The Floating Wind Technology Acceleration Competition run by the Carbon Trust’s Floating Wind Joint Industry Project announced eight technologies to receive £1mn of Scottish Government funding and developer support on 14 March.
The competition was designed to address four areas to improve the commercialisation of floating wind: monitoring and inspection, mooring systems, heavy lift maintenance and tow to port maintenance.
The successful projects are from a variety of sectors including oil and gas, IT and telecommunications, and engineering.
Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, said: “We are funding the Carbon Trust’s Floating Wind Technology Acceleration Competition in order to address key technical challenges in the sector. Given Scotland’s unique deep water profile, floating offshore wind will undoubtedly play a huge role in our future energy system, as we transition to a net zero economy and we know that key overseas markets are also looking to exploit floating wind technology to meet their own energy needs. The innovative solutions developed by the competition winners will help reduce costs in the sector and could allow floating wind technology to reach commercial scale deployment earlier than previously anticipated and that could prove vital as Scotland and other coastal nations seek to head off the climate emergency.”