TSB seeks interest in offshore renewables technology centre

The offshore renewable energy centre will be the third of a network of technology and innovation centres to be established by the TSB, with a government investment of more than £200m over the next four years.

According to the TSB, the centre will provide improved access to the best technical expertise, infrastructure, skills and equipment and will provide a national focus for joint work between businesses and the research base.  

The centre is likely to cover the range of technologies involved in offshore wind power development — transferring knowledge from the established offshore engineering industry into foundations, installation, connection, operations and maintenance but also into developing turbines, blades and other subsystems/components, where links with the UK’s lead in high-value manufacturing technologies such as composites, direct-drive and control systems may help drive success in these areas.

Marine power — wave and tidal — will also be a key focus of the centre. Over time, the expertise of the centre could also be applied to other areas of offshore energy technology.