Statoil and BP launch offshore Wind Innovation Center in New York

Statoil and BP recently launched an Offshore Wind Innovation Hub in New York, which they say will foster partnerships with start-ups,  Bringing new technological solutions to the growing U.S. offshore wind industry.  

The project, led by Equinor on behalf of its 50/50 joint venture with BP, is the result of a three-year collaboration between Equinor, the Urban Future Laboratory at The Tanton School of Engineering in New York, and the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Alliance, supported by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.  

Equinor said in a press release that the new innovation center will leverage the success of the City's Future Lab to promote and help launch clean tech start-ups, foster collaboration with the international incubator community, and foster pilot and demonstration projects to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy.  

The innovation center will create a physical location where they will host educational programs, seminars and courses, as well as networking opportunities for startups, and the center will also serve as a hub for the industry's innovation ecosystem.  

Over the next few months, the two partners will prepare an application to find start-ups with technology that can tackle the challenges of offshore wind in the United States.  Once selected, these start-ups will receive support and programming from UFL and NOWRDC, and potentially become Equinor partners.  

The innovation center will be located near Equinor and BP's new project offices in Sunset Park, home to the companies' extensive offshore wind operations, including the 816 MEGAwatt Empire Wind1, 1.2 GW Empire Wind2 and 1.2 GW Beacon Wind1 projects.