Why work for us?
Because we strive to make the world a better place
Because that may sound naïve, but it isn’t. And those 1.3 billion people without access to clean, affordable electricity are real. And so is global warming, they say.
Because in doing so we develop technology that is benign, beautiful, breaks records and never goes bust
Because we never stop improving it and relentlessly pursue perfection in everything we do
Because by joining us you will learn so much about your field of expertise, and even more about things that lie outside of it, that every day will feel like a school day
Because we do also get to go out and play (and our playground stretches over 5 continents)
Because you will be so empowered you will be overwhelmed with autonomy (but the support of an A-team to help you cope with it)
Because we pay you. And even more if you exceed expectations (a common trait among XANTees)
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Latest news
Predictable Wind PowerWind power is variable, but predictable! Let’s not beat around the bush: wind power is variable. Output power of a wind turbine varies with the wind speed and every location will have some degree of wind speed variations around an average value. Even on a windy night in Vanuatu, wind speed and thus output power of the XANT turbines will fluctuate. Wind power is not intermittent however; it does not suddenly start nor stops. Rather it is constant variation around an average value in combination with more long-term cycles of windy days and periods of calm. Variability is ok, after all also the electrical load on a grid constantly changes, if it can be predicted and thus considered in dispatch schedules to ensure the continuity of supply. Wind power output prediction is already done for larger wind farms on- and off-shore. The progress in Artificial Intelligence and in...
Facilitating Sustainable FarmingWind matches the agricultural load This XANT clients runs a poultry hatchery in West-Flanders. Poultry hatcheries produce most of the eggs consumed in the developed world. The chicks are bred at controlled room temperature and continuous ventilation, and hence hatcheries consume a lot of electricity. To run their farm in the most sustainable way, the owners have decided to invest in a XANT wind turbine. The XANT M-24 is ideally suited for the wind regime in the site. The semi-agricultural/industrial character of the surroundings make the turbine blend in very well. The XANT M turbine will provide up to 80% of their electricity needs when they need it most: in the colder fall and winter months when the heating need (with heat pumps) is the highest. A longstanding tradition of providing power to the farmers The great-grandfather XANT’s founder was a blacksmith taking care of the hooves...
Plug-and-Play in The PhilippinesHow play is plug? Wind turbines are not plug and play: they interface with the local electrical grid; their foundations interact with the subsoil and obviously are exposed to local ambient conditions. These interfaces can be straightforward (stable voltage conditions because interconnected to a large central grid, soil with plenty of load-bearing capacity) or cumbersome (weak grids fed by older diesel genset, swampy soils...). Engineers love to design the right solution for every challenge, but this takes time and money. Together with its partners XANT has developed solutions that enable deployment of XANT turbines with no need for site-specific engineering nor customization (except for your logo on the nacelle and the blades in your favorite color!) This keeps the cost of your project down: you are not only saving engineering hours but thanks to economies of scale, XANT can offer these solutions at a lower cost. Concrete-less foundations Concrete-less foundations...
Wind+Storage Made EasyXANT introduces a revolutionary wind+storage solution. All XANT wind turbines are now available with an integrated battery system. Batteries will be of the Li-Ion technology type ensuring the maximum energy density at the lowest footprint. The XANT Energy Storage Unit (ESU) will be seamlessly integrated into the XANT AC-DC-AC power-electronic converter without any additional complexity or the need for extra conversion stages. The ESU will come with its integrated Battery Management System (BMS) ensuring safe operation of the battery pack at all times. Storage with the S of Smart (and Smoothening, Shaving, Stand-alone, Spinning and Shifting!) A XANT wind turbine with integrated storage enables a whole myriad of functions that turn your asset into a smart device that continuously and autonomously can optimize your revenue stream. Some examples of how a XANT ESU can outsmart your utility bill: By time-shifting the delivery of electricity produced by the turbine,...
