Moog moves for German turbine specialist.

Moog, the US company whose UK operation is based in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, said the deal provided “a great match of LTI’s competencies and Moog’s global reach to support the growing wind energy market”. Together the two companies would further strengthen LTi’s position as a leading provider of electro-mechanical blade pitch control systems, while Moog offered its own longstanding expertise in a range of electro-hydraulic technologies. The blade pitch determines the rotor speed and thereby the performance of wind turbines. “Pitch control systems hold the key to maximising and protecting a wind turbine”, said Moog’s European general manager Harald Seiffer. “We believe we can take our experience with creating motion control systems for the aerospace and manufacturing industries and our high quality standards to make a sound contribution to our new partnership." The operator of a wind turbine has to maintain the inclination angle of a turbine’s blades to accelerate when the wind isn’t strong and to angle them to reduce load when wind conditions are strong. Recent market research has shown that the portion of new wind turbines using pitch control (as opposed to stall control) will grow to nearly 100 percent in the future. “On a worldwide basis wind power capacity is expected to grow in excess of 30 percent annually, which is an excellent proxy for the market for pitch control systems“, said Sal Spada, a research director for ARC Advisory Group. “Additionally, the wind power market has matured technically, and the emphasis has shifted towards improving performance and safety of the turbines." “LTi REEnergy is a clear market leader, having delivered over 7,500 wind turbine systems and components worldwide,” said Dr Steve Huckvale, president of the Moog’s industrial systems group. “This is a great match of LTI’s competencies and Moog’s global reach to support the growing wind energy market.”