The National Renewable Energy Centre, Narec, is completing a £150 million capital investment in world leading capabilities for the research, development, testing and demonstration of offshore wind and marine renewable energy technologies.
Last week, in celebration of this achievement, in what is its tenth anniversary year, Narec attracted 200 national and European policy makers, industrialists, and R&D specialists to view its open-access facilities first hand to help inform how they might be best utilised to drive innovation and cost reduction in the supply chains. Through a series of focused events and workshops Narec provided a showcase to promote its offering, share project ideas and to encourage collaboration for technology development which is aligned to market needs.
Those attending included: wind turbine manufacturers, tidal turbine developers, utility project developers, major component suppliers, operations and maintenance providers, research centres of excellence and academia. Speakers included: the European Commission, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Energy and Climate Change, Energy Technologies Institute and the Low Carbon Innovation Co-ordination Group.
The finale on Friday was dedicated to North East SMEs to raise awareness of expertise in the region and to identify funding opportunities for companies looking to diversify and expand into offshore renewables. Narec is currently involved in R&D projects worth around £30 million. These include the £11m Regional Growth Funded National Wind Innovation Programme and the £2.8m European Regional Development Funded Renewable Energy Technology Accelerator, which are both enabling companies take innovate products and services to market quicker.
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Press release, June 26, 2013; Image: Narec