AREG NEWS: AREG and Aberdeen City Council Partner to Propel Offshore Wind Renewables with £45,000 UKSPF Shared Prosperity Funding

April 8, 2024
AREG NEWS: AREG and Aberdeen City Council Partner to Propel Offshore Wind Renewables with £45,000 UKSPF Shared Prosperity Funding

AREG has launched its latest innovative project, the ‘Enhancing Offshore Wind Renewables through Digital Innovation’ initiative, in partnership with Aberdeen City Council. The project focuses on delivering tailored expert advice, leadership support, and networking opportunities to help digital technology SMEs transition seamlessly into the offshore wind sector.

The project unveils a new approach to revolutionise the offshore wind renewables industry through state-of-the-art digital technologies and is poised to significantly deliver a positive impact on local businesses and the renewables industry as a whole. The project represents a significant milestone in the digital sector of the renewables sector, promising solutions to challenges within offshore wind.

Drawing upon AREG’s extensive network and expertise in renewable energy, this initiative represents progression towards realising the full potential of offshore wind resources. By harnessing digital innovation, AREG aims to redefine industry standards, driving efficiency, reliability, and environmental management to new heights. The project’s comprehensive approach not only underscores AREG’s leadership in renewable energy but also underscores its commitment to fostering positive change within local communities and the wider renewables landscape.

This ambitious project has received a substantial boost with the support of Aberdeen City Council. AREG has been granted £45,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Local Business Support Fund (UKSPF), which is managed by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire City Council, to further propel ‘Enhancing Offshore Wind Renewables through Digital Innovation’ towards success.

AREG Chairperson Jean Morrison said: “This groundbreaking and innovative ‘Enhancing Offshore Wind Renewables through Digital Innovation’ project will make a significant impact on local businesses and the wider renewables industry. We are appreciative of financial support from the UK Shared Prosperity Local Business Support Fund and the support and enthusiasm we received from the many stakeholders, which will propel this new and exciting project to success.

“AREG’s focus is on aiding digital technology SMEs to identify opportunities to expand their services and offerings into the fast-growing renewables. This initiative is crucial in enabling SMEs to harness their expertise in artificial intelligence, robotics, software development, and data analytics, applying these skills to tackle challenges within the offshore wind sector.”

Aberdeen City Council Co-leader, Councillor Ian Yuill, said: “As a global energy capital, it’s important that we support innovation as we transition into the clean energy industry. This project will provide a valuable opportunity for small and medium sized businesses to develop new technologies to support their growth. The Council and AREG share a goal to meet ambitious targets to address the climate and nature emergency. We are pleased to be working together on this project. I am excited to see what technological developments are produced.”

The purpose of the project is to create a fertile ground for technology innovators and renewable sector stakeholders to collaborate, driving the offshore wind energy sector towards unprecedented efficiency and sustainability.

AREG invites stakeholders from across the sector to actively participate in its workshops, webinars, networking events, and its upcoming Energy Futures Digital Dissemination Event. The involvement of digital technology firms, project developers, government agencies, academic institutions, and AREG’s community members is crucial in driving positive change and fostering collaboration.

Click here to register for the project launch event.

For more information about getting involved with the project, please contact [email protected].

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AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

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AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
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Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
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The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
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Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
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Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise