28th June 2023 in Community News, Press releases
As part of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and South Tyneside Council’s Little Inventors programme, a young inventor is to see his planet-saving idea spring to life, with the support of two South Tyneside pioneers.
Nine-year-old Isaac, from Cleadon, visited Ford Aerospace at Port of Tyne this week to present his Wind Mirrors to a panel of high-profile business leaders.
Isaac created a planet-saving invention as part of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and South Tyneside Council’s Little Inventors Programme. This is among 8 inventions that local businesses will bring to life over the upcoming months.
Working in partnership with schools across the borough, the Little Inventors Programme launched in February as a challenge to year 4 and 5 students to create inventions powered by movement and wind that could help reverse climate change.
Isaac’s idea, ‘Wind Mirrors’, would see propellors manufactured that could be attached underneath vehicle wing mirrors to generate renewable electricity that can be used to power vehicular accessories.
As Isaac explained in his presentation:
“The propellers will spin in the wind as the car moves which will then provide electricity, which will power the radio and sat nav.
“This is also a safety feature because it can power the rear and front headlights. Also, the propellers are underneath the mirrors, so it doesn’t obstruct the driver’s view.”
Cell Pack Solutions and Ford Aerospace were two of the many local businesses and bright minds to back the campaign, with both companies agreeing to collaborate to help bring one of the winning ideas to life.
Both organisations were inspired to get involved having signed the South Tyneside Pledge, a commitment by over two hundred local organisations to boost local economic activity, reduce health inequalities, lower carbon emissions, and enhance civic pride. Equinor, future operator of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is also a signatory of the pledge.
After finding out about Isaac’s idea and being ‘blown away’ by his ‘thorough and diverse’ invention, they agreed to work together to develop a working prototype, with Isaac leading as the project manager.
Speaking after the presentation, Isaac said:
“I spend a lot of time drawing cars and building this with LEGO, so I was really happy when I found out I had won.
“The idea was to use a propellor that can generate wind from the momentum of the car and use it to power things such as the sat nav. We have also spoken about using a battery to store the electricity but that would be further down the line.
“It’s been totally mad seeing the design come to life and seeing how the two companies have worked together on it and I can’t wait to see the final version once they have made the improvements we discussed today. It’s all been really worthwhile.”
The Dogger Bank Community Fund and South Tyneside Council launched the Little Inventors Programme to support and increase understanding of skills in science, technology, engineering and maths for young people and their parents and to raise awareness of the economic and environmental opportunities presented by renewable energy.
Each of the winning ideas will be on show at a public exhibition at The Word, South Shields from July 16th 2023 until the end of November 2023. Visitors to The Word will also be able to submit their own ideas, with one further idea being brought to life and exhibited from September 2023.
Tom Nightingale, North East Stakeholder Manager for Equinor, said:
“It is fantastic to see the local community helping to develop new inventions linked to renewable energy as we look to tackle climate change. Isaac is one of many little inventors with great ideas that are building on our work at Dogger Bank Wind Farm to start a green revolution from here in South Tyneside. We are looking forward to seeing the inventions brought to life and it is even better that the campaign is being backed by local businesses.”
Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member for Economic Growth and Transport, said:
“Isaac must be incredibly proud that his idea is to be turned into a real product with the help of local businesses.
“This programme is an excellent way of inspiring children and igniting their passion for STEM not just in the classroom, but to find innovative solutions to real-life problems.
“As Isaac has illustrated, we have some brilliant young minds in the borough!”
For more information, visit: https://southtyneside.littleinventors.org/
27th June 2023 in Community News, Press releases, Uncategorised
A fine art student from Northumberland will have her art displayed at our operation and maintenance base in Port of Tyne after winning the Dogger Bank Wind Farm purchase prize.
Britney Fraser, from Widdrington, in Northumberland, draws upon her family’s mining heritage and working class culture in her work. ‘Alreet’ and ‘Howay’ are part of her final year degree show and part of a series of pieces featuring regional words, also including ‘canny’ and ‘divvnt’ in her family’s handwriting on traditional ‘proggy’ mats made from recycled textiles. Her art highlights untold, overlooked, and undervalued stories from Northumberland’s working communities by transforming materials associated with manual labour into sculptural elevations of trade workers.
“My art is all about work,” says Britney.
