The National Composites Centre (NCC), Bristol Composites Institute (BCI) and Vestas have established a strategic technology research partnership to anchor the UK’s future wind industry. This enhanced, sustained collaboration will accelerate wind blade technology development necessary to propel the UK’s clean energy superpower ambitions and enable supply chain resilience.

The UK Offshore Wind Industrial growth plan estimates the domestic economic opportunity for the sector to be worth up to £92 billion (≈$119.61 billion) by 2040. Key to maximising market potential is advanced product and technology development which is crucial to enable lower energy costs, and higher levels of sustainability that will create jobs, skills, and greater export opportunities for the UK supply chain, NCC said in a press release.

“The National Composites Centre and Bristol Composites Institute 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. 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 UK and Danish R&D teams on the next generation of sustainable energy solutions,” Kasper Roed Jensen, vice president of new concepts at Vestas R&D, said.

“We are delighted to be selected as a global technology partner of Vestas. The National Composites Centre 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,” Richard Oldfield, chief executive, National Composites Centre, said.

“The Bristol Composites Institute is honoured 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. We look forward to working closely with Vestas on pioneering research and technological innovations that will advance the wind energy sector and contribute to a more sustainable future,” Alberto Pirrera, professor, Bristol Composites Institute, University of Bristol, said.

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