United Kingdom – The University of Plymouth and Kongsberg Digital have teamed up to develop a new system that has the potential to transform the UK’s floating offshore wind (FLOW) industry.
The goal of the collaboration is to provide facilities for offshore wind project teams and crews to verify, test, and optimize installation and maintenance projects.
The KONGSBERG Dynamic Positioning (DP) simulator, which will be installed on the University’s campus soon, is critical to this project. Throughout the lifecycle of FLOW installations, K-Sim DP will be used to simulate, test, and optimize marine operations. This will provide crucial insights into solutions that will improve efficiency in both installations and operational maintenance, while also increasing safety and cost effectiveness for the companies involved.
It will be used, in addition to research, to develop training for current and future industry professionals, assisting in meeting the national and international demand for such expertise in line with the global net-zero agenda.
Floating wind leader
The University obtained the new DP simulator through its participation in the Cornwall FLOW Accelerator project. The project, led by Celtic Sea Power and supported by a £4.8 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme, will help Cornwall achieve its goal of becoming a global leader in the floating offshore wind sector.
The new facility will complement the university’s other strong points, such as the Cyber-SHIP Lab and its growing fleet of Marine Autonomous Systems. The University’s COAST Laboratory also houses the UK’s national Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Test Facility, which is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). These factors, combined with the University’s global leadership in research related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water), position the university as the leading research institution for future maritime operations that are both safe and sustainable.
