RWE Renewables has invested in a machine learning tool to improve transfers from crew transfer vessels to offshore wind turbines. It believes the technology could make the process safer and save the industry £1.0M (US$1.3M) per installed GW every year
Developed by UK-based Cognitive.Business, the tool enables highly accurate, localised assessment of safe conditions for vessel-to-turbine transfers at offshore windfarms, supporting the management of one of the most hazardous aspects of offshore operations and helping to reduce losses estimated at £25M per year across the industry.
The solution is one of a suite of digital tools being developed by Cognitive.Business to improve decision-making and scheduling. It was further developed through the WAVES (Wind Accessibility Verification for Enhanced Safety) project funded by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP).
The OWGP identified WAVES as having potential benefits in the offshore wind sector, eliminating the variances of human decision-making from technician transfers and improving health and safety.
By enhancing the accessibility of an offshore windfarm and reducing under-utilised resources, the WAVES solution could save the industry £1M/GW every year.
Cognitive.Business is developing the technology as part of an analytics software suite. The solution combines complex metocean data with vessel tracking data in an automated machine learning model that creates a highly accurate predictive tool that can be applied globally to any offshore windfarm.
Cognitive.Business managing director Ty Burridge-Oakland said, “The problem is seriously complex, but it is faced daily by operational staff under immense pressure to deliver. Support from OWGP and RWE provided the time and operational insights required to produce a solution that is beyond expectation.
“RWE’s adoption of the solution provides a clear, unimpeded route to market that will undoubtedly accelerate the commercialisation of WAVES worldwide.”
RWE Renewables offshore production manager James Vause said, “Making safe crew transfers is vital to our operational business. The WAVES solution integrates AI technology with our own operational data and has been shown to provide an improved transfer decision metric compared to the industry’s standard.
“We believe that WAVES will enable us to better predict acceptable transfer windows, improving the safety of our technicians, and enabling us to optimise our operations and maintenance activities.”
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