A new centre for testing offshore wind turbine blades has opened at the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in Blyth, Northumberland. The £80 million investment will help the UK lead the world in testing new offshore wind technologies. The new centre will enable Narec to test blades up to 100m long – twice the length allowed by their old facility.
The testing centre is a complex work of engineering in itself. It consists of a 123m long, 5,700m2 steel frame structure which features a 15m high concrete test hub. The hub has two rings, enabling different blade lengths to be fitted for testing. The building has been specially designed to withstand the strong forces and vibrations created by the blade testing process.
Andrew Mill, CEO of Narec, commented: ‘This is a unique facility which can accommodate the largest blades being developed for the offshore wind industry...Narec will now commission the new facility ready for commercial operations at the start of next year.’
Wilding says:‘This is a great initiative that will help the UK design and develop the offshore wind turbine technology of the future.Home-grown solutions like this are just what the energy industry and UK economy need.’
Source: Your Industry News
