Structured Innovation design tool

Image: Marine Power Systems

Speakers:

Inès Tunga, Energy Systems Catapult

Mo Abrahams, Energy Systems Catapult

The third joint webinar with DTOceanPlus focuses on a Structured Innovation design tool.

The H2020 funded DTOceanPlus project is developing a Structured Innovation design tool for concept creation, selection, and design of ocean energy systems. It supports the decision-making of several user types, including technology developers, public funders, and investors, intended to provoke innovation and to help represent the voice of the stakeholders through the design process, manage risk and therefore produce new concepts for ocean energy systems.

Despite their success in other sectors, the processes within the Structured Innovation design tool have yet to be implemented in the ocean energy sector. Without such an approach, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to objectively create and analyse innovative technologies, and compare competing technologies.

The tool will allow the designer to understand the logical “art of the possible” when considering the design targets, which is critical to the success of the design, and commercial realisation. The art of the possible rather than the state-of-the-art considers ideality of devices or processes only limited by physics (e.g., Betz limit, yield strength) and extreme conditions to provoke new concepts.

Led by the Energy Systems Catapult, the project representatives describe the general concepts of the Structured innovation design tool, its practical implementation, and future work.