Energy Centre chosen to develop new components for wind turbines
These next generation turbines will be vital in providing the offshore wind capacity needed to meet the UK’s net-zero targets
THE National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol has been selected to help deliver a £5 million Government-funded project that will develop new components for offshore wind turbines.
The NCC has been chosen alongside fellow innovation centre Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult for the Joule Challenge Phase 2 project.
The organisation, which is based at Bristol and Bath Science Park in Emersons Green, is one of the UK’s world-leading composite research and development facilities.
It collaborates with businesses across sectors such as aerospace, energy, infrastructure and biomedical on complex engineering challenges, often to make products lighter, stronger, smarter and more sustainable. Alongside ORE Catapult it will explore how lightweight composites could be used during manufacture of the “next generation” of wind turbines, capable of generating 20MW of power.
It comes as the Government seeks to accelerate the progress of fixed and floating offshore wind projects, deemed vital for achieving its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and for creating more jobs within the renewable energy sector.
The Joule Challenge project has already produced a plan for a 20MW demonstration turbine, incorporating a programme framework, identification of critical technology gaps, potential partners and stakeholders and a detailed technology development path.
The next phase of the programme will support ambitions to lower the cost of energy through lower cost manufacturing, increasing UK content and developing export opportunities of between £60m and £80m per year by 2030.
The announcement was made dur
James Lightfoot
ing a visit to the NCC’s facility by Minister for Industry Lee Rowley, who met the NCC senior technology programme manager, James Lightfoot, and business development manager with ORE Catapult, Tom Wildsmith.
Mr Lightfoot said: “The opportunity for more local content could be applied right across the turbine and provides a huge opportunity for UK companies to supply and manufacture these major components in a sustainable manner, thereby securing the UK as the world leader in offshore wind turbine design and manufacture.”
Mr Wildsmith predicted that the project could help develop a prototype 20MW wind turbine by 2025.
Mr Wildsmith said: “These next generation turbines will be vital in providing the offshore wind capacity needed to meet the UK’s net-zero targets and there is a huge economic opportunity to be grasped, too, through building a UK manufacturing capability.”
Mr Rowley added: “We are ensuring we have the manufacturing base to match our position as a trailblazer for clean renewable energy. This funding will help attract further investment, job and export opportunities to push forward our ambitious offshore wind programme.”
The NCC is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a group of seven national manufacturing research centres.