Interview with Dr. Paul Ellsmore, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult centre, Glasgow

A 5-member UK delegation participated in the recent workshops (03/02 & 06/02) on offshore wind energy organised by the UK Science & Innovation Network India in Ahmedabad and Chennai. I met with Dr. Paul Ellsmore, Academic & Cross-Catapult Manager from the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult centre, Glasgow to find out more about the centre’s ongoing projects and future plans.

This is your first time in India! How was your overall experience with the workshops and networking?
Well first, I’d like to thank you and your colleagues for inviting us over and organising a wonderful week of activities for us. Everyone we’ve met has been friendly, open and approachable, and there has been a real sense of enthusiasm for making offshore wind work for India. The two workshops were an ideal opportunity for us to make the kind of contacts that can be built upon going forward, and I know my colleagues were very impressed by the test facilities that they were shown around, and the research projects that are going on here.

What are the ongoing activities at the ORE catapult?
We are building a centre of deep expertise and working on projects designed to drive the commercialisation of innovative technology in the offshore renewable energy sector to ensure abundant, affordable energy from offshore wind, wave and tide. Early projects include the System performance, Availability and Reliability Trend Analysis (SPARTA), a joint collaboration programme with The Crown Estate aimed at improving wind turbine operational performance by increasing safety, reliability and availability, thereby cutting the cost of electricity generated from offshore wind by creating a database for sharing anonymised offshore wind farm performance and maintenance data.

Does the Catapult exclusively work with companies?
As a technology and innovation centre, we work side by side with businesses, scientists, academics and engineers on research and development – transforming ideas into new products and services to generate economic growth. Our work tends to be highly collaborative, which we see as the best way to accelerate the development of offshore renewable technologies. This may be in technology innovation, driving standardisation or increasing the collective knowledge and understanding of operating in the marine environment, and may be with individual companies or wide partnerships of stakeholders.

In the long term, do you foresee international collaborations?
Yes. Whilst we are currently focused in the UK, we are actively looking to build collaborations across international boundaries in order to influence legislators, increase the sum of knowledge and further technology innovation to accelerate the commercialisation of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy capture.

What are your impressions regarding the potential for UK-India partnerships in offshore wind energy?
There is considerable opportunity for India to take the experience of offshore wind operation in the UK, and to use it to develop both its own industrial base and further the research and development of future technologies, drawing on its considerable experience in parallel industries, such as automotive and aerospace. Partnerships between Indian and British companies could deliver huge benefits for both nations and substantially accelerate the global deployment of low-carbon, renewable technologies.