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January 13, 2009
ENERGY
TECHNOLOGIES INSTITUTE
Energy
Technologies Institute unveils first Projects to benefit from £1.1
billion initiative.
Funding
for world-class consortia to help UK meet Energy & Climate Change
targets.
FOUR innovative projects aimed at supporting the achievement of the UK’s
challenging targets for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions were given
the go ahead today (January 13) as part of a potential £1.1billion fund.
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a unique partnership between
global industries and the UK Government, revealed funding for its first four
projects, all with the ultimate aim of providing the public with more
affordable, low carbon electricity.
Three of the projects will focus on designing cutting edge offshore wind
turbine technology, while the fourth will demonstrate a new commercial scale
tidal turbine.
These, and future projects, have the potential to deliver cheaper
renewable electricity from 2020 onwards. The initiative is also geared at
making the UK more energy efficient, protecting energy supplies for present
and future generations, and improving the country’s skills base.
The funding for the projects comes from the six current private sector
partners –BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell.
The ETI’s public funds are received from the Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills (DIUS) through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB)
and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) with
additional funding from the Department for Transport.
Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said: “There is great
potential for the UK to harness wind and tidal power to produce renewable
energy. These ETI projects will look to turn that potential into reality.
“The Government has put record investment into science, including our
funding for the ETI. Their work is crucial to achieving a green revolution
in Britain and we'll be supporting those growth industries and
next-generation technologies where we can have a clear global impact.
“This is also science and engineering at its most exciting. It's
precisely the kind of challenge we can use to encourage girls and boys to
study the STEM subjects at school and then university”.
Dr David Clarke, the ETI’s Chief Executive Officer said: “The projects
being announced today will demonstrate new technologies which can deliver
significant cost savings compared to current renewable energy sources.
“Through the skills, capabilities and market access of our members, we
have the potential to deploy new technologies on a mass scale. Rapid,
widespread deployment is critical if we are to address effectively the
challenges of climate change.”
Lord Hunt, Minister for Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation, said:
“Today’s announcement is a key milestone for the Energy Technologies
Institute. The UK has pledged to increase dramatically our use of renewable
energy to further secure our energy supplies and help fight the damaging
effects of climate change.
“In order to meet these challenges we need to turn the best innovative ideas
in wind and marine power in to reality. The Energy Technologies Institute is
an excellent example of Government working with the private sector
to achieve a quantum leap forward in these vital low-carbon technologies.”
The UK’s target for 2050 is an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions on 1990 levels covering all sectors of the economy, including
shipping and aviation. To help deliver that, 15 per cent of energy should
come from renewable sources by 2020.
The ETI says the employment benefits should not be confined to those
involved in the initial deployment of new technologies. There should be a
long-term impact from the development of a manufacturing, maintenance and
support infrastructure around the individual schemes.
ETI projects aim to attract people to centres of excellence in low carbon
energy – in academia and industry. The projects bring together universities,
SMEs, large corporates, leading consultancies and ETI members.
While Offshore Wind and Marine technologies are the focus of the first
round of projects to be funded, the ETI is also addressing the areas of
Transport, Distributed Energy, Carbon Capture and Storage and Energy
Networks. The next set of Offshore Wind and Marine projects to be funded by
the ETI will be announced soon.
Nick Winser, National Grid's Executive Director for Transmission &
Co-chair of the UK Energy Research Partnership, said: “Innovation and the
rapid introduction of improved technologies and energy systems are critical
if we are to meet the UK target for reducing CO2 emissions and deliver
affordable energy to customers.
“The first ETI projects are a key part of the development of a new energy
network for the UK. Our major investment programme in the UK electricity
network, around £850m this year alone, is a key part of enabling these
projects to be rapidly rolled out as commercial generators following their
initial developments.”
About the Four Projects: The first four projects will receive ETI funding
totalling approximately £20 million. They are:
Project Nova: A UK-based consortium led by Guildford
energy specialists OTM Consulting and including representatives from three
universities – Cranfield, Strathclyde and Sheffield – the Centre for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) and SME Wind Power. Key
sub-contractors include James Ingram Associates and QinetiQ. The project
aims to assess the feasibility of a unique wind turbine with a pair of giant
vertical wings, which has the benefit of ruggedness, stability and simpler
maintenance access, compared to the horizontal axis concept of conventional
turbines.
Project Helm Wind: A UK-based consortium led by E.ON
Engineering and including representatives from Rolls-Royce, BP Alternative
Energy and the University of Strathclyde. The project aims to deliver a
concept design and feasibility study for a new offshore-specific wind farm
and seeks to overcome the issues facing today’s systems including turbine
reliability and accessing equipment for maintenance.
Project Deepwater Turbine: A consortium led by Blue H
Technologies with representatives from UK groups including BAE Systems, the
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS), EDF Energy, Romax
and SLP Energy. The project aims to design and determine the feasibility and
potential of an integrated solution for a 5MW floating offshore wind turbine
for deepwater deployments between 30 and 300 metres.
Project ReDAPT: A UK-based consortium led by Rolls-Royce
and including Tidal Generation Limited, Garrad Hassan, the University of
Edinburgh, EDF Energy, E.ON, Plymouth Marine Laboratories and the European
Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). The project aims to install and test a 1MW
tidal turbine at the EMEC in Orkney, delivering detailed environmental and
performance information never before achieved at this scale in real sea
conditions.
NOTES TO EDITORS
* For further information or interviews, please contact Nick Mason or
Brendan Pittaway at Mason Media on 0151 239 5050 or 07903 237008/ 07985
601787.
The ETI is a Limited Liability Partnership, governed by a Board
comprising representatives from its member organisations, with each private
sector member entitled to one seat on the Board.
The ETI’s six private members are BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON,
Rolls-Royce and Shell. The UK Government has committed to match support for
five further Members. The ETI’s public funds are received from the
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) through the
Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC) with additional funding from the Department for
Transport. These organisations, together with the Department for Energy and
Climate Change (DECC) are engaged directly in the ETI’s strategy and
programme development.
About the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI): Plans for the ETI were first
revealed in the 2006 Budget by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon
Brown. It was to operate as a 50:50 public/private partnership. A consortium
comprising Birmingham, Loughborough and Nottingham Universities, based at
Loughborough University Science Park, was chosen as the host location for
the ETI from a shortlist of five bidders.
In selecting projects for funding, the ETI is aiming to achieve a number
of key objectives, including demonstrating energy technologies and systems,
improving energy usage, efficiency, supply and generation and developing
knowledge, and supply chains.
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