Polish science helps develop offshore projects
Polish scientific thought can make a major local and national contribution to the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. That is why PGE Baltica is strongly engaged in cooperation with scientific institutions.
On the one hand, this includes cooperation on offshore wind farm projects, and on the other hand, postgraduate studies and other educational projects to educate the human resources so necessary for the Polish offshore wind energy industry.
PGE Baltica has already had almost a full year of cooperation with Pomeranian universities in offshore studies. At the Maritime University in Gdynia, the first edition of a postgraduate course on risk management in the offshore industry and offshore energy was completed in February, and the next edition will start in March. At the Gdansk University of Technology, on the other hand, PGE Baltica is involved in a postgraduate course in offshore wind energy.
In both cases, PGE Baltica is the main partner of the studies. Specialists – experts from the company – have been involved in the classes at UMG and are giving lectures. Irrespective of the postgraduate studies at the Gdansk University of Technology, PGE Baltica financially supports the MSc course specialisation in the design and construction of offshore energy systems and has awarded scholarships to students in this specialisation.
In addition to the Pomeranian universities, the PGE Group is also running a joint postgraduate course on the management of the preparation and implementation of investments in offshore wind farms at Łazarski University in Warsaw. The first graduates will go out on the labour market this year.
Educational projects related to offshore wind farms and career opportunities in offshore wind energy also reach secondary schools. PGE Baltica cooperates with secondary school teams in Ustka and Malbork. Through meetings with students, lessons and presentations, the offshore industry, future employment opportunities and the offer of studies are introduced, allowing all those interested to acquire specialist knowledge.
The involvement of Polish scientific units in the development of the offshore wind energy sector is no less important than the building of personnel resources. PGE Baltica has cooperated with the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute at the stage of geological, geophysical and geotechnical research.
The Maritime University of Gdynia is one of the contractors for environmental studies for the offshore wind farm Baltica 1, which PGE Baltica is building. The company also cooperates with institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences based in Gdansk. The Institute of Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences conducted research into the so-called wind blockage effect, i.e. the blocking of wind flow by large offshore wind farms.
The research was a breakthrough in the cooperation between business and science, as no one in Poland had conducted such analyses before. It produced an advanced model of the airflow through a wind farm, which makes it easier to design the placement of turbines at sea. In turn, the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences is carrying out analyses and technical reports related to the construction of an operations and maintenance base in Ustka.
Polish scientific institutions and universities have facilities and knowledge resources that can significantly contribute to the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. PGE Baltica intends to engage further partners from the scientific community, which is a very important link in the creation of the Polish and local supply chain for offshore wind projects.
Source: PortalMorski.pl
