The University of Manchester is leading a £5m project to investigate the use of advanced technologies, such as robotics, for the operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms.
The three-year project will investigate the use of advanced sensing, robotics, virtual reality models and artificial intelligence to reduce O&M cost and effort, the university said.
Predictive and diagnostic techniques will allow problems to be picked up early while robots and advanced sensors will minimise the need for human intervention in the hazardous offshore environment.
The UK industry for the remote inspection and asset management of offshore wind farms will be worth up to £2bn a year by 2025, according to the university.
The project is a collaboration between the universities of Manchester, Durham, Warwick, Cranfield, Heriot-Watt and a consortium of companies from the offshore wind industry.
Techniques will be tested in an offshore test site in Scotland and a project demonstration will take place at Salford Quays in Manchester.
“The UK has world-leading expertise in the technologies and science in this area, but they have often operated separately,” University of Manchester professor Mike Barnes said.
“The UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council have supported this project to bring them together for the first time to make a real step change in this industry.”
Image: Heriot-Watt University
Boffins eye bionic O&M offshore
£5m project investigating use of advanced technologies in sector
By EBS