RWE, one of the world leaders in offshore wind, has launched its first global “Floating Wind Co-use Competition”. The company is looking for solutions to promote co-existence with other sea users and biodiversity enhancement. RWE is dedicated to accelerating the development and demonstration of innovative and sustainable solutions that be specifically applied to floating offshore wind projects.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind:
“We are one of the world leaders in offshore wind and are diligently working on innovation. We see sustainability and biodiversity enhancement as integral parts during the development, construction and operation of our wind farms. We have installed the world’s first recyclable rotor blades, signed an agreement for ‘green’ fuel service operation vessels and we are looking into artificial reefs to enhance biodiversity – to name only a few examples. Now, we want to further promote new technology and new ideas for floating offshore wind, which especially supporting our strategy to build biodiversity net positive offshore wind farms in future.”
Making the difference in two domains: Biodiversity and co-existence with other sea users
RWE invites start-ups, scale-ups, research institutes as well as other individuals and organisations to propose solutions to promote co-existence with other sea-based activities to support local marine stakeholders – especially the fisheries. Furthermore, the company is looking for innovations, which minimise the environmental impact on wildlife and which have a net-positive impact on biodiversity. The innovations should provide positive opportunities for local marine stakeholders, and ideally protect the marine ecosystem simultaneously.
Contributing to sustainable floating offshore wind farms worldwide
Winners get the chance to explore the value of their innovation for floating offshore wind farms with RWE’s in-house experts and to work with RWE’s global development teams, which drive forward floating wind projects in Europe, Asia and America. The winners are also eligible to a monetary research grant to further develop their ideas.
RWE is leading the way towards cost competitive commercial-scale floating wind across the world and is actively involved in two high-profile demonstration projects in Spain and Norway.
In the UK, RWE is one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies, and is set to participate in the upcoming Crown Estate’s UK Round 5 Seabed Lease auction, for floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea – an area bordered by the coasts of South Wales, South West England and South East Ireland.
Floating Wind could potentially unlock a multi-billion pound opportunity for the broader Celtic Sea region and the UK. RWE has already developed industrial collaborations to gain a better understanding of the local supply chain possibilities. These include a cooperation agreement with Tata Steel UK agreements with ABP Port Talbot, the Port of Milford Haven Authority, Ledwood Mechanical Engineering and Marine Power Systems of Swansea. In addition to a recent collaboration with Sarens and Tugdock on launching steel and concrete floating foundations.
Danielle Lane, RWE’s Director of Offshore Wind Development (UK and Ireland) added:
“The development of floating wind in the Celtic Sea region offers a multi-billion pound economic opportunity, creating a lasting legacy of innovation, manufacturing, and operations, with a newly-skilled workforce, bringing a host of benefits into local communities. This competition is a mechanism to try to ensure that innovation and biodiversity are at the heart of the projects we are developing,”
Call for innovations
Participants can submit their proposal until 31st December 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (CEST).
Further information about the competition and the submission form can be found at www.rwe.com/floating-wind-competition
