The offshore wind turbines that DONG Energy has challenged the industry to deliver by 2024 could hit the market in the next 5 years, according to Tony Quinn, Operations/ Testing & Validation Director at Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, for which Quinn said is ideally positioned to test the next generation machines. ORE Catapult has a 15MW drive train test rig, currently biggest in the world.
Aside from upgrading its facilities to handle larger turbines, ORE Catapult has been also investing in them to deal with emerging issues.
“We have recently invested in a blade erosion test rig, similar to those that main manufacturers like Siemens and LM already have, but we are an independent test facility. What the industry needs are common standards in order to make sure that the results that we are getting are comparable across the industry, and that will help drive the industry forward by reaching common certification standards,” Tony Quinn said.
To find out more about ORE Catapult and its current projects, watch the Offshore WIND Expertise Hub interview.
For more Expertise Hub interviews, visit Navingo’s Offshore WIND channel on Vimeo .