The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has published a standardised approach to technology demonstrations and a standard agreement template, which together should enable UK innovators to take new products and services to market faster, having obtained performance data under real operational conditions.
Testing and demonstration of new products and services for wind farms is a crucial but often overlooked stage of technology development. There has been a lack of consistent guidance on how technology providers – often small enterprises – can perform these demonstrations on offshore wind assets owned by large operators.
To solve this challenge, the new standardised technology demonstration agreement (STDA) provides a template agreement for testing and demonstrating near-to-market technologies on operational offshore wind farms in the UK, setting out clear roles and responsibilities of the technology providers and operators, and clarifying the process steps to a successful demonstration.
It was produced by a Task Force of industry experts across the offshore wind sector – including OWGP, offshore wind developers, supply chain companies and financial and legal experts. It has been supported by representatives from the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) and RenewableUK. The STDA was developed in direct response to Tim Pick’s Offshore Wind Champion Report, which called for an industry-standard approach to technology demonstration agreements
Tim Pick MBE, OWGP Director, said: “During my time as the UK’s Offshore Wind Champion, it became apparent the offshore wind sector is oozing with high-potential innovations that aren’t always realised. By providing a clear template and easier access to the market, this agreement will help more of these ideas to become a commercial reality – unlocking more value in business growth, intellectual property, and exports for UK companies. This agreement, along with the recent publication of the Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan, are solid evidence that the offshore wind industry is collaborating, rapidly maturing, and becoming a real shining star of the UK’s future.”
Ajai Ahluwalia, Head of Supply Chain at RenewableUK, said: “The formal publication of the STDA is a long needed and promising development for the industry.”
The Standard Technology Demonstration Agreement (STDA) has now been published in full, and can be found here