Member Article

Wind Power rides new wave of investment

A wind turbine of the future being engineered in the North East is one of a select band of UK innovations to secure investment from the new national flagship energy research body, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI).

The technology behind Wind Power’s ambitious vertical axis wind turbine, the Aerogenerator - which is able to harness wind energy from all directions - has received backing from the ETI in its first round of £20 million funding awarded to new energy projects which could help to ensure the UK meets energy and climate change targets.

The technology behind the Aerogenerator has been developed at the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) in Blyth, Northumberland, over the last four years.

A funding injection from the ETI will enable a feasibility study to be undertaken by the UK based consortium to support the transfer of the technology to an offshore environment from its testing base in Blyth, as part of Project “NOVA”, one of three offshore wind technologies to be researched in the funding round. A number of additional jobs will also be created on the project.

Unlike traditional propeller turbines, Aerogenerator is ‘V’ shaped and operates around a vertical access allowing it to harness energy more efficiently.

Richard Marr, finance director at NaREC, said: “The North East of England is ideally placed to capitalise on the emerging offshore renewable market for wind, wave and tidal energy generation; and in the subsequent industry which will be built around it to operate and maintain such infrastructure.

“The opportunities for manufacturing, engineering, ports and marine operators are huge, and by attracting and developing novel technologies here, such as the Aerogenerator, NaREC is quickly establishing this region as the centre for offshore renewable energy in the UK.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .