English

Greetings

My name is Tanimoto, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President of Kyushu University (responsible for industry-academia-government-society collaboration). I was appointed as the Director of the Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind in October 2024. I am determined to devote myself to the development of the Center. I thank you in advance for your support.

Kyushu University is the only university in Japan capable of developing wind turbines, combining its unique wind turbine & floating structure technology (hardware) and wind analysis & fluid structure analysis technology (software). In addition, under the Designated National University Corporation Concept, Kyushu University aims to become Japan’s Green Innovation Hub, contributing to creating innovative technologies, making policy recommendations and developing human resources, and presenting innovations in wind energy technologies, including offshore wind power generation. By consolidating related research resources based on the abovementioned offshore wind research achievements, we established the Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind (RECOW) on April 1, 2022, under a university-wide structure centered on the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, which is Japan’s top institute in the field of offshore wind power. In conjunction with the establishment of RECOW, in August 2022, we launched the Consortium for Offshore Wind Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration, aiming to bring together the experience, know-how, and capabilities of industry, academia, and government, with the RECOW at its core. This has enabled us to establish a system to promote research and education, in an integrated manner, on wind conditions, wind turbines, and floating bodies, which are essential for offshore wind research and education, and, through the acquisition and promotion of large-scale projects, we have accumulated and built a foundation for basic research related to offshore wind power generation.

These efforts have been recognized by the government, and in April 2024, we established new divisions to promote industry-academia-government collaboration and international cooperation and promote social implementation, in order to make RECOW a core research and education center for offshore wind energy in Asia. The introduction of wind energy in Japan is currently lagging behind advanced wind power generation countries in Europe and North America. However, RECOW, to which the new divisions have been added, and the Consortium for Offshore Wind Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration will work on issues related to offshore wind power generation in an all-Japan framework that transcends organizational boundaries, and will actively contribute to making offshore wind power a main source and to realizing a decentralized energy society in Japan.

We very much appreciate your cooperation and encouragement in the operation of RECOW. Thank you in advance for your support.

 

October 2024

Outline of the Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind, Kyushu University

It was established on April 1, 2022 as a world-class center for offshore wind-related research and education. It will actively contribute to making offshore wind power the main source of power and to realizing a decentralized energy society.

Organization of the Center

Department of Multiscale Offshore Wind Environment Research

Department of Support Structures and Offshore Power Transmission Research

Department of Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration and International Cooperation Promotion

Department of Next-Generation Offshore Wind Turbine Research

Department of Carbon-Free Energy Management Research

Department of Social Implementation

Challenges toward Expanding Offshore Wind Power in Japan

Domestic supply chain formation

Energy security

Human resources development for the offshore wind industry

Suitability for Japan’s wind conditions and social environment

Direction of Activities

Close industry-academia-government collaboration with the offshore wind power industry

Development of human resources who will lead the offshore wind power industry

Effective policy recommendations for the expansion and promotion of offshore wind powe

Research and development of offshore wind technologies optimized for the Japanese environment

Main Members and Major Past Research Achievements

Professor Changhong Hu

Director of the Department of Next-Generation Offshore Wind Turbine Research / Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM)

▶ Development of a fishery-harmonious floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system (Joint industry-academia research)
▶ Development of a bottom-mounted tidal current turbine system (NEDO, joint principal investigator),
development of a floating transmission tower for offshore overhead power transmission (JST, principal investigator),
development of a FOWT with multiple wind lens turbines (joint industry-academia research)
▶ Coupled hydrodynamic and aerodynamic analysis on FOWT (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research)

Experiment on a FOWT under both wind and wave conditions
Experiment on a floating transmission tower for offshore overhead power transmission
Development of a fishery-harmonious FOWT system
Professor Tomoaki Utsunomiya

Director of the Department of Support Structures and Offshore Power Transmission Research / Graduate School of Engineering

