Renewable-energy company 2-B Energy, which is based in the Netherlands, has secured a 26.5 million euro investment package to help commercialise its cutting-edge offshore wind technology. The company — currently testing two wind turbines just off the coast at Methil in Fife — received the funding (via the Scottish Investment Bank) from a consortium that includes the Department of Energy and Scottish Enterprise.
Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “This announcement is testimony to Scotland being at the forefront of offshore wind R&D, with 2-B Energy aiming to join Siemens and Samsung in the coming years and test their prototype in the Firth of Forth. With facilities such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in Glasgow plus test facilities at Hunterston and Methil, Scotland offers the best facilities and expertise as the industry plots a pathway to reducing the cost of off-shore wind.”
The news of the funding came only days after the official opening of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in Glasgow. This is based in Scottish Enterprise’s Inovo building, which is also home to the International Renewable Energy Zone.
Seonaid Vass, director of renewables and low-carbon technologies at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Inovo, together with the University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre, will help to bridge the gap between industry and academia by offering co-location opportunities and creating the right environment for industry to harness cutting-edge research.
"The building is already home to a number of companies operating in the sector, and basing the Catapult here will help to foster key links across the industry.”