Existing satellites applications can be used to provide solutions to offshore renewable energy industry challenges, and therefore drive down the cost of energy from offshore wind, wave and tide, according to ORE Catapult.
The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) and Satellite Applications (SatApps) Catapults have joined forces to explore the ways in which satellites can be used to advance the development of UK’s offshore renewable energy industry.
According to ORE, remote sensing is one area that has a direct application in offshore renewable energy, and could be used for environmental monitoring to gain better insights into the movements of marine life, or to improve localised weather monitoring and forecasting.
ORE Catapult and SatApps Catapult are collaborating on number of industry projects investigating the use of satellites in offshore renewable energy, including WindRes (SatApps Catapult and ORE Catapult) and HIGHROC (ORE Catapult).
WindRes aims to translate previously conducted research into a commercial operational tool for satellite enabled offshore wind resource optimization.
The European-funded HIGHROC (HIGH spatial and temporal Resolution Ocean Colour) project will comprise of the installation of Aeronet ocean color monitoring instrument on offshore metocean measurement platform NOAH. It will be used for validation of satellite based ocean colour algorithms and services.
Working together the two Catapults aim to explore innovative ways to provide solutions to offshore renewables, and drive down the costs associated with the energy generation from tides, waves and offshore wind.
Image: Satellite Applications Catapult/Illustration