Posted on June 28, 2023
The New York City-based accelerator, Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, has announced the first round of start-up companies selected to receive support to develop innovative ideas in the field of offshore wind.
The six winners make up the inaugural accelerator programme cohort. They were selected from eleven finalists participating in a competition in May 2023, and will now begin a six-month mentoring and development programme designed to prepare them to partner with major offshore wind developers and suppliers.
The finalists were drawn from an initial pool of 49 applicants from the US, Canada, UK, Europe, and Japan. The companies include:
- Benchmark Labs Inc. – Turbine-specific weather forecasts to improve operational margins.
- Flucto – Using sensor, GPS, and camera data for offshore wind farm installations and increased precision.
- Heerema Engineering Solutions – Software tool to simulate the complete offshore construction process in an event simulator.
- OSC AS – Industrial metaverse simulation for derisking and cost-cutting offshore wind farm planning.
- RCAM Technologies – Low-cost, 3D printed, environmentally friendly concrete anchors for floating offshore wind.
- VINCI VR – Virtual reality for workforce safety and training.
The Offshore Wind Innovation Hub was launched to drive innovation in offshore wind. It’s led by Equinor and bp in collaboration with Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium. The initiative also receives support from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
“Innovation is critical to unlocking the full potential of the domestic offshore wind industry and addressing its toughest challenges,” said Joshua Weinstein, bp’s president of offshore wind Americas. “Each of the startups in this cohort has developed smart, enterprising and creative solutions. We’re excited about their potential, applicability to the US and global offshore wind markets, and look forward to fostering their success.”
According to Tone Søndergaard, director of the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, the Innovation Hub prioritised startups according to seven focus areas, including production optimisation, site selection, surveying and data collection, site construction, power transmission, safety enhancements, and supply chain development.
Participants were selected according to criteria focusing on the potential climate benefits of technology and its impact on the market, product-market fit and team dynamics.
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said: ”The Offshore Wind Innovation Hub is creating an end-to-end ecosystem for cleantech startups from around the globe to bring their new technologies to market – helping developers like Equinor and bp overcome technical and supply chain barriers to responsibly advance their projects. These selected companies will advance innovation, foster strong public-private partnerships, and lower associated development costs to ensure the long-term success of this nascent industry here in New York.”
