New funding has been announced for a flagship offshore wind research centre in Scotland.

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s facility in Fife is already a demonstration hub for businesses across the UK to test their designs on a next-generation 7MW offshore wind turbine.

The Scottish Government is providing £460,000 of funding, which is being matched by ORE Catapult, for a new programme to increase access for businesses and enable them to take full advantage of the expertise and partnerships available.

It will also fund the establishment of a lidar – a laser-based radar – test facility and facilitate the creation of a virtual wind farm.

The virtual wind farm is expected to increase understanding of how offshore wind farms work and encourage innovation by allowing the sharing of research, data and findings to Scotland’s industry and academic research communities.

Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “This investment is another demonstration of the Scottish Government’s long-standing commitment to maximising the huge potential of offshore wind as a sustainable energy source.

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that offshore wind is integral to Scotland’s sustainable energy future – as well as helping us to achieve our ambitious climate change targets.”