NovoGrid

Wind farm control system scoops 2014 UCD start-up award

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Pictured: Dr Andrew Keane, Paul Manning and Dr Peter Richardson, NovoGrid

19 November 2014

NovoGrid, a start-up specialising in software for wind farm management, has been named overall winner of the 2014 University College Dublin VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme.

NovoGrid has developed an intelligent control system to enable wind farm owners reduce energy losses associated with the transfer of electricity to national grids thereby assisting them to improve energy efficiencies and to increase revenues.

NovoGrid’s software-as-a-service solution can be used by wind farm owners to control operational set points in real-time within wind farm stations and exploit existing wind farm capabilities, significantly reducing energy losses resulting in increased efficiencies and revenues.

NovoGrid came from research carried out in the Electricity Research Centre at the UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering by co-promoters Dr Andrew Keane and Dr Peter Richardson.

Paul Manning, who has run his own energy services company for many years and worked for several start-ups in business development and market analysis roles, including UCD spin-out company BiancaMed, is also a co-promoter of NovoGrid. “Following a planned field trial set for early next year we expect to be operational in over 10 wind farms in Ireland and in the UK during 2015 and to be significantly increasing revenues for wind farm owners,” he said.

At the awards evening NovoGrid was presented with the 2014 UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Award and a cheque for €10,000 sponsored by AIB. In addition NovoGrid received a professional services package to the value of €15,000 sponsored by Bryan Maguire Business Consulting, Deloitte and NovaUCD.

Prof Orla Feely, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation & Impact, added: “NovoGrid is an excellent example of a new venture, emerging from research carried out at UCD, which is being established to address a worldwide problem, in this case in the energy industry. The technology being developed by NovoGrid has significant global potential with global customers. I congratulate the members of the NovoGrid team for winning this year’s UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Award and I wish them every commercial success for the future.”

The overall objective of the UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme is to support the creation, and to accelerate the launch, of sustainable and profitable new ventures based on intellectual property emerging from UCD and NCAD, a recognised college of the University.

The programme aims is to equip UCD and NCAD researchers with the knowledge, skills and understanding that is required to work as part of a team successfully leading a new commercial venture.

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