Company secures funding for offshore wind technology

Sheffield-based magnetic gear technology specialist, Magnomatics, has secured over £300,000 as part of a £5m UK Government grant to develop and supply innovative power electronics, machines and drives.

The funding will be used for the Winder project, which will de-risk technology required for the manufacture of large generators for offshore wind to the UK.

Magnomatics’ Pseudo Direct Drive (PDD®) combines a magnetic gear with a permanent magnet generator.

The PDD is efficient and reliable with no meshing gear teeth. Independent analysis has shown this to provide lower cost of energy.

Proving this technology provides a credible route to UK construction of direct drive generators for offshore wind, leading to annual sales of £1.2bn and dramatically increasing the proportion of UK content in offshore wind farms.

The same technology can also apply to rail, marine propulsion and industrial drives, improving efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.

As a key player in the offshore wind sector, Magnomatics will be attending and exhibiting at the Global Offshore Wind 2020 virtual event between 28 and 30 October.

This virtual conference is the result of a partnership between industry and Government, facilitated by RenewableUK, and has been central to the development of UK offshore wind for sometime.

David Latimer, CEO of Magnomatics, said: “We are excited to have received this funding and to embark on the project, which aligns perfectly with our experience in the Offshore Wind Sector.

“Our technology is becoming increasingly recognised across the world, not only for offshore wind but for a multitude of applications including marine propulsion, automotive and wider industrial.”