The University of Plymouth will lead a new consortium that will unite researchers from wave, tidal and offshore wind fields in addressing research challenges and developing synergies between the sectors.
The project, called ORE Supergen, will be led by Deborah Greaves, Head of the School of Engineering and Director of the COAST Laboratory, and will see leading offshore renewables figures share skills and expertise for mutual benefit of these related areas.
It will be a £5 million four-year project, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has already provided the initial funding to Greaves to spend six months building the consortium that will drive the technology forward.
Deborah Greaves said: “The specific research challenges facing offshore wind, tidal and wave technologies are quite distinct, but by developing synergies and collaborations we can add to existing research and expertise. Therefore, a coordinated response from different actors at national and regional level is required in order to tackle these challenges successfully.
“My aim for this six-month project is to develop a shared vision for the ORE community and agreement on the strategy and design of the ORE SuperGen Hub to achieve that vision.”
The Supergen program was set up in 2001 to deliver sustained and coordinated research on Sustainable PowER GENeration and supply, focusing on several key research areas.