Accelerating Technology to meet with new demand for Offshore Wind
Recent announcements from the Crown Estate signal the acceleration of offshore wind deployment in UK waters. NaREC, leading independent R&D centre for new energy technologies, is set to play a major role in ensuring the industry is prepared for advances on such a colossal scale.
The Crown Estate has now released eleven new sites around the UK for Offshore Wind farms, which are to provide 25 gigawatts of power by 2020. Contributing up to 30% of the UK’s overall electricity needs, and requiring up to £80 billion of investment , this announcement will require rapid change in the wind industry as the focus of technology development and supply chain support shifts from onshore farms to the offshore environment.
NaREC estimates that in order to reach these 2020 targets, 5000 turbines could potentially need to be installed around the UK. Over 800 turbines alone could be deployed in the North Sea site 150km off the North East coast – signaling a major opportunity for the North East of England, and NaREC.
The challenge lies in developing a smooth, cost effective and efficient deployment process for the large scale manufacture, assembly, transportation, installation and maintenance of these 5000 turbines. To date, offshore turbines have been based upon onshore turbine technology adapted and scaled-up of the offshore environment. Reliability and performance of these turbines has therefore been based on their operation onshore.
Developing turbines for the offshore environment on the scale now required means that developers must now return to the drawing board to develop technology specifically for the offshore environment.
Dr. Keith Melton, Director of Technology and Innovation at NaREC said, “The pace and efficiency of installation that will be required to meet 2020 targets means that the industry cannot afford to wait for turbines to prove themselves in service – the technology must be faultless before we begin installing 5000 turbines off our coasts.”
NaREC is already making steps to prepare and support the manufacturing and supply base that will be needed to accelerate the offshore industry. NaREC is currently investigating the possibility of developing a range of new testing and development facilities of world significance, which will be dedicated to providing the technology support needed for the next generation of wind farms. These plans include the development of the world’s largest testing facilities for turbine blades and nacelles, an R&D campus and full scale on and offshore demonstration sites.
North East is ideally placed to capitalise on offshore wind. Not only is the region capable of servicing all three offshore sites within the North Sea from our engineering bases on the banks of the rivers Blyth, Tyne, Wear and Tees, but we also have the space and expertise to accommodate the major manufacturing that will be required to build all of the turbines which would then be deployed up and down the coast of the UK.
These announcements are a major wake up call for the North East’s shipbuilding industry, which has the opportunity to develop specialized installation vessels suitable for managing the installation of offshore turbines. North East businesses have already played a key role in offshore wind turbine installation, with IHC Engineering Business playing a key role in the installation of the flagship Talisman offshore turbines which were deployed off the coast of Scotland.
Thousands of jobs to be created within the North East to support the industry would include engineers, technicians and specialised offshore operations workers. Much training will be required to build upon the North East’s existing expertise in heavy engineering, over and above existing training programmes currently offered at Northumberland College. NaREC has recently teamed up with Safety Technology, who is now offering safety training programmes for offshore wind operations and maintenance personnel from within NaREC’s wind development facilities at Blyth.
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High Resolution Photography is available. Contact Sheena McGeorge on 07766 498 068
sheena.mcgeorge@narec.co.uk
Editors Notes
NaREC is an independent, cross-disciplined research and development platform serving developers, manufacturers and investors in new and renewable energy worldwide. In partnership with Industry, NaREC is achieving new breakthroughs in the design, deployment and commercialisation of sustainable energy technologies, shaping the future through innovation.
In the move towards sustainability, NaREC works with the power industry to evolve electrical networks and systems to accommodate the changing characteristics of energy resources. Upholding high industry standards for testing and certification, we are dedicated to preserving the integrity of the electrical network through innovation.
Our specialised team of technical and engineering consultants with a wide range of practical experience work to support the development and testing facilities at NaREC, helping to bridge the gap between innovation and realisation.
NaREC’s unique world-class facilities offer testing and development of large wind turbine blades, marine renewables, offshore and subsea equipment, micro-renewables and High Voltage electrical equipment. NaREC also has facilities and consultancy expertise for the development and integration of large and small-scale renewables into the energy mix including assistance with small scale embedded generation and power systems analysis. NaREC also runs the UK’s only Independent Photovoltaic R&D Laboratory, combining small scale manufacturing and solar cell process development.
The New and Renewable Energy Centre Limited is a self-standing but not for profit organisation (a company limited by guarantee).
For further information please contact:
Sheena McGeorge
New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC)
Blyth, Northumberland
NE24 3AG
Direct Dial: 07766 498 068
Email: sheena.mcgeorge@narec.co.uk
