Corio and Å Energi launch first challenge in offshore wind innovation competition

The winner of the competition will work with experts at Corio Generation and Å Energi to further develop the winning concept. They will also have the opportunity to present the solution to the international offshore wind industry at Floating Wind Days, Norway’s premier floating wind conference, in Haugesund on 30 May.

Floating offshore wind is on its way to becoming a major new industry. The Norwegian Offshore Wind Accelerator programme will support the development of floating wind by combining the expertise of established players in the offshore wind industry, startups and scaleups to develop solutions to new technological challenges. This week, Corio Generation and Å Energi, who are partners in the Nordvegen Vind consortium, launched NOW Accelerator’s first innovation challenge at the Slush'D energy conference in Mandal.

“Taking control of a floating offshore wind turbine that has come loose from its anchorage is one of the challenges to be solved. While it may be very unlikely to happen, it's still something we should have good procedures in place to deal with if it does. Corio Generation and Å Energi are therefore seeking input on how to develop innovative and effective approaches to tackling such a scenario," explains Jarle Dyrdal, who is responsible for Å Energi's offshore wind investment.

A wind turbine that has come loose from its anchors can damage itself or other parts of an offshore wind farm, other offshore installations, ships, people and wildlife, and the wider natural environment. Solving this challenge in an efficient and effective way is of particular interest to the Nordvegen Vind consortium as they pursue their goal of being selected to develop a commercial-scale floating wind farm at Utsira Nord.

“Companies with a background in shipping and other offshore industries are well-placed to develop solutions to these kinds of challenges. There are established routines for dealing with ships and floating oil installations that have come loose from their moorings, but it is not a given that these are the most effective ways to regain control of a floating offshore wind turbine. As one of the world's leading offshore wind developers, we know how important co-operation is in developing major offshore wind initiatives, and so we very much look forward to discussing and developing ideas with the proposers in the weeks and months to come," says senior floating offshore wind specialist Roberts Proskovics at Corio Generation.

The target group for NOW Accelerator is startups, scaleups, entrepreneurs and other businesses within offshore wind. Å Energi and offshore wind company Corio Generation are partners in the programme, along with a number of other developers and suppliers.

“We are pleased that we have now launched the first challenge in our Accelerator programme.Finding solutions to these kinds of challenges is an important step in building the foundations of a successful offshore wind industry in Norway and beyond,” says Narve Hansen, who heads the NOW Accelerator programme.

Companies that want to take up the challenge can register at https://bit.ly/3vasOi4. Following a selection process, the winner will be invited to present their solution to the international offshore wind industry at the Floating Wind Days conference in Haugesund, Norway, at the end of May.

The other partners in the accelerator Seaway, Vattenfall, Deep Wind Offshore, Ørsted, Fred Olsen Seawind, Seagust, Equinor, Hafslund Eco and EDF will launch their challenges in the coming months.