David meets GoliathWind turbine technology benefits from economies of scale. Large wind turbines have a specific (per kW) cost that is lower than mid-size turbines, they are put on taller towers, so their rotors are exposed to higher wind speeds and less turbulence. There is a reason why utility-grade turbines (and especially off-shore turbines) keep increasing in size. But size does matter, and size needs to fit the needs. XANT builds mid-size turbines for applications where restrictions to the size of the turbine apply. Mostly these stem from logistic constraints: the roads or port infrastructure often are simply not suitable for transporting larger machines. Also, micro-grids or island systems might only have a need for a limited amount of wind on the system and prefer to install several smaller units instead of one larger one for resiliency. In a behind-the-meter- application, where the revenue model is based on maximizing on-site...
Let our clients do the talkingCompanies can keep on blabbering on how great their products are. At XANT we are not any different. But not this month! XANT M at Ackron Farm, Melvich (Scotland) Heather Stuart. Ackron Farm Partner: “We were nervous about entering the medium wind sector owing to tough operating climate here in the North of Scotland combined with our remoteness for back up if problems were to occur. We have found XANT to be a good business partner. The XANTPORTAL is excellent providing remote communication all day every day which should prolong the life span of the components and allow timely servicing, all handled professionally by the XANT team. Another short-term issue we have is the area grid capacity being unable to allow more than 50kW export, which the XANT has fulfilled seamlessly. We were concerned with brake wear and the possibility of shorter component life but owing to its...
XANT goes glocalComing soon to a XANT partner near you: all the necessary details about our technology in your local language and in your time zone! After building up a first series of reference projects from Vanuatu to Alaska, it is now time to bring XANT closer to its potential customers. Not mere resellers Wind turbines are inevitably rooted locally, and they won’t go anywhere for the next 20 years. But before that, the on-site wind regime, regional regulatory framework for permitting and grid connection, and any government incentive (whether it is a tax reduction, grant money or a feed-in tariff) all come into play to build a successful project. XANT partners turn opportunities into profitable installations by applying their knowledge on all these aspects. Once the project is started they remain your local point of contact to address any concern you might have with the installation. During installation and...
The XANT L on its wayThe LARGE-size of the XANT M, the XANT L (what’s in a name), is gradually taking shape. One of the key performance indicators: the amount of electricity produced at a certain wind speed has been pinned down. Benchmarking shows the Annual Energy Yield of the XANT L-33 (IEC class IA) to be on par with a much more complex and expensive design and to beat the other competing products. The class IIIA version of the XANT L will add another 15-20% to the AEY at lower-windspeed sites. Three times the size, same unique features True to our DNA and the JEEP design principle, the XANT will also consist of Just Enough Essential Parts: a direct-drive generator, stall-controlled and down-wind rotor for maximum simplicity. The unique swept-back planform will marry looks with performance also for the XANT M’s big brother. Environmental impact is of importance in community-wind projects and...
A warm Arctic welcomeIn the craze of shipping deadlines, purchase orders and factory-acceptance tests, we sometimes overlook what the purpose is of what we do at XANT. In the case of off-grid village power installations, it’s not until we arrive on-site that we meet face with the end-user. In Pilot Point, AK the XANT team got a particularly warm welcome. Remoteness instilling respect and solidarity Pilot Point is a fishing village on the Ugashik Bay in south-west Alaska. Population stands at about 60 people, mostly native fishermen making a living with salmon fishing. These people work in the harshest environments: high winds, seasonal darkness, very cold water and icing are part of their daily routine during the short but intense fishing season. XANT teamed up with Intelligent Energy Services and the local crew to get the turbines up and running in what was a finger-numbing but heart-warming experience. The remoteness of...
XANT blade design: breaking the mouldHow the JEEP approach led to breaking the rules XANT set out in the mid-size wind industry to do things differently. We believe the challenges of putting up turbines in remote locations and keeping them spinning are very different from building wind power plants. We set out to fight the misconception that wind power is too complicated to be deployed and operated on hard-to-reach places or in isolated singular installations. Our Just-Enough-Essential-Parts (JEEP) design philosophy triggered us to think out of the mould. Eliminating the main culprit of down-time Our starting point back in 2009 was a study on reliability of wind turbines in which most of the leading manufacturers contributed with observed failure rates of components and subsystems over a large sample of turbines. The main culprits for down-time were the gearbox, the converter, the yaw system and the pitch system. The latter being the failure-champion, the...