Open call for brilliant ideas (USA)

Solve the problem of accessing wind farms 160 km offshore and you could land a £2billion opportunity.

Offshore wind farms are in the right places to capture wind resource but challenging to access for operations and maintenance. So we need solutions for transporting and transferring personnel and equipment to turbines in far-shore sites around the UK.

Please submit ideas for one or all three of our needs. We want proposals for:

— Transfer systems – to safely transfer workers and equipment from vessels to turbines

— Vessels – to carry personnel to the turbines

— Launch and recovery systems – to allow daughter craft to transfer to

permanent platforms and mother ships

A global business opportunity

This is potentially a £2 billion global market, so the winning ideas will have access to a lucrative business opportunity, equally important, if you are successful you will help make offshore wind energy a commercial reality.

Open to all

Being an open call for ideas you do not need to be involved in offshore wind nor do the winning ideas need to be new, they could be an adaptation of existing technology that you are currently working on.

Up to £100,000 development funding

Successful applicants will receive up to £100k to develop their concept, and potentially further funding to take the concept to full-scale demonstration. Winners will also engage with eight of the World’s leading offshore wind developers, who will be needing access systems over the coming decade.

Closing date for applications is 26th November 2010.

For full details and to register for the Offshore Wind Accelerator Access Project, visit https://www.carbontrust.co.uk/access

The Offshore Wind Accelerator is a unique collaboration between the Carbon Trust and eight international energy companies with licenses to develop 60% of the UK’s offshore wind capacity.

WorkBoat.com is part of a network of leading commercial marine media produced by Diversified Business Communications.

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Source: workboat, October 22, 2010;