Innovate UK Awards Funding to Support Pioneering Marine Energy Technology
Summary
Innovate UK has awarded funding to further optimize a unique and flexible floating offshore wind platform for applications in the Celtic Sea, a collaboration involving Swansea University.The funding will help establish the Launchpad project to ensure that, where possible, a local supply chain will support the fabrication, manufacture, and deployment of the platform, known as PelaFlex.Led by Marine Power Systems, Swansea Universitys Department of Mechanical Engineering will be working with Ledwood Mechanical Engineering, Tata Steel UK, ABP (Associated British Ports) Port Talbot, and the Port of Milford Haven on the project, which is worth over \xa3800,000.Launchpad will optimize PelaFlexs structural efficiency, paying particular attention to the challenging environment in the Celtic Sea while minimizing the cost of materials and deployment. Each of the partners brings different and complementary expertise to this engineering challenge, and the project really showcases the potential of industry in South-West Wales. MPS has developed a world-class concept which we are really excited to help them optimize, using experience in computation techniques at Swansea University and to support local industry.Graham Foster, Chief Technology Officer at Marine Power Systems, added: We are really excited to receive support through Innovate UK. With the deployment of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea becoming a reality the time is absolutely right to work with local supply chain to optimize the detailed design of our technology and maximize its deliverability. A good example of that, is that we are confident that through this project we will be able to optimize our platform design to increase the amount of local steel used to fabricate it from around 10% to over 50%.