Hunterston, a three-berth, grid-connected onshore site close to Glasgow, has a wind resource that mirrors offshore conditions, making it well-suited to testing offshore turbine prototypes while having easy 24-hour access for modifications and repairs.
“The difficulty of finding suitable locations for this type of testing facility mean there are currently no sites of this kind in the UK, and a very limited number across Europe – all of which have limited access,” says Adrian Gillespie, SE’s director of Energy and Low Carbon Technologies.
“This
