The ESA IAP programme partnered with Aberdeen Renewables Energy Group (AREG), the Offshore Renewables Energy (ORE) Catapult and Space Network Scotland (SNS) to introduce the IAP Programme to the Offshore Wind Energy Industry in Aberdeen. The workshop was held on 19^th January 2017 at the Science Centre in Aberdeen, with 35 attendees including participants from 14 different companies.

The meeting covered the opportunities available through the ESA IAP programme to develop potentially game-changing concepts that could provide the solution to challenges in satellite services for offshore energy. 

Four speakers covered the programme. Ian Downey, ESA IAP Ambassador for the United Kingdom, provided an overview of the IAP programme and funding mechanism, and Andrew Tipping, ORE Catapult, presented information on some of the offshore wind challenges for satellite applications. 

Jörg Biesewig, CEO of Megatel GmbH and Vital Teresa from GMV Portugal presented on their respective IAP projects, Com4shore and ISSWIND and described their experiences of working with ESA. Their message was that the discipline imposed by ESA on their projects was extremely valuable in delivering a successful outcome.

Networking opportunities were provided both at lunchtime and later during a break in the afternoon’s proceedings.

Event Report prepared by Callum Norrie and Gillian Mayman, both Space Network Scotland.

An event in Glasgow on 18 November 2015 saw the launch of the European Space Agency's new Ambassador Platform for Offshore Energy (AP-OE). It took place at the new Technology Innovation Centre, which is itself part of ITREZ, the zone within Glasgow that houses a number of renewable energy companies. Among these is the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC), the UK's flagship technology, innovation and research centre for offshore renewable energy, which hosts the Ambassador Platform.

Attendees included representatives from industry, academia, and government active in the offshore energy and satellite application industries. They learned about the challenges facing offshore energy, the potential for new satellite applications to meet these challenges, information about the ESA Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) programme and how to participate in it. 

The event was coordinated by Callum Norrie, ESA's new Offshore Energy Ambassador, who is based in Glasgow at OREC. Explaining the rationale behind the creation of the new AP, he says: “the UK offshore energy industry has been identified as an area that can provide future economic growth. From an offshore energy perspective the UK has an established oil and gas industry, an abundance of offshore wind energy to be harnessed and large potential within the wave and tidal domains. All of these sectors can benefit from space applications where suitable projects can drive down cost, provide better oversight or improve safety and environmental protection.”

“The November meeting enabled the message of the AP-OE to be widely disseminated and we are already seeing interest in submitting bids,” says Callum Norrie. “We will be meeting and talking with potential participants in the programme, and plan to hold dedicated workshops to build consortia where space assets meet the challenges of the changing offshore energy world.”

For more information about the new AP, please contact Callum Norrie.