First GE Haliade nacelle arrives in UK for testing

 GE's Haliade 150-6MW nacelle is transported to the Catapult's 15MW drive train test facility.

The first GE Renewable Energy offshore wind turbine nacelle to be tested in the UK under a recent research & development agreement has been delivered to the Catapult’s world-leading 15MW drive train test facility in Blyth, Northumberland.

The Haliade 150-6MW nacelle, containing the direct drive offshore wind turbine’s Permanent Magnet Generator, will undergo advanced test and demonstration programmes that accurately replicate real-world operational conditions to further enhance performance and reliability.

£1.3m funding boost for Scottish offshore wind innovation

 The Catapult's 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine in Methil, Fife.

The Catapult has announced a £1.3m programme of technology innovation projects designed to advance Scotland’s offshore wind sector.

The programme is backed by £445k funding from the Scottish Government, a further £150k from industry partners including Fergusons Marine Engineering, CWind and WOOD, and matched funding from ORE Catapult.

The four projects will focus on next generation crew transfer and service vessels, a technology accelerator programme, investigating alternative communication and remote supervisory systems, and establishing a ‘Fit for Offshore’ business excellence programme to enable the Scottish supply chain to access offshore wind commercial opportunities.

Innovation agreement boosts offshore wind supply chain

Vattenfall's European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. Credit: Vattenfall/TVP Film & Multimedia Ltd.

The Catapult will collaborate with Swedish energy group Vattenfall to give innovators the chance to test and demonstrate their technologies at the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC), off Aberdeen.

The move will strengthen the UK supply chain and underpin a competitive offshore wind industry, with promising firms being given an opportunity to demonstrate new technologies in real-world conditions at one of the world's most cutting-edge green energy projects. The 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. 

Catapult launches new big data service

POD offers data gathered from the Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine.

The Catapult has launched a unique open-access data service designed to improve our understanding of how offshore wind farms operate in real-world conditions and support innovative research, projects and product development.

The Platform for Operational Data (POD) service offers a comprehensive series of data sets from ORE Catapult’s 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine in Fife, as well as the turbine’s met mast and electrical substation. Data sets available include time series from turbine SCADA, turbine alarms and events, met mast (on and offshore) and grid/substation information. Industry large and small, academics and researchers can use the data to test and validate data-driven models, methodologies and analyses.

Arts Minister hits new heights at Great Exhibition of the North

Michael Ellis MP enjoys an immersive hybrid reality tour of the Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine.

UK Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, Michael Ellis MP, celebrated opening the Great Exhibition of the North with an up-close inspection of the Catapult's Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine – virtually speaking, of course.

The iHR Offshore Wind Turbine has been developed as a training tool to hone the skills of the next generation of engineers in the growing offshore wind sector. It has been adapted for display as part of the Great Exhibition of the North by the Catapult and project partners Heriot-Watt University (CyberBuild Lab), Animmersion UK limited, and the Energy Skills Partnership.

The virtual turbine can be visited at the Urban Sciences Building, Science Central Newcastle until 9^th September (certain dates excluded – visit Great Exhibition of the North for full details).

This game-changing textile blade could revolutionise offshore wind

ACT Blade founder Dr Sabrina Malpede.

Edinburgh-based SME ACT Blade is the latest to feature in our Backing the Game Changers series, which profiles companies developing cutting-edge solutions in offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

Founder Dr Sabrina Malpede identified the opportunity to adapt her sailing technology to improve wind turbine performance. She entered the Catapult's blades innovation challenge and established ACT Blade, which is working on the world's first textile turbine blade. The technology could be 50% lighter than conventional fibreglass blades, increasing energy production by 9.7% and reducing the levelised cost of energy by 8.7%. Watch the full video case study here.

O&M Case Studies

If you're hungry for more from the cutting edge of offshore renewables innovation, our O&M Case Studies series has two new additions. The first explores the drivers behind Equinor's operations team leading on the refurbishment of two faulty gearboxes at Sheringham Shoal, while the second investigates the benefits of advanced medical training for offshore wind technicians.

Both papers are brimming with relevant, actionable analysis and first-hand insight into successful, real-world O&M projects that have produced tangible benefits – a must-read for anyone involved in offshore wind operations.

And the latest issue of Circuit Magazine focuses on the innovative SMEs that demonstrated their game-changing technologies on our pavilion at the recent Global Offshore Wind 2018 conference in Manchester. Download it here.