About NorthWind

The Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME) carry out long-term research targeted towards renewable energy, energy efficiency, CCS and social science aspects of energy research. The centres selected for funding must demonstrate the potential for innovation and value creation. Research activities are carried out in close collaboration between research groups, trade and industry, and the public administration, and key tasks include international cooperation and researcher training. The centres are established for a period of maximum eight years (5 + 3). Read more about FMEs at The Research Council of Norway’s website.

The primary objective for NorthWind is to bring forward outstanding research and innovation to reduce the cost of wind power and facilitate its sustainable development, which will grow exports and create new jobs.

The secondary objectives are to:
• De-risk critical aspects for concept selection and enable cost-effective design and fabrication of support
structures through reduced uncertainty and application of novel methods (WP1)
• Develop methods and tools for efficient and safe marine operations and logistic planning for installation
and maintenance of offshore wind farms (WP2)
• Develop reliable and cost-effective electric power components and system solutions to enable profitable
large-scale deployment of offshore wind energy in the North Sea (WP3)
• Develop methodologies to elevate the capability level of digital twin from 0-2 to 3-5 (autonomy) (WP4)
• Develop tools and insights for sustainable development of wind energy to create a successful export
industry, reduce cost and uncertainty, and resolve environmental and societal conflicts (WP5).

• The Centre will provide outstanding research and prospects for at least 20 innovations that can be developed into new products and services for the international market.
  
  
• The Centre will provide new methodologies, numerical models, and software to design and operate the wind power plants of the future, generating profit and respecting nature.
  
  
• Case studies will be carried out in close cooperation with industry partners pin-pointing tangible design and operational solutions.
  
  
• The educational programme linked with the Centre will bring forward 27 PhDs or Post Docs, and 200 MSc and BSc candidates with wind energy as topic for their thesis.

• Reports, papers and communication (web, factsheets, blogs, social / media contributions, etc) from the Centre will form a platform for knowledge-based debate and policy on development of wind farms on-land and offshore, and of the development of the associated service and supply industry.
• Knowledge transfer between research, education, industry and public bodies will be enhanced through meetings, workshops, temporarily mobility stays and joint case studies.
• Results will be disseminated through technical reports, peer-reviewed articles, conferences, workshops and media. At least 200 peer-reviewed articles will be published in internationally renowned journals.
• NorthWind is a major participant at the annual EERA DeepWind offshore wind R&D conference.

• The Centre shall bring value to the user partners and society in general
• The engagement of the user partners will be important for the establishment and execution of the Centre
• The size and duration of the Centre provides for strategic impact
• The user partners will be in majority at the Board of the Centre
• The user partners can contribute with own research (in-kind) and/or cash. Active collaboration and engagement will enhance value.
• In-kind contribution can be from relevant EU-projects.
• Collaboration and value may be enhanced through mobility schemes for temporary placement at research partners and vice versa.
• It will be possible to develop new activity around the Centre at areas of importance with co-finance from the Research Council, Innovation Norway, Enova, EU etc. This could be for example to enhance activity of research to address critical knowledge gaps or to further develop a prospect innovation towards a higher TRL.