The Aberdeen site will be used to “prove new technology” in offshore wind to strengthen the UK supply chain.
Vattenfall will allow the new wind farm in Aberdeen Bay to be used for real world conditions testing for a number of potentially cost saving technologies.
The ORE Catapult will manage engagement with innovators in the offshore wind supply chain and educational institutions to promote test and demonstration opportunities at the EOWDC, as well as supporting Vattenfall’s selection process and the review and communication of results.
Gunnar Groebler, head of Vattenfall’s Business Area Wind, said: “Vattenfall has already delivered innovation-driven cost reduction in offshore wind with the deployment of game changing technology at the EOWDC, supported by the Scottish Government, Crown Estate Scotland and the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group. Now we want to continue that pioneering spirit, in collaboration with ORE Catapult, by demonstrating the potential of UK innovators’ ideas to reduce costs and improve safety at an operating wind farm. We do that, and we get to freedom from fossil fuel faster.”
Chris Hill, ORE Catapult’s operational performance director, added: “The collaboration with Vattenfall on EOWDC provides a unique opportunity for UK innovators to work with ORE Catapult to bring new technologies to market through testing in a controlled real-world environment.
“To meet the sector’s ambitious targets, innovation is going to be a key enabler. Facilitating technology demonstration opportunities is the next logical step for innovators in the de-risking process, going from the lab to testing, using facilities such as at the Catapult’s Levenmouth and Blyth sites, or in the offshore operational environment at EOWDC.”
Jean Morrison, chair of the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, added: “From the beginning, we always envisioned the EOWDC as a pioneering project that would help drive down the costs of offshore wind and make it a competitive energy resource. The North-east of Scotland is emerging as an international centre of offshore wind innovation and this partnership between Vattenfall and ORE Catapult provides an exciting opportunity for the industry to learn and take this knowledge forward to future projects.”
Written by David McPhee
Read the original article here: https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/174556/aberdeen-wind-test-partnership-announced-for-vattenfall-and-ore-catapult/