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Three groundbreaking companies have been granted funding by the West of Orkney Windfarm through EMEC’s Offshore Wind R&I Programme.
The £1 million R&I programme, facilitated by EMEC and endorsed by the West of Orkney Windfarm, aims to identify innovative solutions that could deliver offshore wind more rapidly, affordably, and with reduced risk.
The programme’s initial innovation call attracted 29 submissions from supply chain companies. Proposals presented creative solutions addressing two specific challenge areas identified and prioritized by the programme: comprehending metocean conditions at and en route to the West of Orkney Windfarm site; and design for short weather window installations.
Eight companies advanced to the second stage of the initial call, submitting comprehensive project proposals for evaluation, after which finalists were invited to present their solutions to EMEC and the West of Orkney Windfarm team.
Funding has been allocated to TRIOS Renewables and Seaview Sensing for the metocean challenge, while Subsequent Ocean will address short weather windows.
- TRIOS Renewables is developing a solution to integrate spatial metocean intelligence into offshore wind operational expenditure (OpEx) models, bridging the gap between the oceanography sector and the OpEx domain. This software will help mitigate risks and enhance the bankable financial performance of projects before a final investment decision (FID).
- Seaview Sensing aims to increase wave measurement precision in extreme conditions and provide wind mapping to ensure continuous data on surface currents, waves, and wind via a high-frequency radar system. This information can be leveraged for real-time metocean insights and, with models, enhance forecasting and identify weather windows, thus lessening the risk posed by maritime weather to personnel, cargo, and vessels.
- Subsequent Ocean has created an innovative Wave Predictor tool that forecasts waves and vessel motions in real-time for the forthcoming moments. This decision support instrument provides predictions at the level of detail of individual waves and motion crests, enabling crews to select calmer periods for executing the most critical aspects of offshore operations.
Projects are currently in progress and are expected to be completed this year.
A subsequent series of innovation calls will target different challenge areas identified by the West of Orkney Windfarm and additional sponsors, covering technology selection, installation logistics, operations and maintenance, sustainable solutions, offshore robotics, digital twins, and various cross-cutting innovations.
The next innovation call is set to launch in February 2025 and will focus on solutions for ‘weather forecasting’ and ‘turbine access in challenging seas’.
Matthew Finn, Business Director at EMEC stated:
“Congratulations to Trios Renewables, Seaview Sensing, and Subsequent Ocean. The West of Orkney Windfarm will be the inaugural offshore wind project to harness the powerful resources west of the UK. This presents a multitude of challenges, and the innovations put forward in the initial call will help mitigate risks and uncertainties in constructing and operating the wind farm. EMEC will continue to support the successful companies throughout the delivery phase of their projects, providing them with access to in-house experts, data sets, and our offshore testing facilities where necessary.
“As these projects commence, we are preparing to launch the next innovation call, alongside engaging other parties who may be interested in sponsoring the programme and future calls to further develop it.”
Stuart McAuley, West of Orkney Windfarm Project Director stated:
“We are thrilled that these three prominent firms have been selected to help tackle some of the real-world challenges facing Scotland’s leading offshore wind sector, and while their efforts will be concentrated on the West of Orkney Windfarm, we anticipate the results of this programme will have broader implications for the delivery of offshore wind projects in challenging marine settings.
“This programme also supports the diversification strategy of a major Orkney employer by leveraging EMEC’s extensive experience in the management of innovation programmes in offshore wind.
“Future calls will address additional challenges facing the sector, and we hope the success of the Offshore Wind R&I Programme will embed knowledge and expertise in Scotland that will extend to projects beyond our shores.”
David McMillan, Director and Co-Founder at TRIOS Renewables Ltd stated:
“We’ve been impressed by the dedication and determination of everyone at West of Orkney and their openness to adopting innovation as an essential tool to bring their project to Final Investment Decision. It’s refreshing to see a developer directly extracting the best innovative ideas and then funding them – I believe it’s a model that should be applied more widely in the offshore wind industry. For Trios, as an innovative Scotland-based SME in offshore wind, this represents a fantastic opportunity and we intend to fully capitalize on it.”
Lucy Wyatt, Technical Director at Seaview Sensing stated:
“We’re incredibly excited to be part of this R&I initiative that will significantly accelerate our research programme and generate more robust metocean data. For us, it is a crucial opportunity to engage directly with the offshore wind sector and gain insights on how they utilize data and how we can best tailor our offerings for this market. We look forward to collaborating with EMEC and the West of Orkney Windfarm and hope to guide them towards acquiring a high-frequency radar system to aid the development and operation of this wind farm. This connection with an offshore wind project will be particularly advantageous for our export markets.”
Dr. Peter Naaijen, CTO at Subsequent Ocean stated:
“We’re very pleased with the opportunity presented by the Offshore Wind R&I Programme to showcase and further optimize our technology for the challenging environment and applications at the West of Orkney Windfarm. Harsh wave conditions are right up our alley, and we’re eager to develop operational weather windows for the wind farm’s transport, installation, operations, and maintenance, while simultaneously improving safety and comfort for the vessel crews.”
EMEC and West of Orkney Windfarm are exhibiting at the Scottish Renewables Offshore Wind Conference in Glasgow, January 22-23, 2025 on stands G10 and D2.
