Marine Energy consultancy Green Theme Ltd, parent company to North Sea Systems, is one of 5 companies to have been awarded grant funding from the Marine Renewables Commercialisation Fund (MRCF). The grant will be used to develop their subsea cable installation tool, called the CableFish.
Green Theme Ltd, based in Poole Dorset, specialise in finding solutions to the many challenges faced by developers and contractors working to generate energy from the power of the ocean. The team combines an unparalleled level of experience of the marine environment, project management skills, and detailed engineering knowledge. Services provided by Green Theme include project and design management, offshore construction management, risk management, health and safety management and marine surveys.
The CableFish device is designed to enable submarine cable installations in high tidal flow environments, where traditional methods of cable installation are ineffective due to the drag generated by the tidal flow on the suspended cable. The CableFish is a multi-sensor survey system that provides live images and a GPS position of the touch-down point to operators on the installation vessel. The system is based on a carriage that runs along the cable with an umbilical that powers the instruments and relays the data to the surface.
Dave Rigg, Director of Green Theme Ltd, is delighted with the grant: “Lessons from the offshore wind industry tell us that submarine cable installation for commercial tidal arrays is going to be an enormous challenge. The CableFish will address this challenge, by providing operators with a tool to accurately, reliably and affordably install submarine cables in the most dynamic of tidal environments.” he commented. “Funding from organisations such as the MRCF is critical to the success of the wave and tidal developments that are happening all around the UK, as they help to reduce the cost and risk of the technology.”
The grant was announced by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing: “Scotland is at the forefront of developing offshore and low carbon energy generation technology with some of the world’s greatest wind, wave and tidal resources heavily concentrated in the waters around our country. Today’s allocation in MRCF and REIF funding highlights our commitment to supporting the growth of the marine energy sector in Scotland.”
