We are pleased to report about the success of The Second Swiss Wind Energy R&D Forum ONLINE, which took place on Wednesday Sep. 16th, 2020. Despite the restrictions due to the online format, we managed to attract 65 attendees and ensure an interactive exchange of contacts and ideas!
What did we do?
The first part “Insipiration” involved a range of experienced speakers in the area of smart measurement technology and machine learning / AI. We started off with an introduction summarising the advantages of wind energy and showing some examples of exciting projects coordinated by The Swiss Wind Energy R&D Network. Then we had a key-note interview from Mattia Boccolini from DNV GL, who talked about the opportunities and challenges of smart measurement technology for the wind energy industry. This was followed by a podium discussion with Mattia Boccolini, (DNV GL), Prof. Eleni Chatzi (ETH Zurich), Dr. Michele Magno (ETH Zurich), Dr. Andrin Landolt (streamwise gmbh), Dr. Martin Fengler (Meteomatics AG). We discussed how smart measurement technology can be applied effectively in the wind energy industry. The speakers agreed that the added value of smart measurements must be clearly defined, and that the data quality, storage and standardisation are key challenges that need to be solved.
The second key-note interview was held by Anton Kaifel from ZSW, who shared his vast range of long experience in the area of machine learning / AI and wind energy. In the podium discussion we looked at how to effectively apply machine learning / AI in the wind energy industry. The speakers Anton Kaifel (ZSW), Prof. Guido Schuster (OST), Bernhard Brodbeck (WinJi AG), Dr. Imad Abdallah (ETH Zurich), Dr. Angela Meyer (ZHAW) talked about the difficulty of data preparation, data sharing and regulation.
The second part “Innovation” involved dividing the participants into random groups of four people a total of four times, in order to make new contacts and answer questions related to the topics “Challenges in the wind energy industry“, “Smart technology solutions“, “Machine learning and AI solutions“ and “How can Swiss innovators break into the international wind energy industry?“. The results were collected in Google Forms and summarised at the end of the event.
What did participants think?
Philipp Schmid, SKF: “This was a superb event I have to say! You really managed to get discussions and interaction. I especially enjoyed the break out sessions. Certainly this was one of the best and most interactive online events that I have participated recently.“
Mattia Boccolini, DNV DL: “The forum was very well organised and was run with the right pace. I enjoyed a lot the continuous and fast interaction with the participants. The breakout rooms were also fun!”
Andrin Landolt, streamwise gmbh: “The event was great and very well managed!”
Prof. Eleni Chatzi, ETH Zurich: “The forum was very well organised and was run with the right pace. I very much enjoyed it myself, indeed! I think this is a great step to creating a community here in Switzerland."
More information
Download the event presentation and the results of the break-out rooms here:
The Swiss Wind Energy R&D Network bundles Swiss R&D wind energy capabilities for exporting products and services to the global wind energy market. Become a member for free here.
SAVE THE DATE: The Third Swiss Wind Energy R&D Forum will take place on May 6th 2021 in Rapperswil.