The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult will host European Space Agency (ESA) Ambassadors for its Integrated Application Programme (IAP) as part of an opportunity to identify and facilitate offshore energy needs that can be fulfilled and supported by space assets.
This activity, part of ESA’s broader network of Ambassador Platforms, is aimed at all aspects of the offshore energy industry, not just renewables. The purpose of the Ambassador Platforms is to raise awareness of the ARTES 20 (Integrated Applications) and ARTES 3-4 (Satellite Communication Applications) programmes and to identify, promote and deliver feasibility studies and demonstration-scale projects.
The Ambassadors, Callum Norrie and Kevin Worrall, will encourage potential partners to engage with the ARTES programmes and help bidders get projects accepted, acting as a liaison between final users and partners who are interested in providing a service using multiple space assets.
Mike Newman, Innovation Manager at ORE Catapult, said: “Offshore energy represents a key market for the satellite applications industry. At ORE Catapult, we provide an ideal location and in depth knowledge of the offshore renewable energy market specifically. This gives the Ambassadors a good insight into a large part of the wider offshore energy sectors.”
“Given the huge range of potential uses of satellites, we will work with the Ambassadors to explore ways in which satellites can be used to drive forward the development of the UK’s offshore renewable energy industry and the wider offshore energy market, ultimately aiming to secure economic value for the UK by building capability that has cross-sector applications.”
Kevin Worrall added: “The global space market is growing on average at around 10% per year and the UK already has a strong presence. Looking forward, the market is expected to continue its high growth, with the bulk of this developing in the downstream applications market. There are strong synergies between the work of the UK’s Catapult Centres and the ESA Offshore Energy Ambassador Platform, and a pressing need to ensure that UK-based initiatives across the offshore energy and space sectors are coordinated and promoted. I look forward to working with my colleagues in ORE Catapult to make the satellite applications and offshore energy industries UK success stories.”
Image: ORE Catapullt