HANNOVER MESSE: Phoenix Contact receives 2012 Hermes Award

Presentation at Hannover Messe honors lightning-detection technology.

Bob Vavra, Content Manager, CFE Media

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Phoenix Contact received the 2012 Hermes Award at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Hannover Messe Sunday night in Hannover, Germany. The event kicks off the week-long Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade show.

Blomberg, Germany-based Phoenix Contact was honored for a system which measures lightning surges in lightning conductors and conveys operational status evaluations via the Internet to the remote control center. Lightning strikes are responsible for most incidents involving damage to wind turbine rotor blades.

“This groundbreaking system facilitates continuous monitoring and ensures that maintenance work can be quickly initiated. The system is based on the electrical-optical Faraday Effect and measures the full course of the lightning surge as well as the impact on each of the individual rotor blades,” the judges wrote of the award-winning device. “Furthermore, the system helps to ensure that the plant continues to function and it increases the reliability of the electric energy supply. Maintenance work can be targeted more effectively and with greater cost-efficiency.”

"Phoenix Contact, the recipient of this year's Hermes Award, is a company that has consistently driven innovation throughout its 90 year history,” said Dr. Wolfram von Fritsch, chairman of Deutsche Messe AG, reports. “Now a global business concern, the company will be demonstrating its R+D prowess at Hannover Messe for the 59th time.”

"The changing emphasis on the energy mix of the future has spawned a host of innovations. An increasing number of companies are putting new products onto the marketplace. These are proving invaluable by making renewable energy a cheaper and more efficient option,” said Dr. Annette Schavan, Germany's Minister for Education and Research. “The prize-winner, Phoenix Contact, exemplifies the best in German industry: the company is a highly innovative, global operator and market leader.”