“So I’m really happy that something so grounded in the North East and in its working-class communities will go on show at Dogger Bank Wind farm’s offices where people will see it every day.”
Felicity Wann, Operations Leader at Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:
“We are delighted to present the Dogger Bank Purchase Prize Award to Britney for her inspiring artwork, which honours the North-East of England. We are excited to display Britney’s ‘Howay’ and ‘Alreet’ artworks in the entrance to our Operations and Maintenance base located at The Port of Tyne, giving employees and visitors the chance to view the pieces every time they enter the base. At Dogger Bank Wind Farm, it is our strategy to invest into the local community, so it is fantastic for the winning art pieces to have come from a student from Northumberland in the North-East of England.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is working with Newcastle art gallery Gallagher and Turner on the purchase prize for the next four years, with a yearly purchase prize for art students at Newcastle and Sunderland Universities. Selected works will be displayed at the Wind Farm’s Operations and Maintenance base.
You can see Britney’s artworks at the Fine Art Degree Show which reopens in Space Liverpool from 28 June to 1 July.
21st June 2023 in Community News, Press releases
- The scholarship fund supports students undertaking courses focussed on science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) courses.
- The programme will be open to students in South Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland and East Riding of Yorkshire.
- 62 scholarships will be available during the construction of the wind farm to support the cost of further education, as part of a wider £1 million community investment.
June 2023: Dogger Bank Wind Farm is continuing its support to coastal communities in the north and north-east of England by opening the third year of its successful scholarship programme.
Last year, an additional twenty-five students from coastal communities in the north and north-east of England were supported with the cost of further education, thanks to the scholarship programme of £5,000 each from Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The initiative focuses on the areas of East Riding of Yorkshire, and Redcar and Cleveland, where the wind farm connects to the National Grid, as well as South Tyneside, where the Operation and Maintenance Base is located.
The wind farm has already awarded 50 scholarships to date to local students undertaking science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) courses in further education to help young people prepare for working life in a net zero world and support students with tuition fees at a key stage in their educations.
Previous scholarship awards have already helped students from across the local area to take first steps to their future careers. Successful scholars have been studying subjects as varied as engineering, medicine, maths, cyber security and even zoology. The students highlight that the scholarship has helped reduce the financial pressure of education and enables them to focus on their studies.
The third round of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm scholarship fund is open for applications until 1 September 2023 and further details on how to apply can be found here.
Lindsay Dougan, Community Investment Manager from Dogger Bank Wind Farm said:
“We recognise that students have many challenges to complete education, and we want to help them ease this pressure. Our scholarship fund is helping local students prepare for the highly skilled jobs that will be available in a net zero world. We look forward to offering the scholarship programme for a third year to support even more talented local students.”
Saffron Sollitt is studying a BSc in Physical Geography at the University of Hull. She said:
“This scholarship has taken a lot of weight off my shoulders! It is making me less anxious to take my next step in education, to achieve a master’s degree in volcanology.”
Ethan Ofosu is from South Shields and is studying Forensic and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Strathclyd. The former Bedford School student, said:
”Having gained this scholarship shows that there are local businesses that are willing to support young people like me in the community.”
Mechanical Engineering student, Paul Thomas, from Redcar, said:
“The scholarship has enabled me to fully concentrate on my HNC in Mechanical Engineering, during this challenging economic climate.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be located more than 130 km off the northeast coast and will generate enough renewable energy to power six million UK homes. A joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn (20%). SSE Renewables is leading on the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.
The wind farm is being built in three consecutive 1.2 GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C – connecting to the National Grid in both East Riding of Yorkshire and on Teesside. The third phase of the wind farm, Dogger Bank C, will reach landfall at Marske-by-the-sea. The underground onshore cables will be routed to an onshore convertor station near Lazenby, where preparation work is already underway. Once the current is converted, the renewable energy will make its way to an existing National Grid substation at Lackenby.
In June 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm unveiled plans for a £1 million construction fund to support coastal communities where its onshore infrastructure is being developed. The programme includes a significant investment in science, technology, engineering, and maths, as well as an operators fund to support local causes. Further information is available at www.doggerbank.com/about/community/
Picture caption: Saffron Sollitt, studying a BSc in Physical Geography at the University of Hull.
