Phoenix Contact received Deutsche Messe AG's 2012 Hermes Award for its Lightning Monitoring System. Dr. Martin Wetter, business unit manager for surge voltage protection, accepted the award from Federal Minister of Education and Research Anette Schavan during the opening ceremonies of the Hanover Fair 2012 trade show, April 23-27 in Hanover, Germany.The Lightning Monitoring System measures lightning surges in lightning conductors and conveys operational status evaluations via the Internet to the remote control center. The system is based on the electrical-optical Faraday effect and measures the full course of the lightning surge as well as the impact on each of the individual rotor blades. Furthermore, the system helps to ensure that the plant continues to function, and it increases the reliability of the electric energy supply. Lightning strikes are responsible for most incidents involving damage to wind turbine rotor blades. This groundbreaking system facilitates continuous monitoring and ensures that maintenance work can be quickly initiated and targeted more effectively greater cost-efficiency.The Hermes Award was awarded this year for the ninth time. Deutsche Messe AG created the award to honor innovative companies. Phoenix Contact was nominated for the Hermes Award for the first time in 2005.Earlier in the month, TechQuest Pennsylvania named Phoenix Contact its 2012 Pennsylvania Technology Provider of the Year. The company was also named a finalist in the Pennsylvania Growth Company of the Year category. The Technology Provider award recognizes a company that provides technology applications, equipment, resources and/or other solutions to enhance its customers' operations.Phoenix Contact received this year's award for its innovations in WirelessHART technology. In 2010, Phoenix Contact introduced the first WirelessHART gateway with integrated WiFi and added the WirelessHART adapter to its line. In addition, the company hired more than 100 people in 2011, leading to recognition in the Growth Company category.
