Hans Bernhoff

Prof. Bernhoff received his doctoral degree from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden, in 1992 in the field of material physics/surface science. After one year (1992-1993) as postdoctoral reseaercher at IBM Research Division in Zurich, Switzerland, he joined ABB Corporate Research at Västerås (Sweden) as a project leader. In 2001, Prof. Bernhoff became an associate professor at the Division of Electricity, Uppsala University, and was appointed as a professor in 2011.

Prof. Bernhoff received his doctoral degree from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden, in 1992 in the field of material physics/surface science. After one year (1992-1993) as postdoctoral reseaercher at IBM Research Division in Zurich, Switzerland, he joined ABB Corporate Research at Västerås (Sweden) as a project leader. In 2001, Prof. Bernhoff became an associate professor at the Division of Electricity, Uppsala University, and was appointed as a professor in 2011. He is also currently CEO of a start-up company Vertical Wind AB. He is a serial entrepreneur (co-founder and first CEO) of Energy Potential AB, Seabased AB, Vertical Wind AB, and Electric Line Uppland AB. He has beenas a board member of the Swedish Society of Vacuum Science (1996-1998) and FRAM-consortium (Fundamental Research and Application of Magnetism) from 2002. Prof. Bernhoff received a number of awards: Inventor of the year “Årets Uppfinnare” from ABB Corporate Research (1994 and 1995), Sveriges Ingenjörers Miljöfondens Stipendium (2004 and 2011). He is inventor or co-inventor of 21 patents in wave, wind and tidal energy systems as well as energy storage.

At Uppsala University Bernhoff has mostly been engaged in Wave Power research on a direct drive point absorber technology, Pulsed Power research on inductive pulse generator (40 TW successfully demonstrated) and in Wind Power.

In Wind Power Bernhoff has mainly studied vertical axis wind turbines, where the blades are rotating around a vertical axis as opposed to a horizontal, as in conventional wind power plants. One of the advantages with a vertical axis is that the generator can be situated on the ground, which gives a better performance and cheaper construction costs. He has studied and developed a full new directly driven vertical axis wind turbine system for large applications and in connection with spin-off company Vertical Wind demonstrated grid connected operation in the 200 kW Falkenberg VAWT. For which two precursor systems were developed and studied: a 2 kW vertical axis wind turbine of Uppsala University was constructed in 2005, and in 2006, a 12 kW turbine was developed and built at Marsta outside Uppsala.

Last years he has been involved in studying and develop small VAWTs for nano-grid installations in connection with astronomical research installations at extreme cold locations (Antarctica and Greenland) with strong demands on minimal EMC emission.