20th June 2023 in Operations, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
The Dogger Bank Wind Farm Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base has been awarded the Net Zero and Sustainability awards in the 2023 Constructing Excellence in the North-East (CENE) awards.
CENE is a business support organisation for the North-East construction, dedicated to delivering improved industry performance in order to achieve a better built environment. CENE are committed to working with industry, its customers, and the government to make change happen and deliver prosperity.
The awards are testament to the design of the Dogger Bank O&M base, which has been constructed in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework to meet the highest energy efficiency standards. 383 Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed for renewable energy generation, along with 20 electric vehicle charging points for staff and visitors. Less visible signs include the timber framework for the office buildings, the recycled steel structure for the warehouse and the highly efficient heating and cooling system.
In the United Kingdom, the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) provides an industry-acknowledged framework for determining the Net Zero Carbon (NZC) performance of the built environment, both during construction and operational stages. This framework incorporates two strands, one for NZC construction and one for NZC operations, both of which apply to the base.
The awards are shared with Ryder Architecture, headquartered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, were responsible for the building’s design, Fairhurst who provided the civil and structural design, Bowmer & Kirkland who were responsible for construction of the base and CBRE who provided overall project management alongside Equinor.
Accepting the award on behalf of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Prepare for Operations Manager Andrew Saunders said:
“We are proud to have won the Net Zero and Sustainability awards for the Dogger Bank Operations and Maintenance Base. The design of the building was focused not only on its functionality to operate the world’s largest wind farm, but also on its sustainable credentials, and it is thrilling that the industry has recognised the work we have done.”
The CENE Awards took place on Friday 16th June at The Grand Hotel in Gosforth Park, with the Dogger Bank O&M base having been shortlisted in the Net Zero, Building Project of the Year, and Sustainability categories. As winners of the Constructing Excellence in the North-East Awards, Dogger Bank will go forward to the National Constructing Excellence Awards later in the year and is hopeful for further recognition for the South Tyneside-located O&M base.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn (20%). SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.
19th June 2023 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
- Largest offshore jack-up vessel and first seaworthy ultra-low emission installation vessel Voltaire arrives in the UK for her very first assignment on Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
- The vessel will install turbines for all three Dogger Bank Wind Farm phases, a total of 277 units of GE Renewable Energy Haliade-X offshore wind turbines.
The largest offshore jack-up installation vessel ever built, Voltaire, has just arrived in the UK port of Able Seaton ahead of its first campaign on Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
Voltaire of Jan De Nul Group was delivered in late 2022. Since then she has been undertaking final preparations for her very first assignment, the construction of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm phases A, B and C.
In total, the vessel will be responsible for installing 277 GE Renewable Energy Haliade-X turbines. Voltaire will sail out in early July to begin installation
Olly Cass, Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, said:
“As offshore wind technology grows in scale and power, the industry needs stronger vessels that are capable of meeting these engineering challenges. With its lifting capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes and ultra-low emissions design, we can’t wait to see this next generation vessel take on the challenge of installing some of the world’s largest and most powerful turbines, as we head towards first power for Dogger Bank A this summer.”
Jan Van Impe, Manager Jan De Nul Offshore Renewables, said:
“Dogger Bank Wind Farm is exactly the type of project we had in mind when we took the decision to build our Voltaire. The scale and characteristics of the offshore Dogger Bank turbines offer the perfect challenge for this next generation state-of-the art jack-up installation vessel. We are excited to continue our contribution to the energy transition together with industry leaders SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn by installing the offshore wind turbines at Dogger Bank A, B and C in the most efficient and clean manner possible.”
Voltaire is the first seaworthy installation vessel to be an Ultra-Low Emission vessel
Voltaire, named after the pioneering European Enlightenment philosopher, has a lifting capacity of over 3,000 tonnes.
The vessel is fitted with a highly advanced exhaust filtering system by means of a selective catalytic reduction system and a diesel particulate filter, making her the very first seagoing installation vessel of her kind to be an Ultra-Low Emission vessel (ULEv), moreover Stage V-certified.
Picture caption: The offshore jack-up installation vessel Voltaire is the largest of her kind in the world and is able to install the next generation of offshore wind turbines starting with the Dogger Bank wind turbines of +13MW and 14MW. Image credit: Jan De Nul
