The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult is seeking UK universities to collaborate on offshore turbine powertrain research and development.
ORE Catapult will provide about £700,000 in funding over five years for the Powertrain Research Hub. Universities will be expected to match the Catapult’s funding.
The hub will focus on reliability improvement and test methodologies, health condition monitoring and prognostic technologies, and the development of next generation powertrain components for larger wind turbines.
It will be the third strategic research hub established by ORE Catapult following collaborations with the University of Bristol on blades and the Universities of Strathclyde and Manchester on electrical infrastructure.
ORE Catapult head of strategic research Paul McKeever said: “With industry moving towards larger wind turbines, we have an opportunity to significantly contribute to reducing the cost of turbine technology.
“It is essential to maximise this opportunity by also tackling the challenge of improving powertrain component reliability and availability.
“By developing the next generation of powertrain components, and improving their lifespan, we can significantly reduce the related operations and maintenance costs and subsequently minimise the number of human interventions for potentially dangerous turbine repair work at sea.
“We know from our current research hubs that by pooling academic and industry expertise, the UK is better positioned to respond to industrial challenges and drive forward key research and development.”