Autonomous Technology Could Save Offshore Wind Farm Costs

ASV Ltd in association with Planet Ocean Ltd, have received funding from the GROW:OffshoreWind initiative to investigate how the use of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) could reduce the costs of offshore wind farm support.

The project will look at using ASVs to reduce the cost of tasks related to the construction, operation and maintenance (O&M) of offshore wind farms. Together ASV and Planet Ocean will look at scour monitoring, cable position tracking, wave and meteorological monitoring, current profile monitoring and underwater noise monitoring.

ASV will be presenting two of their ASVs, the C-Enduro and C-Worker whilst Planet Ocean who specialise in the provision of marine instruments will look at mission and sensor options.

The GROW:OffshoreWind initiative is delivered by the Manufacturing Advisory Service and supported by programme partner RenewableUK. Through partnership with the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, its primary focus is to provide funding for suppliers to the offshore wind market. GROW:OffshoreWind works in close collaboration with Industry Leaders and the Government.

“We are excited about the potential of the project submitted by ASV Ltd in association with Planet Ocean Ltd. We believe their ingenuity will lead to significant cost reductions for many manufacturers in the offshore wind market” commented Dominic Brown, Head of GROW:OffshoreWind.

“ASVs are already widely used by the defence, oil and gas and environmental survey industries, yet their potential is still to be explored in the offshore renewables sector”, added ASV Managing Director Dan Hook.

ASV and Planet Ocean are seeking input from stakeholders in the offshore wind industry, particularly wind farm operators and developers. If you would like to add input to this project, shaping the future of the use of Autonomous Systems in offshore renewables, email sarah.dyer@asvglobal.com. Stakeholder engagement sessions will be held at ASV’s facility in Portchester, Hampshire on 5th and 6th November 2014.

For more information visit www.asvglobal.com and www.planet-ocean.co.uk.