▶ Development and demonstration of mooring cost reduction for floating offshore wind power generation facilities
(Ministry of the Environment, principal investigator)
▶ Development and demonstration of a low-cost, low-carbon removal method for spar-type floating offshore wind power generation facilities
(Ministry of the Environment, co-investigator)
▶ Many Grants-in-Aid received for Scientific Research on development and demonstration of offshore wind power generation facilities,
Award for Distinguished Contributions to Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration received from the Minister of the Environment (2014)
▶ Chairman of NEDO’s DC Deep-sea Cable Review Committee, member of NEDO’s GI Fund Project Adoption Review Committee, etc.,
committee member at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; the Ministry of the Environment;
the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; NEDO; Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK); and many other organizations

1/10 model experiment of 2-MW real turbine
1/2 model of 2-MW real turbine in actual sea area demonstration test
t 2-MW spar-type floating wind turbine
Professor Takanori Uchida

(Director of the Department of Multiscale Offshore Wind Environment Research / Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM)

▶ Principal investigator of the numerical wind prediction model RIAM-COMPACT
▶ Currently, three national projects are being implemented. (NEDO/Feasibility Study Program, JST/A-STEP (Stage Ⅱ), JST/Moonshot R&D)
▶ The 54th Ichimura Award “Ichimura Award for Global Environmental Science and Contribution” received from the Ichimura Foundation for New Technology in 2022
▶ New Energy Award “Judging Committee Chairman’s Special Prize” received from the New Energy Foundation (NEF) in 2022
▶ Japan Society of Fluid Mechanics Award (Technology Award) in 2023

Professor Shigeo Yoshida

Department of Next-Generation Offshore Wind Turbine Research/ Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM)

▶ Development and demonstration of elemental technologies of advanced floating offshore wind turbine (NEDO, principal investigator)
▶ Low-cost construction technologies of offshore wind turbines (NEDO, principal investigator)
▶ Advanced technologies for practical application of wind turbines (NEDO, recommissioned),
10 MW+ class wind turbine technologies (NEDO, recommissioned)
▶ Task 40 Downwind Turbine Technologies (IEA Wind, operating agent)

Two-bladed, downwind offshore wind turbine
Single-point mooring two-blade downwind floating offshore wind turbine
Large-scale multi-rotor wind turbine
Yuji Ohya, Advisor

Visiting Department / Former Director of the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM)

▶ Inventor of wind lens turbine, patents held for multi-lens wind turbine
▶ Awards related to wind lens turbine development: Award for Science and Technology from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology; Technology Development Award from the Japan Association for Wind Engineering; Award for Excellent Applications
in Fluid Mechanics by the Japan Society of Fluid Mechanics; and Award for Distinguished Contributions to Industry-Academia-Government
Collaboration from the Minister of the Environment
▶ Japanese government exhibition at the IMF World Bank Annual Meetings (2012), introduced in Nature: Spotlight on Fukuoka (2013),
and reported in many newspapers, including Nikkei

Consortium Member Companies

Energy

・INFLUX OFFSHORE WIND POWER HOLDING
・TOKYO GAS CO.,LTD
・Kyuden Mirai Energy Co., Ltd.
・Chubu Electric Power Company,Incorporated https://www.chuden.co.jp/
・ATAGO CORPORATION
・Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
・Tokyo Electric Power Company https://www.tepco.co.jp/about/corporateinfo/
・Invenergy Wind　LLC
・Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation　https://www.eurus-energy.com/
・ENEOS Renewable Energy Corporation　https://www.jre.co.jp/
・e-solutions, inc.
・Cosmo Eco Power Co.,Ltd.　https://cosmo.eco-power.co.jp/
・Equinor Japan LLC　https://www.equinor.jp/
・Kansai Electric Power　https://www.kepco.co.jp/
・Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.
・RWE Renewables Japan G.K.
・PowerX, Inc.　https://power-x.jp/ja/
・NYK Trading Corporation　https://www.nyk-trading.com
・SHIZEN ENERGY GROUP　https://www.shizenenergy.net/
・Electric Power Development Co.,Ltd.　https://www.jpower.co.jp
・Marubeni Offshore Wind Development Corporation　https://mowd.jp/

