On June 30, 2023, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck visited three new test and research facilities for wind energy.
At Leibniz Universität Hannover, Robert Habeck and Lower Saxony’s Minister President Stephan Weil put the new Large Wave Current Channel (GWK+) into operation. The globally unique facility was designed and expanded by the universities of Hanover and Braunschweig in order to massively advance research into the energy transition. The conversion makes it possible to generate waves and currents simultaneously in order to investigate their influence on the offshore foundations of wind turbines, among other things. The GWK+ is located at the Ludwig-Franzius-Institute for Hydraulic, Estuarine and Coastal Engineering and is therefore also part of the ForWind research infrastructure.
At Fraunhofer IWES in Bremerhaven, Robert Habeck and Bremen’s mayor Andreas Bovenschulte opened the new, globally unique rotor blade test rig for components with a length of more than 115 meters. With the new rotor blade test rig, the Fraunhofer IWES is expanding its test portfolio and adapting to the current requirements of wind turbine component manufacturers, thus ensuring that applied research and industry work hand in hand. The test stand expands the impressive research possibilities of the Wind Energy Research Alliance, of which both the Fraunhofer IWES and ForWind are members.
At the end of the day, Robert Habeck and Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, visited the WiValdi wind energy research park in Krummendeich near the mouth of the Elbe, which is currently under construction. DLR, ForWind and Fraunhofer IWES have developed the research park as part of the Wind Energy Research Alliance and will be using it for wind energy research from this summer to provide new impetus for the energy supply of the future. WiValdi is also available to the wider scientific and business community for joint projects.
