To Create a Sustainable Future – Digitalize Offshore Energy

Description

Surrounded by some of the world’s most productive seas, the U.K. generates more electricity from offshore wind than any other country. Developments over the last 12 months suggest a promising future for the U.K.’s leading green energy sector. In 2016, capital spending commitment reached recorded levels, and the cost of offshore electricity fell by nearly a third in four years. Alongside this prevailing success, the operation and maintenance (O&M) of wind farms has the potential to form an industry worth $2.5 billion annually by 2025. Hindered by “primitive” methods, there is a lack of consensus on how best to maintain these high valued assets. To ensure a sustainable future, the industry must embrace innovative O&M strategies and a digital monitoring approach. Research groups from five U.K. universities have been awarded a $5m grant to create novel "human-robotics hybrid solutions” which will not only propel the growth of the U.K.’s market, but strengthen the its position within Europe for generations to come.