Construction and Transport

・TAISEI CORPORATION
・FUJI P.S
・OBAYASHI CORPORATION
・NISHIMATSU CONSTRUCTION CO.,LTD.
・Konohana Transport Co.,Ltd.　https://www.konoike.net/
・Nishinippon Plant Engineering and Construction Co.,Ltd.　https://www.npc21.jp/
・TODA CORPORATION　https://www.toda.co.jp/sustainability/
・KAJIMA CORPORATION
・PENTA OCEAN CONSTRUCTION Co., Ltd.

Manufacturing

・Sym Energy
・Ashimori Industry Co., Ltd.
・Kanadevia Corporation
・NSK Ltd.　https://www.nsk.com/jp/
・Yokogawa Electric Corporation
・AKISHIMA LABORATORIES (MITSUI ZOSEN) INC.
・Ifuku Seimitsu Co., Ltd.,
・Mitsui E&S Holdings Co., Ltd.
・Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation
・DAIDO METAL CO., LTD.　https://www.daidometal.com/jp/
・Komaihaltec Inc.
・TAIHO KOGYO CO., LTD.
・TOKYO ROPE MFG.CO.,LTD
・TOKYO SEIKO ROPE MFG.CO.,LTD.
・SANWA GIKOU MFG.CO.,LTD.
・HAMAX Co., Ltd.
・Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
・Tadano Ltd.　https://www.tadano.co.jp
・TEIJIN LIMITED
・Sanjyu co.ltd
・Riamwind Co.,Ltd. https://riamwind.co.jp/

Services

・West Japan Engineering Consultants, Inc. (West JEC)
・Kansai Design Company　http://www.kansai-design.co.jp/
・IIM Corporation
・PAL Co.,Ltd.
・DeepFlow, Inc.
・Horizon Ocean Management, Ltd　https://www.horizon-om.com/
・Japan Meteorological Corporation.
・Architects, Regional Planners & Associates, Kyoto
・Wind Energy Institute of Tokyo, Inc.
・KOZO KEIKAKU ENGINEERING Inc.
・NIRAS Taiwan Ltd.
・Nippon Records Management Co.,Ltd.　https://www.nrm.co.jp/
・SojitzKyushu Corporation https://sojitz-kyushu.com/
・Uchiyama Loss Adjusting Co., Ltd　https://www.uchiyama.co.jp/
・Ramboll Japan K.K. https://www.ramboll.com/energy

Public institution

・Kokusai Sougou Gakuen
・Goto city office
・Karatsu City Hall
・Institute of Ocean Energy, Saga University
・Kitakyushu city office　Environment Bureau
・FUKUOKA PREFECTURAL GOVERNMENT　https://www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/soshiki/4200106/　
・Mitsuya　Hirokawa（Kobe Ocean-Bottom Exploration Center）
・Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry　https://criepi.denken.or.jp/
・Katsunori Muraoka　(Doctor emeritus at Kyushu University)
・NIPPON KAIJI KYOKAI (ClassNK)
・Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security　https://www.jogmec.go.jp/index.html
・Institute of Regional Innovation University of Kitakyushu

Featured Event

 

The first Asia Pacific Conference on Offshore Wind Technology (APCOW2024) 

Nov　25-27, 2024
Kyushu University Nishijin Plaza

to view the pamphlet, click here

 

Faculty Position Announcement

Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind, Kyushu University is recruiting One Professor or One Associate Professor for the newly established “Division for Promotion of Industry-Academia-Government and International Collaboration”.
This call is open to researchers who are willing and able to promote international academic collaboration and international industry-academia-government collaboration for research and education related to offshore wind.
Please refer to the URL below for more information about the recruitment.

Open call for Professor  ⅮOWNLOAD

Contact