David Brown Gear Systems wins cash to accelerate offshore wind innovation
28 February 2012
David Brown Gear Systems has been confirmed as the first successful bidder to a government scheme to support manufacturers developing next generation offshore wind technology. The company,based in Huddersfield, has been awarded a £1.2m grant to help develop a gearbox for a 7MW offshore wind turbine. It is the first company to be awarded funding under DECC and the Technology Strategy Board’s Offshore Wind Component Technologies Innovation scheme which is worth around £5m.
Ian Farquhar, managing director, Wind Energy at David Brown Gear Systems said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding from the Offshore Wind Components Technologies Innovation scheme to help develop a wind turbine gearbox which aims to reduce the cost of energy for wind turbine operators by as much as 5%.
"At David Brown we strive to be leaders in the gearing technologies of tomorrow and this grant will allow us to reduce the financial risk of bringing a beneficial product to market. This is a major boost to both David Brown and the UK supply chain, not only in terms of immediate supply partners but additionally, the wider opportunities that will develop as a result.”
David Brown has entered a multimillion pound contract with South Korean company Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) to design, develop and manufacture a new gear system for the next generation of offshore wind turbines.
The contract marks the start of a long-term supply collaboration between David Brown and SHI and will see David Brown design a new 7MW wind turbine gearbox that will be specifically configured to optimise SHI’s wind turbine generator as a whole, making it highly reliable, power efficient and less expensive to maintain than existing configurations.
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