Windfarm Autonomous Ships Project (WASP)

“英国在海上风能领域的经济机会是强劲的，而且还在不断增长。进一步降低成本对于实现与化石燃料和核能系统的平价至关重要。机器人和人工智能(RAI)的应用正在所有其他主要部门进行评估。对于海上风电，RAI提供了将派遣人员的需求降至最低的机会，降低了健康和安全风险，改善了海上风力涡轮机的可用性，潜在地大幅降低了C2.8%的运营成本，并将涡轮机停机时间减少了13%。由ASV有限公司与SeaPlanner Ltd、Houlder、朴茨茅斯大学和Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult牵头的财团将开展工业研究，以建立近海风能自动船只操作的基线，并验证引入它们的时间表。风电场自动支持船项目(WASP)将进行为期18个月的工业研究项目，以基准行业过渡到自主支持操作所面临的技术挑战，并为分阶段引入RAI系统以提供备件供应、资产监视、安全巡逻和船员转移绘制路线图。该项目还将为新的海上指挥控制基础设施和具有集成机器人货物能力的创新自动船制定设计规范。WASP将利用项目合作伙伴ASV有限公司(自动船人工智能技术)、Houlder(陀螺仪稳定机械臂)和SeaPlanner(海上风能海上协调系统)的现有使能技术，展示它们在海上风能货物供应中的应用。朴茨茅斯大学将开发决策支持算法，以增强SeaPlanner海洋协调软件，使其能够集成有人驾驶和自主的船只离岸作业。Ore Catapult的成本和性能分析将明确这一新能力如何增加海上风力涡轮机的正常运行时间。这些产品将同样适用于邻近的海事部门，如石油天然气、波浪和潮汐能、边境巡逻、渔业保护、搜索和救援以及商业货物装卸，这些部门需要降低成本、提高效率，并最大限度地减少对执行枯燥和危险任务的人工海上作业的需求。该项目的见解将由Ore Catapult提供，以提高海上风电行业对RAI带来的巨大好处的认识，并推动对RAI技术和基础设施的投资。该项目将有助于刺激英国供应链成为海上风能自主支持船市场的主要参与者。“

"The UK economic opportunity in offshore wind energy is robust and growing. Further cost reduction is essential to achieve parity with fossil fuel and nuclear energy systems. The application of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) is being assessed in all other major sectors. For offshore wind, RAI offers the opportunities to minimise the need to send personnel offshore, reduce health & safety risks, improve offshore wind turbine availability and potentially significantly reduce OPEX costs by c2.8% and reduce turbine downtime by c13%. A consortium led by ASV Ltd with SeaPlanner Ltd, Houlder, University of Portsmouth and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult will carry out industrial research to establish the baseline for autonomous vessel operations in offshore wind and verify the timeframe for their introduction.Windfarm Autonomous Support vessels Project (WASP) will undertake an 18-month industrial research project to benchmark the technological challenges facing the sector transition to autonomous support operations and chart a roadmap for the phased introduction of RAI systems for spares supply, asset surveillance, security patrol and crew transfer. The project will also create design specifications for new offshore command & control infrastructure and an innovative autonomous vessel with integrated robotic cargo capability.WASP will pull through existing enabling technology from project partners ASV Ltd (autonomous vessel AI technology), Houlder (gyro stabilised robotic arm) and SeaPlanner (offshore wind marine coordinator systems) demonstrating their application to offshore wind cargo supply. University of Portsmouth will develop decision support algorithms to enhance SeaPlanner marine coordination software enabling integrated manned and autonomous vessel offshore operations. ORE Catapult's cost and performance analysis will pinpoint how this new capability increases uptime of offshore wind turbines.These products will be equally applicable to adjacent maritime sectors such as Oil & Gas, wave & tidal energy, border patrol, fishery protection, search & rescue and merchant cargo handling, where there is a need to reduce costs, enhance efficiency and minimise the need for manned offshore operations conducting dull and dangerous missions.Insights from the project will be made available by ORE Catapult to raise awareness in the offshore wind sector of the huge benefits that RAI can bring and to drive investment in RAI technology and infrastructure. This project will help stimulate the UK supply chain to become a major player in the offshore wind autonomous support vessel market."