A fabrication lab designed to encourage the take-up of laser welding techniques by the offshore wind industry has opened in Denmark.
Based at the Lindoe Offshore Renewables Centre (Lorc), the laser welding lab will be joined by a nacelle test facility for turbines up to 10MW.
Five leading names in offshore wind - Vestas, Siemens, Dong, Vattenfall and Maersk - are collaborating to build the nacelle test centre. It will begin operating next year.
Created in 2009, Lorc aims to improve product reliability and lower offshore renewables' cost of energy. Its chair is former Danish prime minister Nyrup Rasmussen. Offshore turbine foundation testing capabilities may also be developed at Lorc.
Test facilities for offshore wind turbines and components are in high demand. Denmark has sought to capture a significant share of this market. Last October, Siemens installed its 6MW 154m machine at the new national turbine test centre in Østerild.
Bremerhaven's Fraunhofer Institute has become a leading centre for blade testing, while the UK has a series a sites in development, including Narec in Blyth.
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