC, the company that just bought Darwind (see previous post) can be found of course on the XEMC website on windpower, a part of the XEMC company.

XEMC about XEMC windpower

If fact XEMC joined forces with Harakosan Japan a couple of years ago for the installation of many 2MW wind turbines in China.

XEMC (China) buys Darwind (Netherlands)

In Dutch news items on-line the take over of Darwind in The Netherlands by XEMC was announced on 3 August 2009.

Article (in Dutch)

In this article a Korean party is mentioned as well. Maybe this is the same company that took over Harakosan Europe BV.

Both Harakosan Europe and Darwind are working with the direct magnet drive principle designed by Henk Lagerwey (see my previous post on the take over of Harakosan)

So Dutch technology is now in Asian hands. While Dutch Government is looking for good parties to build clean energy technology in their seas, they let their knowledge leave the country....

Interesting to see that the picture used in the article is in fact a picture of one of the first, old models by Lagerwey. in the meantime the wind turbines are a lot bigger and better looking. The Z72 and Z82 (both by Harakosan Europe) are fine looking machines.

Lagerwey Wind is now producing wind turbines of 2 MW and according to their website www.lagerweywind.nl there will be 2,5 and 3,5 versions as well.
See a picture of the 2 MW on their website.

See Mr. Lagerwey in a TV interview in my previous post.

UPDATE:
Another (older) Dutch article about Darwind can be found at the website of Energeia.

UPDATE:
Reaction of Mr. Van den Brekel, CEO Darwind on Energeia website (Dutch)

NRC article about Darwind/XEMC

New owner for Harakosan Europe BV !

In stead of being owned by the Japanese company Harakosan, Harakosan Europe is now part of STX Heavy Industries, a Korean company (http://www.stxhi.co.kr/eng/).

The news about this transfer was published in the Chosan Ilbo.

STX Heavy Industries on Wednesday said it has signed an agreement to buy Harakosan Europe B.V., a Dutch wind-power turbine maker, and its wind-power technology patents.

STX Heavy spent W24 billion to acquire the company and will invest an additional W100 billion on building plants and R&D. By obtaining the original technologies for onshore and offshore wind-power turbines, STX Heavy hopes to enhance its position in Korea's wind-power industry.

Read the complete text on their website.

Some information is not quite correct; Founded in 1979, while actually Harakosan Europe was founded in february 2005 after buying the rests of a bankrupt company called Zephyros, that was founded a couple of years before that. The original idea and design for the direct drive wind turbine came from Lagerwey, a company founded by the inventor, mr. Lagerwey. Unfortunately that compnay also went bankrupt. Hopefully under the wings of STX the company will now be able to expand on a larger scale.

One wonders if company name will change into STX The Netherlands ??

UPDATE
News on the take over on http://www.sustainablebusiness.com
and on Steelguru.

Affiliated company in Europe STX Europe ?

On The Harakosan website no news about the take over yet per August 5, 2009

Vroege Vogels - Dutch TV programme

Well it is a Dutch TV programme, so if you are not Dutch it will be hard to understand what it is about but from timecode 00:05:40 you will find an item about wind energy with wind turbine specialist Henk Lagerwey. Click on the banner here below and watch the video, you can go straight to the time code 00:05:40 there.

Solar energy at home

Not only wind energy but also solar energy can be put into practical use at home. Today a supplier of solar panels visited us to have a look at the possibilities at our roof.

It is a flat roof of 5.10 meters wide and 4.00 meters deep, so about 20 m² surface. We will probably be able to put 4 solar panels on it. Details to follow next Tuesday !