Maintaining offshore windfarms is an expensive, inefficient, and costly process, relying on ships and crews to respond to a plethora of automated warnings. Remote monitoring through advanced sensing, and asset surveillance using unmanned air vehicles robotics has significant potential to improve safety and reduce costs. Typically, 80-90% of the cost of offshore O&M is a function of accessibility during inspection, getting engineers and technicians to remote sites to evaluate a problem and decide what remedial action to undertake. Minimising the need for human intervention offshore is a key route to maximising the potential, and minimising the cost, for offshore low-carbon generation. This will also ensure potential problems are picked up early, when the intervention required is minimal, before major damage has occurred and when maintenance can be scheduled during a good weather window.
The industrial base is strong. UK has an emerging industry in onshore and now offshore UAS operations. The Civil Aviation Authority is working with industry to introduce operational standards as UAS usage becomes commonplace.
Our universities provide the underpinning science and engineering for lighter airframes, optimised battery technology and greater levels of autonomous operation.
Marine-i will be hosting this Discovery Room on ZOOM, facilitated by Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. Speakers will provide an overview of the offshore wind market and the opportunity for deployment of floating wind in the Celtic Sea, detail latest CAA regulations and discuss the latest UAS technology. The purpose is to provide an overview of the latest thinking and providing the opportunity for SMEs to get involved and understand where there are market gaps and opportunities.
The offshore wind industry has the potential to be worth £2billion annually by 2025 in the UK alone, according to studies for the Crown Estate.
Marine-i is an ambitious programme designed to enable innovation in the marine technology sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The sector has been identified as an area of high growth potential for the region.
It is focussed on four interconnected themes: marine energy, marine manufacturing, maritime operations and marine environmental technologies. The Marine-i partners work together to stimulate and support research, development and innovation (RD&I) to help businesses exploit new market opportunities.
Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the project brings together expertise and key infrastructure from our partners: University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, The Cornwall College Group, Cornwall Marine Network and Cornwall Development Company.
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