Orsted has chosen Providence, Rhode Island the location for its US innovation hub, which will open doors for business in early Spring 2020.
The centre will be based in the CIC Providence facility.
The hub will deploy Orsted’s expertise and knowhow from the developer’s European and US European offshore wind teams, rotating in team members from its global headquarters in Denmark and its North America regional head office.
The team will aim to ‘identify, foster, and, where appropriate, finance enterprises’ related to offshore wind, with a focus on ‘next-generation’ technology and related innovation in the offshore wind energy field.
The innovation hub team will be Orsted’s first point of contact for any US technology companies interested in contracting with Orsted Offshore.
On a bi-monthly basis the hub will host open door days, ‘welcoming established companies and start-ups to present their technologies and test solutions’.
The team will also host quarterly pitch days where a pre-qualified set of start-ups will pitch their possible solutions to Orsted.
Orsted US Offshore Wind chief executive Thomas Brostrom said: “Innovation has been the key to the success of the offshore wind industry in Europe, so committing time and resources to foster new technology growth here in the US was an obvious step for Orsted.
“Locating this operation in Providence was an equally obvious move for us. The state has shown time and time again that it is home to one of the best innovation economies in the country and we look forward to becoming a part of that community.”
Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo said: “I’m thrilled that Orsted has decided to open its United States innovation hub here in Providence, further cementing our status as America’s offshore wind capital.
“We’re making record investments in education and job training, and the results speak for themselves. As we continue working to ensure Rhode Islanders are prepared for high-skill jobs in the modern economy, I’m confident that more and more companies like Orsted – leaders in 21st century industries – will continue to look to Rhode Island.”
Other offshore wind companies already based at Providence CIC include GEV Wind and Boston Energy.
Orsted Offshore innovation chief Patrik Edvardsen said: “We believe that there is great value to be gained by working with the booming blue tech ecosystem.
“As small nimble players can provide significant benefit and new solutions to Orsted, so can Orsted provide a fantastic platform for maturation and growth to companies with unique and relevant solutions. We look forward to increasing our collaboration with the innovation ecosystem.”
Meanwhile, on 17 January Raimondo will sign an executive order that aims to make Rhode Island the first in the nation to be powered completely by renewable energy by 2030.
Rhode Island is the nation’s leader in offshore wind, Raimondo said in her state of the state address on 14 January and said it will play a key role in the state achieving its 2030 target.
The first US offshore wind farm, the Orsted-owned 30MW Block Island, began operating off the state in late 2016.