Playing with the wind – Inventors of the Year04:33

Thorkil Munk-Hansen (55) is the head designer at Siemens Gamesa in Vejle, Denmark. It is his job to arrange the many components and systems of a wind turbine in such a way that the turbine will reliably operate for a period of 25 years and can be easily maintained. During the design process, the inventor has to plan all life cycles of a wind turbine in advance: How can it be cost effectively produced and transported? And how can service technicians have the easiest-possible access to components that require maintenance? There is a lot left to invent in this relatively new industry, which is why Munk Hansen has received 116 individual patents in his nine years with the company. For this, Munk-Hansen has won the award as Inventor of the Year 2017 in the Lifetime Achievement category. Learn more: