Pioneering Levenmouth wins decade extension
4 Sep 2018
Levenmouth Offshore Wind Demonstration Turbine operator, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, has won a 10 year extension for its site in Fife.
The Scottish Government, which had provided backing for the nearly £0.7 million in funding the project receives to provide SME demonstration technology, granted a Section 36 consent variation for the 7MW turbine.
ORE Catapult chief executive Andrew Jamieson said: “This consent extension is really welcome news for the UK’s offshore wind industry.
“Accessing real-world operational sites to test and demonstrate new products and services can be a real barrier to small companies looking to break into the offshore wind market. The Levenmouth Turbine offers an easily accessible alternative to demonstrating technologies offshore in harsh and difficult to access sites.”
Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine is claimed to be the world’s most advanced, open access, offshore wind turbine dedicated to research and technology development.
For the last four years the site has supported more than 50 UK companies with advice, demonstrations, validation, data access and information generated by turbine operations. The current value of ongoing projects associated with the scheme exceeds £11 million.
Beneficiaries include Edinburgh-based Limpet Technology Limited. It demonstrated an offshore personnel transfer system and opened a neighbouring manufacturing facility.
The turbine also provides the blueprint for Fife College’s Immersive Hybrid Reality system for training offshore wind turbine technicians.
