Technologies developed to enhance the inspection and maintenance of offshore wind farms are among the beneficiaries sharing a £9m pot of funding administered by the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC).
The NZTC has selected nine winners of its 2023 Open Innovation Programme, focused on developing and deploying data and digital technologies that will enable the delivery of the UK’s net zero ambitions.
A total of 143 businesses from across the globe applied for up to £500,000 each in funding from NZTC.
The entire awarded sum surpasses £9m, comprising £3m from NZTC and over £6m co-funded by industry partners.
The winning projects will support the transition towards net zero, trialling and deploying technology within the UK continental shelf.
The winning technologies include FutureOn for development of its FutureTwin platform to incorporate renewable energy assets, carbon emission tracking and plant optimisation.
This will help transform the FutureTwin software into an integrated digital platform for de-risking and accelerating net zero energy projects in the UKNS.
Heriot-Watt University has secured funding for the development of robotics and uncrewed vehicle inspection systems for offshore wind farms using forward-looking sonar.
Predyct will use its funding award to develop its predictive artificial intelligence (AI) driven maintenance system with nano-sensors to eliminate visual inspections and non-destructive testing (NDT) on wind farms and offshore energy assets.
Final award decisions are subject to due diligence checks and business case validation.
NZTC chief operations officer Rebecca Allison said: “We had a fantastic response to our latest call for ideas and the competition was strong, which demonstrates the appetite for developing net zero focused technologies.
“By harnessing the power of real-time data collection, analysis, and predictive modelling, robotics and artificial intelligence the energy industry can access unique insights, make smarter decisions, reduce emissions and enhance safety.
“These technologies will accelerate progress towards net zero and facilitate the energy transition.”
The UK government is investing £90m in the NZTC to support sustainable economic growth in north-east Scotland as part of its £125m support for the Aberdeen City Region Deal.