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
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. 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 consumption the size of the wind turbine needs to be adapted...
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...
XANT goes to AfricaXANT is very proud to announce we will deliver the XANT M wind turbine for the mini-grids of 4 fishermen villages on the Mauritanian cost north of the capital Nouakchott. The project objective is to optimize the existing mini-grids in Mauritania by increasing the share of renewable energy and developing appropriate business models to ensure sustainability of the systems. The project is aligned with the Mauritanian government’s effort to promote energy access and clean energies and with the country’s poverty reduction strategy. The abundant wind resources on the Mauritanian coast defined the choice for a large wind component in the power mix: a total of 11 XANT M turbines will be installed spread out over 4 villages. Combined with energy storage and diesel back-up they will provide 24/7 reliable power and minimize fuel consumption. ...
Bringing the light at the lowest costXANT has delivered wind turbines for all kind of mini-grids across the globe: from a wind-diesel system in a fishermen village in Alaska, to a large multi-MW system in the Pacific to an experimental system on a demonstrator. If systems are being configured without considering wind power, this might lead to non-optimized systems and thus higher-than-necessary electricity costs. Often mini-grids nowadays are still combined with a “dispatchable” power generation technology, however, with the sharp decline in storage technologies the path is paved for 100%-renewable systems. What would such a system look like? To simplify things let’s only consider the two renewable-energy sources that are available on every location on this earth: solar and wind power. Resource maps guide the way The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank has done a great job in mapping the global wind and solar resource data and making them...
New markets for behind-the-meter wind*The economics of distributed wind projects could be looking promising as interest builds in the development of hybrid distributed energy development. The addition of wind can sweeten the financial performance of solar-plus-storage projects, but the calculation is technically and economically complex. That’s one reason the latest release of HOMER Grid incorporates a wind module. XANT encourages users to model diverse system configurations and decide whether wind is a potential fit. The results might be surprising, and the software will help weigh the complex variables involved in determining the best combination of components. Medium Wind is Poised for Growth In recent decades, economies of scale have unambiguously favored large turbines and wind farms, and “big wind” has grown rapidly. But, medium scale wind manufacturers operate with a completely different business model – the behind the meter market, where energy generated by the wind turbine is consumed on site. Since...
Solving the energy-water nexusIntroduction Access to clean water is of paramount importance for ensuring necessary levels of sanitation and health. According to the World Health Organization over 844 million people lack even a basic drinking-water service, including 159 million people who are dependent on surface water. Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces. Contaminated water can transmit diseases such diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. By 2025, the WHO estimates half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas. Disease prevention and economic development require, apart from electric energy, access to clean ground water supplies. XANT and Sustainable Power Systems combine their expertise to bring you the WindWell, the solution to the energy-water-nexus: access to ground water requires pumping, pumping requires energy. Analysis Wind power and water pumping are a match made in heaven. The storage of the pumped water allows decoupling...