Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has initiated its latest Launch Academy accelerator program, welcoming ten companies from various regions in the UK to collaborate on developing technological solutions addressing challenges in the offshore wind sector.
Participating in the Launch Academy program are Anstee Indication Systems, Crondall Energy, Indeximate, Kavaken, Auxetec, Perceptual Robotics, Pulcea, Quoceant, RTDT Laboratories, and Werover.
The winning companies present diverse technology solutions, including subsea noise mitigation, floating offshore wind cable connection systems, and an artificial intelligence (AI)-based health monitoring system for wind turbine blades.
Sponsored by RWE, bp, and ScottishPower Renewables, the National Launch Academy program will run from March 6 to December 2024. Over the nine-month duration, participants will receive tailored support through modules provided by ORE Catapult and expert partners. These modules cover legal, marketing, export, accountancy, intellectual property (IP), investor readiness, technology assessment, and business case reviews, with a total value of up to GBP 60,000 per company.
Crondall Energy, based in Southampton, is working on SAFEMOOR, an online mooring integrity management platform that estimates mooring line fatigue for floating offshore wind. This platform aims to reduce visual inspections, enhance reliability, and collect data for future mooring line design improvements, according to Joel Maisey, Energy Transition Manager at Crondall Energy.
Since 2020, ORE Catapult reports that 47 companies have advanced through regional and national programs, raising over GBP 33 million in investment and grant funding and filing 48 patents.