Narec to Manage GBP 11 Million Wind Innovation Programme (UK)

Narec was successful in its bid for the second phase of Regional Growth Funding (RGF).

Narec will manage the £11 million Wind Innovation Programme, which includes match funding from the private sector to the order of £5 million, to bring together offshore market leaders with world-class technology providers and academia in the UK.

 Andrew Mill, CEO of Narec, said:

 “With the support received from the Regional Growth Fund, Narec will help to sustain the UK’s leading position in the offshore wind sector by driving the commercial development of seven new innovative products or services.

 “The projects selected each address a key challenge in the offshore wind technology supply chain and will directly create or safeguard over 1000 jobs over the next two and a half years, with further employment opportunities expected to follow.

 “This is another fantastic achievement for Narec, where we are investing over £150 million to establish a world- leading centre for accelerating the deployment of offshore renewable energy technologies.”

Industry project leads have welcomed news of the funding to kick-start research and development programmes which have been developed through collaboration with industrial and academic partners:

 Project 1 – Seal Assembly Solution for Large Diameter Main Shaft Bearing Seals

 Barry Deeley, Marketing Manager Wind Industry, James Walker & Co, said:

 “The 20yr sealing project fits perfectly with the needs of the wind Industry to improve reliability, reduce down time and increase efficiency. The support from the Regional Growth Fund for this project will enable collaboration between different areas of expertise and provides a framework for the development of meaningful solutions for the wind energy industry.”

 Project 2 – Advanced Wind Turbine Drivetrain Concepts for Improved Bearing Reliability

 Dr Peter Poon MBE, CEO, Romax Technology Ltd, said:

“I am delighted that our project was selected for support by the Regional Growth Fund. The timing of the announcement is perfect for enabling Romax to continue the development of world leading drivetrain solutions for the wind industry.

 “The outcomes of the project will address the needs of the growing UK offshore wind market and will help the wind industry to develop optimised drivetrain solutions that are reliable and efficient; decreasing the overall cost of wind energy worldwide.”

 Projects 3&4 – Future Offshore HVDC Topologies and Offshore Platform Reference Designs

 Mervyn Sara, Business Transformation Manager, Siemens Transmission Division, said:

 “Working with the University of Manchester, the Future Offshore HVDC project will involve detailed power system studies of Round 3 offshore wind farm projects and their connections to the UK grid. This will include those projects which, due to their distance from the shore, will require connection via HVDC converters and DC cables.

“The Offshore Platform project will develop reference designs for AC collector stations and HVDC converter stations. This will involve collaboration between Siemens (electrical design), a mechanical design centre, a platform construction partner and a University with facilities for structural testing of scale models in a wave tank.

 “We look forward to working with Narec again and building on a successful collaboration which was first established through the Northern Wind Innovation Programme.”

 Project 5 – Permanent magnet Wind-power Generation Technologies

 Mr Kurt Andersen, Head of Generator, Siemens Wind Power A/S (SWP), said:

 “The project will address key issues involved with scaling the fault-tolerant wind power generator technology to full-scale. We are very pleased that our project has been selected by the Regional Growth Fund and this will significantly enhance and accelerate the expansion of our Yorkshire based Sheffield-Siemens Wind Power Research Centre (S2WP). Siemens believes that the 6MW direct-drive generator will be the new base-line product for our future UK off-shore wind power business for many years to come.”

 Project 6 – Offshore Wind Turbine Fabrication and Condition Monitoring

 Dr Christoph Wiesner, CEO, TWI, said:

 “This project will allow us to work with industrial partners and fellow research organisations, with the aim of creating manufacturing jobs in the North of England by applying advanced manufacturing techniques to the renewable energy industry.

 “TWI has a long and successful track record in this sector and in the North East region, and we seek to enhance the UK’s competitive position in a globally important industry. This project integrates different organisations and areas of activity to allow us to achieve this.”

 Project 7 – Validated Testing for Improving Wind Turbine Bearing Reliability and Performance

 Graham Penning, Group Technology Director, David Brown Gear Systems Limited, said:

 “We are very pleased to work with the Wind Innovation Consortium again. We believe that Narec has assembled a project team with the ideal mix of private industry and academic support, which together with our own wind energy expertise will ensure the critical aims of the project are met.

 “These objectives will not only help to secure jobs in the renewables sector but will also help the UK to meet its carbon footprint targets; ambitions that align directly with our own business strategy.”

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Source: narec, November 07, 2011