JUNE/JULY 2013 | £5.25 - Wind Energy Network

Research & DevelopmentResearch & DevelopmentTheNationalRenewableEnergyCentreWe are proud to introduce The NationalRenewable Energy Centre (Narec) as our sponsorsfor the Research & Development feature – thecollaboration could not be more fitting for bothourselves, whose aim is to help the industry inany way we can and Narec who have, since theirinception, developed a worldwide reputation as aground breaking research centre.This Research & Development feature will remain aregular feature in forthcoming editions so please do nothesitate in supplying interesting and innovative editorialfor inclusion.Collaboration is keyfor the offshore windsupply chainIt is widely acknowledged thattechnology innovation is essential todeliver lower cost and more reliableoffshore wind energy. However,one of the biggest barriers for newsuppliers into the offshore renewableenergy sector is their inability todemonstrate the financial andtechnical viability of their products.NarecNarec, located in Blyth, Northumberlandprovides the most comprehensiveopen-access test and research facilitiesanywhere in the world for the scale-up ofoffshore renewable energy technologies.These reliability, design verification andaccelerated life testing facilities (electricaland mechanical) have been built to meetdemand for the development of biggerturbines and bigger blades.They provide ‘sticky assets’ and asupportive environment to get newtechnologies ready for deployment sooner– these are extremely difficult to replicateelsewhere and anchor knowledge in theUK to help focus and cluster the supplychain here.De-risking projectsBy aligning their world-leadingindependent research, testing anddemonstration facilities to de-risk projectsNarec can encourage the supply chain inthe UK to scale up technologies sooner.Without a turbine assembly plant, theUK has established project deliveryexpertise in the engineering design,consenting and installation of offshorewind power systems. This is transferringknowledge from the offshore oil and gas,onshore wind, automotive, and electricitygeneration, transmission and distributionsectors.Multi-disciplinary teamNarec has a multi-disciplinary teamof scientists and engineers who workalongside project developers, utilities,major manufacturers, universities andinternational research centres for bothcommercial projects, and UK andEuropean funded R&D programmes.Track recordOver the past ten years, Narec hasdemonstrated a track record of successby initiating and delivering European andNational collaborative R&D projects whichthey have implemented to encourageand drive forward innovation in the supplychain. By solving technical challengesand creating new industry benchmarkstheir projects are extremely importantin achieving an upscale in technologies,supporting market entry for new productsand services and reducing developmentand deployment timeframes of offshorerenewable energy technologies.ProjectsSix projects have been approvedwhich address key technical challengesassociated with the offshore wind supplychain,Examples include…• Offshore wind turbine foundationfabrication• Condition monitoring of windturbine towers and blades• The development and automatedapplication of protective coatingsfor the design life of wind turbinestructuresEuropean RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF)Narec has also secured funding fromthe ERDF to deliver two programmes -The National Wind and Marine TestingFacility Programme and RenewableEnergy Technology AcceleratorProgramme (RETA) to support SMEsin North East England moving into theoffshore wind and marine renewableenergy supply chains.Technology transferworkshops and advisoryservicesAs part of these projects, companiescan engage in a series of technologytransfer workshops and advisoryservices to help them to developtheir products and services. This issupported by an online resource toencourage collaboration, improvemarket intelligence and to help identifyfuture business and funding calls.In the manufacturing supply chain,medium sized engineering companieshave successfully partnered with non-UKcompanies developing new turbines forthe UK offshore market. Others havemade long term investments in plant andare supplying the current round of nearshoreoffshore wind farms being installed.Regional Growth Fund WindInnovation ProgrammeNarec’s success in building partnershipsand collaborations across the UK andEurope was further recognised in thesecond round of the Government’sRegional Growth Fund with the award ofthe £11 million Offshore Wind InnovationProgramme.After preparing the bid, the organisationwill now manage the programme which isbringing together offshore market leaderswith world-class technology providers andacademia in the UK.Narecwww.narec.comNarec online resource linkwww.renewables-innovation.co.ukClick to view more info26 www.windenergynetwork.co.ukwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk 27