The U.K. government grant of £4m ($5m) will be used to create remote inspection and repair technologies using robotics and autonomous systems. These will be used to inspect the condition of subsea power cables, identify problems early and ultimately, extend their lifespan.
The U.K. government has set ambitious decarbonization targets, increasing the present 5GW generated by offshore windfarms to 40GW by 2050.
The cost of achieving these targets has, until now, focused on the capital outlay for wind turbines, but budgets have largely ignored the operation and maintenance of windfarm assets, including subsea cabling.
“By integrating technologies, such as autonomous underwater vehicles and advanced sonar technology, we will gain a new insight into the condition of these subsea assets,” said Dr. David Flynn, director of the Smart Systems Group at Heriot-Watt University.
