Danish clean energy giant Ørsted is taking offshore wind safety to something of a futuristic level as it explores the use of Jet Suit paramedics to support staff working on the world’s largest offshore wind farms.
Ørsted is developing some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms – including the massive 7GW+ Hornsea zone in the UK, which is located more than 90kms offshore and features turbines of 190m tall and more.
It has partnered with Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and Gravity Industries in the UK to trial onshore the viability of Jet Suit paramedics for the wind industry.
Powered by five gas turbine propulsion assemblies positioned on the arms and back, the Gravity Industries’ patented Jet Suit generates over 1,050 horsepower, 144kg of thrust, and a maximum forward speed of 80km/h for flight times of around 1 to 3 minutes.
Trials began in February and saw experienced GNAAS paramedics training to use the Jet Suit in the Lake District of northwest England. Training has already enabled a GNAAS paramedic to compete their first free flight, safely operating the Jet Suit unassisted, with a new group of paramedics soon to follow.
According to Ørsted, the next stage of training, expected to begin during the Northern Summer, will develop GNAAS paramedics flight skills to a level where real operational experience can be assessed, and real assistance can be provided via Jet Suit paramedics in the Lake District.
Looking forward, Ørsted is hoping Jet Suit-capable paramedics will be able to provide on-site triage and urgent casualty response at offshore wind operations that will likely dramatically improve patient stability and survivability.
The Jet Suit would allow paramedics to quickly transfer to and from offshore structures in the case of an emergency.
“Our drive for creating the Suit came from wanting to challenge what seemed like the impossible, and to now see it being used for areas of Special Forces mobility and First Response Search & Rescue, it’s very exciting,” said Richard Browning, founder and chief test pilot at Gravity Industries.
“We’re enjoying working in a new sector and helping the front-line workers in clean energy. The Jet Suit produces up to 144kg of thrust; the thrust to weight ratio works out to be greater than any known Jet Fighter we are aware of.”
