Voith is about to embark on its first influencer tour in the hydropower sector.
Between 10–16 June 2018, Voith and industry experts will visit Europe’s largest variable-speed pumped storage power plant in Portugal, two highly efficient small hydropower plants in Scotland and a run-of-river power plant in Iceland.
The tour can be followed live on Voith Hydro’s social media channels under the hashtag #DiscoverHydropower on Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube. The company will also report via Instagram and Snapchat.
The first stop on Voith’s Discover Hydropower Tour is the Frades II pumped storage power station in northwest Portugal. It is equipped with pumped storage technology from Voith and is regarded as the largest variable-speed system of its kind in Europe. The power plant has been in operation since the beginning of 2017.
Voith’s tour then heads to the Scottish Highlands where Green Highland Renewables operates around 50 small hydropower plants. Many of these plants are equipped with components from the Voith subsidiary Kössler. Two of the plants - Loch Eilde Mor and Coiltie - are part of Voith’s tour.
The Voith tour ends in Iceland, at the Budarhals run-of-river power plant which went into operation in 2014. Voith is currently implementing a pilot project at Budarhals for intelligent acoustic monitoring in hydroelectric power stations together with the plant operator, the state-owned Icelandic energy group Landsvirkjun. In the future, the system will recognize the perfect time to change mechanical spare parts. Maintenance and repairs can also be planned efficiently.
“The special thing about the tour is that each power plant is explored in a different way: by helicopter, jeep and on foot. This allows us to experience the advantages and technical details of the various hydropower plants in the best possible way,” said Lars Rosumek, senior vice president Group Communications at Voith.
