Jules Dock and ECE Offshore winner Offshore Wind Innovation Award 2017
Jules Dock and ECE Offshore are the winners of the jury prize respectively the public award of the Offshore Wind Innovators Award 2017. This award was presented for the first time on 6 December during the Netherlands Offshore Wind Qmeeting organized by Siemens and Van Oord.
The prize was created by Offshore Wind Innovators. The Offshore Wind Innovation Award means recognition of the Dutch innovation power within this young and dynamic sector.
A jury of experts assessed the entries on the level of innovation, the social and economic impact and entrepreneurship. The jury consisted of Bert Stuij (RVO Sustainable & Climate subsidy programs), Ernst van Zuijlen (GROW) and Bart Blokhuis (PDENH).
The winner of the jury prize is Jules Dock with the lightweight Composite Tower. In the opinion of the jury, the innovative concept becomes an essential element in the pursuit of cost reduction. What appeals to the jury is that this is an out-of-the-box innovation that potentially has a positive influence on all phases - from construction to installation - of offshore wind farms. The fact that scale tests have already been carried out with knowledge partners increases the (technical) credibility.
After the pitch of the three finalists, the audience voted with around 130 representatives from the offshore wind industry. The winner of the public award is ECE Offshore. According to the jury ECE Offshore shows that the OASYS system has real market potential as it is already operational. The innovation demonstrates social relevance because the system contributes directly to cost savings.
The winners receive a mentorship from an industrial party and a result-oriented workshop entitled 'The next business challenge'. The nominees will also act as speakers during the Offshore Seminar on 15 February 2018.
The three finalists were:
ECE Offshore: OASYS - acoustic offshore system
OASYS Cable is a cable monitoring system that is attached to the cable laying ship. It real-time detects the cable geometry and cable integrity. In addition, the landing site of the cable can be compared with the planned position.
Next Ocean: Wave Predictor
The Wave Predictor predicts when and where high waves occur. This allows offshore operators to choose an optimal period to carry out work instead of waiting for better conditions or hoping for the best.
Jules Dock: lightweight composite masts
Composite masts for the offshore wind industry offer a lightweight solution for large and heavy constructions. In a 10 MW wind turbine, 240 tons of steel is no longer needed.
