The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has revealed its ambitious vision to create a cutting-edge virtual environment aimed at enhancing the planning and maintenance of offshore wind farms. Known as the Digital Operation and Maintenance Environment (DOME), this innovative project will be spearheaded by ORE Catapult's Operations and Maintenance Centre of Excellence, based in Grimsby.
With the support of £600,000 in funding from Innovate UK, DOME aims to provide offshore wind developers and operators with a dynamic platform to address common challenges faced by the offshore industry, all within a highly detailed virtual world. This new initiative builds upon ORE Catapult's earlier announcement this year about the establishment of a 5G marine network off the coast of Grimsby.
Within the DOME, developers will have the opportunity to securely host models, digital twins, and datasets, ensuring the protection of intellectual property associated with their products. This environment will expedite the development and testing of a wide range of solutions, spanning from turbine component replacements to the integration of robotic systems and radar mitigation techniques. By streamlining technology development timelines, DOME is projected to generate substantial cost savings, potentially amounting to millions of pounds over the lifespan of wind farms.
Ben George, the head of smart operations and maintenance (O&M) at ORE Catapult, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “This is a highly exciting endeavor that will directly support the advancement of smarter, more informed offshore operations and maintenance, which are crucial for the rapid expansion of offshore wind generation throughout the UK.” George also emphasized DOME's potential to strengthen the connections between offshore wind developers and various elements of the supply chain, utilizing novel technologies and techniques to facilitate quicker, safer, and more cost-effective concept development and testing for operators and solution providers.
ORE Catapult has collaborated with esteemed partners, including CAE UK, Cognitive Business, Warwick University, and Microsoft, to design and refine the DOME. Although initially focused on supporting offshore wind O&M, the project has been designed to evolve and revolutionize processes across the entire offshore energy life cycle.
The next phase for ORE Catapult involves seeking industry feedback on the DOME's design, paving the way for its subsequent construction and testing. With this groundbreaking virtual environment, ORE Catapult is poised to drive significant advancements in the offshore wind industry, propelling it towards a more sustainable and efficient future.
