The University of Strathclyde is to support Shetland to become an international clean energy hub as part of the ORION (Opportunity Renewables Integration Offshore Networks) project.
The university has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with Shetland Islands Council (SIC) and Strathclyde, which has joined the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) and Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE) as strategic partners in the project.
ORION envisages onshore and offshore wind energy harnessed to power platforms and produce green hydrogen at scale.
Wind and hydrogen will also be used to power the Islands’ homes and businesses, replacing fossil fuels by providing affordable renewable energy.
Under ORION’s plans port facilities on Shetland, including Sullom Voe, will be powered by wind energy and redeveloped to support the offshore wind sector and for the export of green hydrogen to the UK mainland and Europe.
In the project Strathclyde’s university will provide expertise from across multiple disciplines but particularly from its engineering faculty.
Contributions to Energy Integration will initially come from the Institute for Energy and Environment (InstEE), Power Networks Distribution Centre (PNDC), Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU), and, Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering (NAOME).
Jim McDonald, principal of the University of Strathclyde, said: “Project ORION will completely transform how energy is produced, transported and consumed on Shetland and utilise the skills and experience of the highly skilled workforce to sustain thousands of oil and gas sector jobs and create hundreds of new onshore jobs.
“Importantly, Project ORION will take a systems engineering approach to the technological interdependencies vital to achieving net zero.
“We are delighted to become partners in Project ORION and look forward to channel our internationally-leading research to help drive this important partnership forward.”