Installing jacket foundations in less time, with less cost and reduced CO2 emissions.
The non-grouted connector (NGC) has been developed with support from industry and funding from Innovate UK, the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP), BEIS, the Net Zero Technology Centre and the EU’s GreenOffshore Technology among others and in collaboration with Kent plc and the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) at Strathclyde University.
Currently Dr Fiona Sillars and her team at AMRL are testing the technology to determine the impact of fatigue.
The next rounds of testing are planned from 2025 focusing on laboratory load testing and integration, assembly and systems testing followed by offshore demonstration planned for shortly after.
To test the technology at scale requires additional industry support and funding in the form of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) and developers, wind farm owners, installers and fabricators are invited to express their interest in joining the project. Development costs are modest and are expected to be recouped within the savings generated by one 1GW farm.
International patents have been applied for.