Three local firms get help to boost wind farm projects
Three firms in North Tyneside and Northumberland are among the first to join a programme aimed at accelerating offshore renewable energy innovation in the region.
North Tyneside-based Succorfish produces a low-cost system of underwater listening devices that can be installed quickly round offshore wind farms to pick up underwater sounds which can help spot unauthorised vessels and underwater vehicles that radar and ship tracking cannot see in and around offshore installations
North Shields based – TRL 9 Ltd is developing a process to treat wind turbine blades at the end of their lives, to determine what materials could be further reused and cut down on wind turbine blade waste.
And Northumberland-based Acuity Robotics, is developing an advanced robotic inspection system – Squirrel – whish allows robots to identify potential structural features for use on wind turbine towers and offshore support structures.
The firms are among eight in the new North East Offshore Wind Innovation and Demonstration (NEOWIND) programme – funded £1.7m by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness to support their technologies.
Peregrine Solly, head of commercialisation at TRL 9 Ltd, said: “Wind turbine blades are designed for decades of demanding service, which makes recovering value from them at the end of their life a significant engineering challenge.
"With NEOWIND’s support, we can take the next step in to recover both energy and useful materials.
"Our ambition is to establish a practical, commercially viable solution that supports the wind industry’s long-term sustainability.”
Jason Liu, chief technology officer at Acuity Robotics, said: “Offshore wind is a rapidly growing industry, but inspecting and maintaining these large structures remains challenging, costly and often requires people to work in hazardous environments.
"This funding gives us the opportunity to build on our existing robotic technology and develop smarter, more autonomous systems that can make inspections safer, more efficient and more reliable.
"We’re particularly excited to be developing and testing this technology in Blyth, contributing to the North East’s growing offshore wind industry and helping bring innovative British robotics closer to commercial deployment.”
The Mayo says the programme will inject £4.5m over the next three years into the local economy.
She said: “The North East is the home of the green energy revolution with many opportunities for our people and our businesses to thrive.
“We’re putting forward millions to deliver NEOWIND – the only regional offshore wind innovation programme in the UK, because we want our businesses to grow and create new high-quality jobs and apprenticeships.”