Oil major joins offshore wind R&D initiative

Fri 22 Jun 2018 by David Foxwell

Oil major Shell will participate in offshore wind R&D through the OWA

Shell Global Solutions International has joined the Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA), the Carbon Trust’s collaborative R&D programme for offshore wind.

The OWA is a joint initiative set up by the Carbon Trust in 2008, which is dedicated to reducing the cost of energy from offshore wind. 

Shell joins a roster of existing partners that includes EnBW, Eon, Equinor, innogy, Ørsted, ScottishPower Renewables/Iberdrola, SSE Renewables and Vattenfall Wind Power.

Shell vice president wind development Dorine Bosman said “The OWA is a good example of the collaboration required between public and private sectors. The research and development programme will be key to delivering technical, commercial and financial innovations for large-scale and sustainable offshore wind opportunities in the future.”

Carbon Trust director Jan Matthiesen said Shell joining was “great news for the programme.” He said it added another “strong and ambitious partner” and “demonstrates that the collaborative approach to R&D in offshore wind is valued by the industry.”

A recent example of a project led by the OWA is Fistuca’s Blue Hammer demonstration project (shown above), which reduces noise during construction as well as delivering a reduction in cost.  SOURCE: OWJ