The future development and deployment of floating offshore wind technology is seen as a critical element of the UK's net zero ambitions.
Now researchers have been awarded funding to create an offshore wind cyber security research and development facility that will ruggedise the technology against cyber-attacks.
The Cyber-Resilience of Offshore Wind Networks (CROWN) project will create a purpose-built lab space at the University of Plymouth.
It will include examples of the actual software and hardware found in a wind turbine array and its integration to the grid, and use them to identify potential vulnerabilities.
The project team will then develop resilience procedures, security measures and training tools that ensure any future attacks do not interrupt the wind farms' flow of energy.
The CROWN project is being led by researchers from the Maritime Cyber Threats research group at the University of Plymouth, in collaboration with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and supported by Expleo Engineering UK Limited.
It further enhances the University's position as a global leader in both offshore renewable energy and maritime cyber security innovations, and comes as discussions continue around the potential future growth of floating offshore wind technology in the Celtic Sea.
The new facility will also complement the University's unrivalled combination of state-of-the-art ORE and maritime cyber research facilities.
They include the UK Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Test Facility (UKFOWTT), the Maritime Simulation Laboratory - where offshore wind project teams can verify, test and optimise installation and maintenance projects - and the Cyber-SHIP Lab, the UK's only hardware-based maritime cyber security research and development platform.
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