Professor Yu Xiong,
of Newcastle Business School at 51, has been instrumental
in helping to forge a £220m UK-China offshore wind collaboration.
Professor Xiong advises
the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult), and helped to develop
the programme of offshore wind technology co-operation between the two nations.
The research and development
collaboration agreement between Tsinghua University Science Park (Tus Park) and
ORE catapult was signed during a visit to Beijing by the UK’s Chancellor of the
Exchequer Philip Hammond and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark.
With ambitious
targets to generate 20% of its energy from low-carbon sources by 2030, China’s
rapidly growing offshore wind market is projected to be among the largest in
the world.
Under the agreement,
the companies will:
- Establish
a UK-China Technology Growth Accelerator to boost UK SME technology
innovation and deployment in the Chinese offshore wind market;
- Collaborate
on the development of the Tus Offshore Wind Science Park and 500MW
demonstrator in Shandong Province, incorporating 10-15% UK content;
- Create
joint applied research projects with high potential companies and leading
UK and Chinese academic institutions.
The 10-15% UK
technology content in Tus’ 500MW project, being delivered in close
collaboration with the Dongying City Government, is estimated to be worth
around £220m to UK companies and universities.
Professor Xiong
said: “I have been working with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult to
devise a model for UK technology to access global markets - connecting with
China is very important, from both funding and market perspectives. I am glad
to see the endorsement from Rt Hon Greg Clark to support this initiative.”
“Tus Park is the largest
innovation commercialisation group in China, with £26 billion assets, and is affiliated
with the best university in China, Tsinghua University” Professor Xiong added.
ORE Catapult's Technical Bid Manager, James Battensby, said: “Professor Xiong played a critical role in helping to form the
partnership between ORE Catapult and Tus and remains a key part of the project
team going forwards in developing collaborative research between the UK and
China.”
