The grants from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) will be used to stream-line the design and installation of offshore wind turbines which could lead to cost reductions of up to 35 per cent.
The money has been awarded to 2-B Energy, High Voltage Partial Discharge Ltd, SgurrControl Ltd and Ocean Resource Ltd as part of Decc’s innovation competition to support research and development into offshore wind power.
A total of £2,792,280 was awarded to 2-B Energy to develop a novel two-bladed turbine supported by a full truss steel foundation for offshore wind applications.
The pilot will be trialled onshore in the Netherlands initially, and then the technology is expected to be tested at an offshore site near Methil, Fife.
High Voltage Partial Discharge Ltd has been awarded £900,370 to develop and trial a new type of monitoring technology that will provide early warning of faults in HVDC cables and direct preventative maintenance to help improve operating efficiency.
SgurrControl Ltd, based in Glasgow, has been awarded £667,000 to develop a control system that will reduce the stress placed on turbine blades with the aim of increasing the lifetime of wind turbines.
Ocean Resource Ltd, based in South Wales, has been awarded £216,442 to develop an offshore wind turbine that is assembled and commissioned on-shore and towed fully assembled for site installation using tugs.
Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker said: “The UK is already the world leader in offshore wind – with more deployed than any other country.
“The benefits that offshore wind can bring are clear – from enhancing our energy security, reducing our dependence on imports and helping reduce our carbon emissions.
“Innovation is critical to cutting the cost of this low-carbon power source, which could in turn lead to lower bills for hardworking consumers.”