Imagine a place where scientists, engineers, and businessmen are jointly creating the next best technology, which will change the way our world functions – welcome to the Catapult centre!
The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) has created a network of Catapults in the UK to support innovation, and thereby drive economic growth. Currently, there are seven Catapults with an additional two in the pipeline, energy systems and diagnostics for stratified medicine. Please read a previous blog on the Catapults for more information.
The offshore renewable energy (ORE) catapult centre, situated in Glasgow, spearheads the development and rapid commercialisation of innovative technologies in the areas of offshore wind, and wave & tidal energy. While the UK currently generates about 3.6 GW of power from offshore wind, industry projections indicate that the capacity might ratchet up to 8 GW by 2016. Also, the combined value of wave and tidal energy is expected to reach £4 billion by 2020. The centre will provide value-add by bringing together the necessary equipment, expertise, and skill sets to address key challenges, creating pathways to monitor technology development, and marketing promising technologies to potential investors and end users.
The centre is currently collaborating with the Crown Estate for the System performance, Availability and Reliability Trend Analysis (SPARTA) project with a combined financial commitment of over £850,000. This project will enhance the wind turbine operational performance and subsequently, reduce the cost of electricity generation from offshore wind. The centre works closely with a variety of stakeholders including industry, academic research community, and small & medium enterprises (SMEs), among others.
To learn more about the ongoing projects and future plans of the ORE catapult, read my interview with Dr. Paul Ellsmore.
To find out more about the expertise of the UK in offshore renewable energy, you might want to attend the following upcoming events in the UK, being organised by RenewableUK:
- Wave & Tidal 2014, Belfast, 26-27 February 2014
- Cymru 2014, Cardiff, 1 May 2014
- Global Offshore Wind 2014, Glasgow, 11-12 June 2014