Four businesses have bagged funding worth over £4 million in total to help lower the costs of generating offshore wind energy.
High Voltage Partial Discharge, 2-B Energy, SgurrControl and Ocean Resouce will share the cash for research and development into offshore wind power.
Design concepts range from a two-blade turbine (pictured) to a control system aimed at increasing the lifespan of offshore wind infrastructure – which is expected to reduce costs by up to 35% – to developing and trialling a new type of monitoring technology that will provide early warning of faults in cables.
Energy Minister Greg Barker said: “The UK is already the world leader in offshore wind – with more deployed than any other country. The benefits that offshore wind can bring are clear – from enhancing our energy security, reducing our dependence on imports and helping reduce our carbon emissions.
“Innovation is critical to cutting the cost of this low-carbon power source, which could in turn lead to lower bills for hardworking consumers.”
The funding was awarded as part of DECC’s Offshore Component Technologies Scheme.
