A LEADING North East-based offshore solutions and product development company is poised to champion a step-change in floating offshore technology.
Rigorous analysis and engineering have resulted in the creation of SBT Energy’s innovative Control and Services Buoy which addresses the challenges of the aggressive offshore environment such as salt spray, high seas and storm-force winds.
As the need to deploy equipment offshore on the surface has increased to capture solar and wind energy, so too has the importance of designing small but stable floating structures to cradle and protect equipment. To fill the gap between oceanographic buoys and large platforms, SBT Energy has developed its ground-breaking buoy platform which can be towed to or lifted into the water on location and attached to a simple catenary mooring system.
By studying and applying research data on floating wind turbine structure motions, engineering analysis plus tank and coastal water testing, SBT Energy illustrated the high stability and low accelerations which can be achieved, even in extreme wave conditions. This carefully-created technology is now ready for deployment.
Commenting on the news, SBT Energy’s Malcolm Bowie said: “At the heart of this innovation lie scalability and cost optimisation – we can use a small buoy for applications such as Lidar and wave monitoring, and increase in size for monitoring and controlling subsea equipment locally. This avoids the need for long umbilicals, and ultimately we can expand to carry heavier equipment and storage of fluids.
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“For us, however, it’s the energy transition possibilities which create the real excitement, and we are delighted to be engaging with the supply chain to create wider opportunities. Previously, power had to come from engines, which need regular servicing, but huge advancements in offshore wind, solar and wave power, combined with battery technology and potential hydrogen production/storage and fuel cells, now mean that a zero-emissions, autonomous facility is well within grasp.
“The Control and Services Buoy is typical of the innovative structures which the energy industry is increasingly seeking to deploy to address our future energy challenges.”
To find out more, visit www.sbt-energy.com
