UK and Chinese researchers are to collaborate on five projects aimed at developing next generation offshore renewable energy technologies.
The three-year initiative will cover offshore wind, wave and tidal energy and aims to maximise the environmental and socio-economic benefits of the technologies.
The work will include determining the best sites for energy resources and where would to implement offshore renewables technologies.
It will also provide inputs for the development of technology to ensure resilience to extreme events, such as typhoons and earthquakes.
The projects cover floating offshore platforms, data collection and modelling, the impact of extreme wind and wave loads on next generation turbines, the use of virtual programmes in the design of power offtake systems and investigating integrated approaches to multi-purpose platforms.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are supporting the projects with almost £4m of funding, which will be distributed from the Newton Fund.
The National Natural Science Foundation of China is also providing support for all of the projects, which have been funded as part of the Joint UK-China Offshore Renewable Energy programme.
NERC chief executive Duncan Wingham said: “This research will develop the potential of offshore renewable energy technologies, integrating environmental science to provide a better understanding of the energy resources, the sustainable development of (offshore renewable energy) systems and where best to locate and deploy these systems to ensure a stable power supply with minimal environmental impact.”
Image: reNEWS
UK, China bolster offshore ties
Three-year research project aims to develop next generation technologies
By EBS