UK opens national robotics centre for offshore wind

The Digital, Autonomous and Robotics Engineering (DARE) Centre at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s testing facility in Blyth, UK, has officially been opened.

The £3 million ($1.2 million) DARE Centre, is a first-of-its-kind and will provide an opportunity for developers, researchers and the wider industry to test, demonstrate and commercialise innovative digital and robotic products and services for the offshore renewable energy market.

Graham Stuart, Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, was delighted to open the new centre. "Drones, robots and underwater vehicles can reinforce the UK’s position as the world leader in offshore wind, make us even more competitive, and keep turbines turning in even the most hazardous of conditions," he said.

“The robotics centre will increase the safety and productivity of our highly skilled offshore wind technicians, lower costs, and contribute both to lower consumer bills and the nation’s energy security.”

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The aim of the DARE Centre is to support the expansion of the offshore wind market and turbocharge the success of services and digital infrastructure surrounding the industry.

Andrew Jamieson, Chief Executive at ORE Catapult, said: “The DARE Centre is a fantastic facility that will help the UK stay at the forefront of innovation in robotics, AI and digital solutions to support the growth of offshore renewables.

“The UK has a global reputation for its sub-ocean engineering expertise and ingenuity. The DARE Centre will propel UK businesses and this capability into the fast-expanding offshore wind space.

“Innovation we can unlock here will allow those at the cutting edge of offshore wind development to work faster and safer, optimise specialist skills, improve reliability, and reduce the carbon footprint of the next generation of offshore wind farms.”

The DARE Centre includes a robotics assembly bay, an airborne robotics test zone, three dry docks with 20,000m3 capacity and test control rooms linked to the docks via a live environment monitoring system. The centre is the latest part of ORE Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth, which offers a wide range of test and validation facilities, including market-leading wind turbine testing and an offshore demonstration zone.

Companies displaying their technology solutions at the DARE Centre opening, included Kinewell, Enshore Subsea, SMD, EnergyVue, BeeX and Sonardyne, Eleven-I, Innvotek, and Aspira Aerial Applications – creating ways to streamline the offshore wind turbine installation and dramatically improve operations and maintenance on offshore wind farms.

Enshore Subsea, BeeX, and Aspira Aerial Applications have already signed up to test their products at the new DARE Centre. Aspira is developing a specialist coating, sprayed onto a wind turbine blade by drone to remove salt build up and detritus, with the aim of improving turbine power output and minimising downtime.

The DARE Centre has been funded through UK Government’s Getting Building Fund, managed in the region by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), and Innovate UK.

Helen Golightly OBE, chief executive of the North East LEP, said: “The infrastructure that exists around offshore wind, and the skills and expertise in our region, has already helped attract significant investment. With Dogger Bank Wind Farm set to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the North East is well placed to seize new opportunities through the R&D and testing facilities on the River Blyth, as well as the growing base of manufacturing and logistics operations in the sector.

“Investment in the DARE Centre from the Getting Building Fund will not only help deliver Government’s commitment to reach Net Zero, it will also help the North East unlock the economic opportunities provided by Net Zero; helping us create a greener, fairer and more sustainable region.”