25 Jul 2024
The event “La Gomera, an Island with extended RIS3 R&D+i potential” took place at the La Gomera Council (San Sebastián de la Gomera) yesterday. During the event, CT’s AWE Systems manager, Agustín Arjonilla, presented the “European AWES Industry Centre of Excellence in Gomera” project on behalf of the European Airborne Wind Europe (AWE) Association.
The objective of this meeting is to highlight the development opportunities in La Gomera through R&D+i within the framework of the Canary Islands Smart Specialisation Strategy (extended RIS3). This event showcased ongoing projects in this field and underscored their significant socio-economic potential for the island.
The development of AWES technologies, as part of EOLICA 2.0, requires a range of infrastructure to support continued advancements over the coming decades. Comprising an AWES-LAB and an AWES-Flight Test Centre, the Centre of Excellence addresses these needs.
The proposal for the European AWES Industry Centre of Excellence in La Gomera represents an opportunity for both the AWES sector and society in La Gomera. This Centre of Excellence is crucial infrastructure for the evolution of the AWES sector, ensuring that the resulting renewable energy products contribute to environmental sustainability with new, greener, and more recyclable products.
Furthermore, the AWES Centre of Excellence will facilitate the expected and significant increase in R&D+i funding for AWES from the European Commission locally by involving the Centre in the development and validation of nearly all funded AWES projects, thereby guaranteeing its medium and long-term sustainability.
Establishing this AWES Centre of Excellence in La Gomera also brings several benefits to society in La Gomera that few new aerospace technology initiatives can offer:
- La Gomera will be recognised as a unique piece of global infrastructure in the AWES aeronautical design and renewable energy generation sector.
- Employment:
- The AWES Centre of Excellence is a unique piece of research and development infrastructure that will contribute to the creation of high-quality research jobs on the island.
- Job creation in the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Centre with local companies and personnel from the island.
- Indirect job creation in the hotel, catering, and tourism sectors.
- The Centre will be used for extended periods (months, even years of flight testing by companies using the FTC) by teams from around the world. This multicultural environment will bring not only economic benefits (sustainable long-term tourism accommodation, local catering) but also a new multicultural social life.
- The energy generated by the Centre’s flight tests will be used for the island’s self-consumption and could contribute to other energy storage and desalination projects that may be undertaken. Even with the initially planned 1.2 MW installations, 10% of La Gomera’s current energy needs (12 MW) could be covered.
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