The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a Limited Liability Partnership, has announced three projects related to designing offshore wind turbine technology.

In all, there are four projects aimed at supporting the achievement of UK's challenging targets for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as part of a potential £1.1 billion fund. The fourth project will demonstrate a new commercial scale tidal turbine.

The four projects will receive ETI funding totalling approximately £20 million.

The funding for the projects comes from the six current private sector partners –BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell.  The ETI's public funds are received from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) with additional funding from the Department for Transport.

Details of the wind energy related projects are as follows:

• Project Nova: A UK-based consortium led by Guildford energy specialists OTM Consulting and including representatives from three universities – Cranfield, Strathclyde and Sheffield – the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) and SME Wind Power. Key sub-contractors include James Ingram Associates and QinetiQ. The project aims to assess the feasibility of a unique wind turbine with a pair of giant vertical wings, which has the benefit of ruggedness, stability and simpler maintenance access, compared to the horizontal axis concept of conventional turbines.

• Project Helm Wind: A UK-based consortium led by E.ON Engineering and including representatives from Rolls-Royce, BP Alternative Energy and the University of Strathclyde. The project aims to deliver a concept design and feasibility study for a new offshore-specific wind farm and seeks to overcome the issues facing today's systems including turbine reliability and accessing equipment for maintenance.

• Project Deepwater Turbine: A consortium led by Blue H Technologies with representatives from UK groups including BAE Systems, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS), EDF Energy, Romax and SLP Energy. The project aims to design and determine the feasibility and potential of an integrated solution for a 5MW floating offshore wind turbine for deepwater deployments between 30 and 300 metres.