Offshore wind

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Offshore wind

We work at the forefront of the global offshore wind industry, collaborating with governments, developers and innovators to make fixed and floating offshore wind a viable commercial energy generation solution.

We have over a decade of experience working at the forefront of offshore wind development globally, during which we have played a central role in accelerating cost reduction across the industry and stimulating supply chains to support the European offshore wind market. We have provided expert policy advice and market analysis to governments and multinational companies to support their ambitions in this fast-growing sector. 

Our work unlocks markets and drives growth

We accelerate the development of new offshore wind technologies and work with governments and industry partners to inform policy, support technology innovators, identify cost-reduction opportunities and deliver innovation programmes.

Our expertise spans the full project lifecycle and is delivered through bespoke consulting projects and multi-million-pound, multi-year collaborative research, development and deployment (RD&D) programmes. 

We are now applying our world-leading expertise gained in the pioneering UK and European markets to emerging offshore wind markets in Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, and the United States.

Offshore wind consultancy and strategic advice

We provide expert insight on a wide range of offshore wind areas including: policy advice, market and supply chain analysis, cost analysis and modelling, innovation prioritisation, technology commercialisation, and energy system modelling (including wind-storage integration) for both fixed and floating projects.

Our range and depth of expertise allows us to cater to the needs of each individual project, and our independence enables us to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders across the industry. We pride ourselves on our ability to flex the scope of our projects to realise the best outcomes for our clients.

We are also a founding member of the US National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium, and work with industry bodies such as the Irish Wind Energy Association to provide technical advice on market development opportunities and challenges at the country level.

 
OUR PROGRAMMES

Offshore wind programmes

We are leading experts in designing and delivering large-scale collaborative research, development and deployment programmes, with a track record of realising significant cost reductions for the offshore wind industry. Our core programmes are:

Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA)

The Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) is our flagship collaborative RD&D programme, which was set up in 2008 with the aim to reduce the cost of offshore wind, overcome market barriers, develop industry best practice and trigger the development of new industry standards. The current phase involves participation and funding from nine international energy companies: EnBW, Equinor, Ørsted, RWE Renewables, ScottishPower Renewables, Shell, SSE Renewables, and Vattenfall, who collectively represent 75% of Europe’s installed offshore wind capacity.

Offshore Wind Accelerator  

Floating Wind Joint Industry Programme

The Floating Wind Joint Industry Programme (Floating Wind JIP) is a collaborative initiative established in 2016, which aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities of developing commercial-scale floating wind farms. The Floating Wind JIP receives funding from the Scottish Government and 15 industry partners: EDF Renouvelables, EnBW, Equinor, Kyuden Mirai Energy, Ørsted, OW Offshore (a joint venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables), Parkwind, RWE Renewables (including the former renewables business of innogy), ScottishPower Renewables, Shell, Skyborn, SSE Renewables, TEPCO, TOTAL and Vattenfall.

Floating Wind Joint Industry Programme 

Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP)

The Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP) for offshore wind is a collaborative initiative established in 2012, which aims to reduce the consenting and environmental risk of existing and future offshore wind through research. ORJIP Offshore wind is funded by 12 industry partners including The Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland, Marine Scotland and 9 offshore wind farm developers including EDF, EDPR, Equinor, Ørsted, Red Rock Power, RWE, Shell and SSE Renewables.

Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme 

Offshore Wind Sustainability JIP

The Offshore Wind Sustainability JIP (Sustainability JIP) is a collaborative initiative aiming to develop the first industry-backed methodology and guidance to measure and address the carbon emissions associated with offshore wind farms throughout their lifecycle. The programme is founded by 11 global developers – bp, EnBW, Fred Olsen Seawind, Parkwind, Ørsted, SSE, Shell, SPR, RWE, Total Energies and Vattenfall – collectively they represent around a quarter of the global installed capacity.

Offshore Wind Sustainability JIP

The Integrator

The Integrator is a joint-industry initiative led by offshore wind farm developers set up with the mission to maximise the contribution of offshore wind to a low cost, flexible, predictable and low carbon energy future. It is a collaboration between the Carbon Trust, EnBW, Equinor, RWE, ScottishPower Renewables, Total and Vattenfall.

The Integrator

Large scale R&D projects 

We manage a series of collaborative large-scale R&D projects, aside of the work streams of our offshore wind programmes, looking to address specific industry challenges. These projects often leverage public funding, alongside the participant’s contributions, to deliver on a concrete target in a precise time-scale. The project consortia vary from project to project and can include members of our core offshore wind programmes as well as external partners.

Large scale R&D projects