Wind power is team effort

As a show of appreciation for their efforts, 25 Rengineers mechanics were given ownership of a wind turbine in Northern Ireland. After signing a certificate, they became the official joint-owners, sharing the wind turbine’s yield for the coming twenty years.

In the Netherlands, new wind turbines are steadily being built on land and on water but, until recently, this was an unfamiliar phenomenon for Northern Ireland. The change began with the government’s focus on promoting sustainable energy. For the Barneveld Rengineers, this was the occasion to spread their wings, explains Frans van Zetten, responsible for the company’s sales, marketing, and communications.

“We installed the first revised windmills in 2014. Now, there are 130 windmills which, following thorough renovation, will easily last 20 years more,” he continues. “In fact, they have only improved, because our own Barneveld refurbishment warehouse has equipped the windmills with the latest technologies.”

“As the mechanics contribute to optimum windmill performance every day, we could not think of a finer way of maximising their commitment than to make them co-owners, with 25 share certificates distributed by a notary official,” says Van Zetten. Kay Vedder, one of the mechanics who was awarded a certificate, comments: “It is wonderful to experience quality commitment being rewarded. I have become joint-owner of an actual windmill. This is a company I plan to stay with.”

For notary official Harry van Kasteel with notary firm Dangremond, who officiated the transfer of certificates, this was a special occurrence: “You rarely get to experience these kinds of events. The signing session was a celebration in and of itself; under a marquee, with a view of the small windmill, the mechanics individually signed and transferred a symbolic sum. How wonderful to see a company express its appreciation for its employees in this way. This is how you create real commitment. I feel delighted to have seen so many happy faces.”