28.11.2023 | General information

Green Energy & Orange Safety – Looking back on a year full of innovations

2023 is coming to an end – one more reason to review the highlights of the year, and above all the focus on Green Energy & Orange Safety. In 2023 the advances in fall protection on photovoltaic (PV) installations on flat roofs stood particularly in the foreground.

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Continuous self-development, product optimisation and entering markets which we had not previously targeted – these are some of the things that make us unique.

Christoph Reiter
Innotech's annual review - focus on green energy and orange safety

But viewed overall, we focussed equally on the area of hydro-electric plants, and moved into the wind turbine sector. In all of this, innovative solutions, partnerships and revolutionary updates played a decisive role.

 

New partnerships – new substructures for PV

For over 20 years, our utmost priority has been the protection of people working in fall risk areas. And this is also true for renewable energy, i.e. the photovoltaic sector. Here, we have succeeded in building up and extending partnerships with renowned substructure manufacturers such as novotegra, K2 Systems and AEROCOMPACT.

Thus, new pioneering solutions for fall protection directly on and adjacent to the photovoltaics substructure were developed. These new solutions aim not just to ensure the safety of people located on the roof and thus on the PV installation, but also to allow the optimum output to be generated from the equipment

 

Innotech breaks new ground

This year we discovered the route towards wind power. At this point we look back on more than 20 years of expertise in the area of fall protection. For us, innovations and new markets have always been in the foreground, and this will continue in future. Continuous self-development, product optimisation and entering markets which we had not previously targeted – these are some of the things that make us unique.

As a new member of the Bundesverband Windenergie Offshore e.V. (BWO), INNOTECH is also actively involved in promoting developments in offshore wind energy. This membership strengthens our involvement in the important developments in this industry.

And so this year, for the first time in the history of Innotech, we celebrated the Vertical Summit in Bremerhaven. In the RelyOn Nutec training centre, we invited experts from the wind energy industry to jointly examine the trends and current developments in the sector in terms of fall protection. Interactive workshops developed requirements specifications for vertical safety systems, so that practice-oriented modern solutions for the future can be developed.

 

Providing new products and updates, always combined with maximum safety

In 2023 we upgraded our single anchor points, and there were also innovations for the BARRIER guardrail system. But, first of all, our product innovation. We brought the UNI-EAP-01 onto the market. This can be attached to wood, steel, and concrete, which increases flexibility and adaptability for various types of construction project. Above all, its reusability makes it a winner.

There were several updates at once to the BARRIER system. BARRIER-SYST-01 can be attached to a standing seam roof, BARRIER-SYST-04 to a round seam roof, and BARRIER-SYST-20 to a trapezoidal shell roof.

In addition, the TAURUS slider reached a new stage of development. The TAURUS-GLEIT-HO-50 became the TAURUS-GLEIT-HO-53, and the TAURUS-GLEIT-HO-51/52 was replaced by the TAURUS-GLEIT-HO-54. These improvements create a whole range of benefits for the user. The redesign of the slider includes careful geometric optimisation which decisively improves its mobility and “handling” in curves.

 

Wiki knowledge base and Newsroom

Last but not least, our website also received a major update. Both of these areas are an essential point of reference for safety at height. Our overall objective with these new areas is to provide an insight into the world of fall protection, and always to be up-to-date about the latest developments. General terms relating to the subject of fall protection are dealt with here, and key topics are examined more closely in series of specialist articles.

The fall protection wiki depicts our knowledge world, and will grow in future through many further posts. It acts as an information source which concentrates particularly on aspects of fall protection. In the Newsroom we inform you specifically about topics relating to various application areas of fall protection. Costs, challenges, and even danger areas in very varied applications are examined in greater detail through guides and codes of practice. There is also a download area to explore.

For us, safety takes top priority, and knowledge is a fundamental key component for the operation of a fall protection system. Our wiki and Newsroom are designed to increase your understanding of fall protection systems, and to provide you with the necessary information for this.

 

Because one thing is certain: safety accepts no compromises.

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