A new spinout company has developed modular generator technology that its makers believe could reduce the levelised cost of energy for offshore renewables by 10 to 15 %.
CGEN Engineering’s lightweight, stackable generator system can easily be transported to onshore and offshore wind, wave, and tidal installations, where it is assembled into a complete power system for converting mechanical energy into electricity. In contrast with conventional systems, each module can be added, replaced or moved individually, so operators can keep generation systems running without long downtimes. They can also upgrade their system over time without major overhauls.
Invented by professor Markus Mueller of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering and developed by CGEN’s managing director, research fellow Dr Joseph Burchell, alongside mechanical and manufacturing engineer Mike Galbraith, the team has demonstrated the generator at scales from 10 kW to 1 MW.
CGEN says it has found, by assessing comparative data, that their technology can increase the operational life of installations by 30 to 40 % when compared to conventional generator systems, while reducing the lifetime operating and maintenance costs for generator installations by 50 to 70 %.
The UK government has committed to doubling onshore wind and quadrupling offshore wind installations by 2030, which Dr Burchell estimates will require more than 10 000 more turbines.
Dr Burchall comments: “We believe our technology directly addresses the critical gaps in the UK’s offshore renewable energy supply chain. Firstly, component supply: we offer an assembly line production of modular parts, alleviating supply bottle necks while offering engineering expertise to support large-scale deployment.
“Secondly, access, operation, and maintenance: if a fault occurs, it can be bypassed until the module can be replaced, instead of requiring a complex generator system overhaul or replacement. This allows for minimum operational downtimes [and] utilises smaller infrastructure such as cranes, vessels, and transportation, significantly cutting costs and logistics complexity.
Supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, CGEN has been working with various companies to design and test its technology, including University of Edinburgh start-up Mocean Energy, which is using CGEN technology in its BlueX wave energy converter.
Cameron McNatt, managing director of Mocean Energy, said: “CGEN was used in our Blue X prototype wave energy converter for all sea trials, including the successful 13 months of sea testing as part of the Renewables for Subsea Power project. It has demonstrated resilience and dependability throughout, and we … look forward to further collaborations moving forward.”
