The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA), a collaborative R&D programme funded by nine leading offshore wind developers and the Scottish Government, has today announced a call for expressions of interest in its new global innovation competition, aiming to develop and enhance black start capabilities for offshore wind turbines.

With the increasing move towards renewable generation, there is a need to explore how offshore wind turbines can be used to supply all the auxiliary power to restart wind farms, and then to restart parts of the electricity grid that have completely lost power.

This competition is designed to provide a signal to the market that black start capabilities are now required for offshore wind turbines, encouraging innovators to consider how they can develop a technology solution that could form a key part of the low carbon energy system of the future.

To demonstrate their commitment, the OWA members are willing to sponsor developments that meet their specifications. The competition objective is to identify, qualify and rapidly de-risk innovative, cost effective, maintenance-friendly, reliable and low carbon solutions that provide black start capabilities for offshore wind.