Wind energy is expanding rapidly across the globe, establishing itself as a vital element for climate action, energy independence, and supply reliability. At the upcoming WindEnergy event in Hamburg, Germany (September 22–25, 2026), Phoenix Contact will demonstrate how its advanced components, systems, and solutions drive this transformation.Located in Hall B6, Booth 472, the Phoenix Contact exhibition centers on four interconnected technology pillars.
The core framework is the PLCnext Technology automation and control platform. This open ecosystem integrates control hardware, engineering software, a dedicated app store, community resources, and cloud connectivity. Because modern wind turbines rely on fully networked systems and remote access for operations, monitoring, and maintenance, they face higher cybersecurity risks. To address this, PLCnext Control devices—alongside supporting routers, switches, and power supplies—are engineered and certified under the IEC 62443-4-1 and IEC 62443-4-2 standards.
Furthermore, by utilizing a hybrid panel PC from Phoenix Contact, operators can merge wind turbines with solar arrays and battery storage, creating a unified hybrid park that delivers reliable renewable energy.The display also features the Blade Intelligence System, a specialized solution for rotor blade monitoring. This modular platform, compatible with both new and retrofitted installations, detects ice formation directly on the blades. It also measures mechanical stress through load monitoring and tracks structural integrity over time. The system relies on PLCnext Technology to evaluate and process this critical data.
For predictive maintenance and condition monitoring, the company introduces MLnext, a machine learning solution. While initially created for industrial manufacturing, MLnext adapts seamlessly to wind turbine and wind farm environments. The software analyzes sensor data to evaluate equipment health, automatically identifying anomalies and alerting maintenance teams instantly.
André Koehnke, Deputy Vice President Energy at Phoenix Contact, emphasizes: “Merging a hybrid panel PC, MLnext, and Blade Intelligence onto the PLCnext Technology platform offers immense value to manufacturers and operators. A single central controller manages all processing, data analysis, and control tasks. This setup ensures that rotor blade sensor data is not just monitored, but can be evaluated via AI to forecast technical failures much sooner. This approach directly matches the wind sector’s shift toward secure, centralized, and data-driven asset management.”