December means cold nights and mince pies, December means Christmas and all the traditions that come with it. Lately, there has been a new tradition for those of us working in the offshore wind sector, one that marks one of the most significant dates in the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult calendar: The Offshore Wind Supply Chain Spotlight.
The highly successful event – also hosted by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership – returns for its third instalment, bigger than ever before and this year hosted in London’s famous ExCel Centre. The Spotlight event also signals the culmination of our industry-recognised accelerator programme, Launch Academy. On December 9th the latest nine companies will graduate from the fourth national cohort of companies
Supply chain acceleration is one of seven strategic growth areas identified as part of our overall mission at ORE Catapult. This strategic growth area aims to accelerate UK company growth and development of a UK supply chain capable of meeting the needs of this rapidly expanding sector. Launch Academy, other similar programmes and standalone relationships, represents part of our commitment to the supply chain.
Launch Academy 2024 kicked off in March, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and a tour of our test and validation facilities in Blyth. I had been a part of the application process and so I had already heard pitches from many of the companies in attendance. It was now about putting names to faces. I looked around the room, ticking each company off; Anstee Indication Systems, Auxetec, Crondall Energy, Indeximate, Kavaken, Quocent, Perceptual Robotics, Pulcea, and Werover. As each company took to the floor to present, it was exciting to see the diversity of innovation and products we had amongst us. The pitches were not just to the ORE Catapult colleagues in attendance but also to the programme sponsors, external module delivery partners and, of course, the rest of the cohort. Launch Academy would not happen without all of these stakeholders so a huge thanks to everyone involved in the programme for their continued support.
This year’s programme was sponsored by bp, RWE and Scottish Power Renewables. The sponsors are jointly responsible for setting the technology themes, with companies applying to the programme needing to match at least one theme to meet the eligibility requirements. The themes this year were:
- Project Pipeline – is concerned with reducing the time projects are in the development phase.
- Future Energy Systems – covers electrification and decarbonisation of vessel operations, as well as shore charging and grid maximisation.
- Smart O&M – we were looking for innovations that could help with condition monitoring, surface coating and protection, and Health and Safety.
- Open Call – for anything else considered to be particularly relevant.
The technology themes highlight key areas which developers and wind farm owner/operators are looking to see innovation in. This provides a genuine opportunity and confidence for SMEs to continue the development of their products knowing that the ask has come directly from the industry.
Being surrounded by such talented and creative people at the launch event, all passionate about making a positive difference to the offshore wind industry, was inspiring. It gave a strong sense of purpose and a desire to do all within my power to help each of the cohort companies. I had the responsibility, as well as the great pleasure, of leading the Business Case Analysis (BCA) module as part of Launch Academy 2024. This role has allowed me to work closely with and see firsthand many of the wonderful companies and innovations which ORE Catapult and the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) are proud to support.
Following hot on the heels from the launch event were a series of short modules, designed to get the cohort thinking about their story to date but also intended to get them up to speed with the weird and wonderful world that is offshore wind – and all the acronyms that come with it! The companies learned their OSWs and their ORE’s and, with the BCA module in mind, their LCOEs and their CfDs. That is, their Levelised Cost of Energy (electricity is also sometimes used) and Contract For Difference, just in case you didn’t know. One of the strengths of the Launch Academy is its ability to support SMEs at various levels of the technology readiness level (usually shortened to TRL, but perhaps another acronym would be too much!, from 3, when a product is still in it’s early stages of development right through to 8*, when it’s ready to hit the market.. With that broad mix of progression, it is important to provide a firm grounding and not assume – as experts often do – that the companies we are working with know as much as we do.
Most of the analysis work takes places in the final six months of the programme. This post focuses on the BCA module but I would also like to signpost the engineering teams, who provide invaluable support throughout the programme as part of their own Technology Development Support module. As part of the BCA, cohort companies have direct access to analysts as well as indirect access to the various tools and resources which ORE Catapult has at its disposal. The BCA is typically divided into two distinct sections. The first is a market analysis, where the team seek to validate or provide cutting edge analysis with regards to the target market. This can be as simple as stating the number of wind turbines in a particular geography or a forecast of growth in overall capacity. Ultimately, this section seeks to give confidence to SMEs that there is a sizeable market to target. The second section takes the form of a cost-benefit analysis, whereby the product is compared to the current market solution(s). Often the cost-benefit is trying to prove exactly that, that the new solution will be cheaper or provide more revenue. However, it is also valuable for SMEs with a more expensive solution, but whose product might provide higher quality or health and safety benefits. It is about exploring the key value proposition and highlighting the benefits.
Now, with work delivered and graduation upon us, it is nearly time to bid farewell to the latest cohort of companies. Farewell does not have to mean goodbye though, as many of the companies supported through Launch Academy continue to have strong working relationships with us long after graduation. ORE Catapult In the years to come we will remain as committed as ever to support SMEs as they push towards commercialisation. I would remind any company, whether you have been through Launch Academy or not, to please reach out if there is anything we can do to support your journey.
The first opportunity post-graduation to make good on that pledge does, of course, come less than 24 hours later. All Launch Academy 2024 companies will be exhibiting at our Spotlight event and we hope this proves to be an invaluable spotlight on them and their innovations. Equally, we look forward to catching up and hearing from Launch Academy alumni and other supply chain companies who will be in attendance in London.
All that is left is to thank the cohort companies for their enthusiasm and dedication to the programme over the last nine months and to wish you all the very best in the future. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon!
*
TRL 3 – Analytical and experimental critical function or characteristic proof of concept
Moving from the theoretical to the practical, TRL 3 is all about demonstrating the feasibility of your concept. You will conduct small-scale and low-risk experiments to test your theory and show that the key aspects of the technology work as intended.
TRL 8 – Technology completed and qualified through test and demonstration
The penultimate TRL stage entails the final integration and validation of the technology in its intended operational environment. You will demonstrate that the technology is fully functional, reliable and compliant with the required regulations. This will prepare you for full commercial deployment, ready for market entry.
The above definitions of Technology Readiness Levels are direct quotes from Defproc.