A new era was ushered in for Fife’s world-leading offshore wind turbine demonstrator on Monday as the ORE Catapult officially took over operations at the site.
The 7MW turbine, which towers over Leven and Methil, is now being run as an open access research base for the global wind energy industry.
Technicians will carry out a range of research to stress test and develop componentry for large-scale wind devices.
The key aim of the project is to drive down the costs of offshore wind to make it more economic than other traditional power sources.
The Neart Na Gaoithe (NNG) array in the outer Firth of Forth a fully funded project which is being held up by RSPB Scotland’s ongoing judicial review of the Scottish Government’s consents holds a Contract for Difference at a price of £114.38 per megawatt hour (MWh).
Officially opening the new facility, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said he hoped research carried out in Fife could help drive that figure below £100MWh and make offshore wind more attractive to investors.
“Beatrice came in at £140 MWh and NNG is £114MWh so costs are already coming down,” Mr Ewing said.
“I would be surprised if that £114MWh figure wasn’t significantly reduced.
“To get that figure down we need the best possible research.
“If that cost comes down by 20%, 30% or 40% then it (offshore wind) starts to look pretty inexpensive compared to other alternatives at the £100MWh mark.”
Andrew Jamieson, chief executive of ORE Catapult, said the Fife facility had the potential to fly the flag internationally for the business.
Initially there will only be a handful of ORE Catapult staff on site who will work alongside technicians from Samsung Heavy Industries, which is to maintain its presence in the region.
The longer-term hope is that the test programme will attract interest from academia and industry and a world-class research hub will emerge at Methil.
Mr Jamieson said cost was a barrier to offshore wind development and collaboration was key to cracking that issue.
“We can see the day coming where potentially you will have developers, researchers and technicians on site.
“Ultimately, we are looking for more interactions.”