NCC, BCI, Vestas collaborate to enhance wind blade technology development

The National Composites Center (NCC, Bristol, U.K.), Bristol Composites Institute (BCI) and Vestas 
(Aarhus, Denmark) have established a strategic technology research partnership to anchor the U.K.’s future wind industry. This collaboration aims to accelerate wind blade technology development necessary to propel the U.K.’s clean energy ambitions and enable supply chain resilience.

The U.K. Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan estimates the domestic economic opportunity for the sector to be worth up to £92 billion by 2040. The key to maximizing market potential is advanced product and technology development, which is crucial to enable lower energy costs, as well as higher levels of sustainability that create jobs, skills and greater export opportunities for the U.K. supply chain.

“The NCC and BCI bring together excellence in research and collaboration with industry, making them ideal partners for companies like Vestas that depend on the newest composite material and manufacturing knowledge,” says Kasper Roed Jensen, vice president of new concepts at Vestas R&D. “NCC, BCI and Vestas have grown together and Vestas is excited to take the next step through a strategic R&D partnership. We look forward to working together through our U.K. and Danish R&D teams on the next generation of sustainable energy solutions.”

“We are delighted to be selected as a global technology partner of Vestas. The NCC is leading efforts to advance ‘green industry’ technologies, including for next-generation wind applications. I look forward to continuing our work with Vestas to accelerate the path to net zero,” adds Richard Oldfield, chief executive, NCC.

The multi-year innovation collaboration is one of three global university partnerships led by Vestas that will drive research and technology development in the renewable energy market. Part of the U.K. High Value Manufacturing Catapult and born out of the University of Bristol (UoB), NCC delivers innovation across wind through the Joule Challenge, and SusWIND programs focused on design, manufacture and embedded sustainability for next-generation offshore wind turbines.

 “The BCI is honored to have been confirmed as a partner by Vestas and elevated to strategic status. This marks the continuation of a valued collaboration that began in the early 2000s,” says Alberto Pirrera, professor, BCI, UoB.