The impact of the MARINET initiative on the development of Marine Renewable Energy
Introduction
Among the various Marine Renewable Energy sources generally considered for power extraction and electrical generation, waves, tidal streams and off-shore wind are the most widely and thoroughly investigated. Numerous conversion systems for these three sources of energy have been studied and designed over previous decades. These technologies are currently at different stages of development but are mostly at the pre-commercial stage and still require research to be undertaken at a series of scales along the path to commercialization. However each one also needs specific specialized research infrastructures. The Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network, MARINET, was formed to coordinate research and development at all scales (small models through to prototype scales, from laboratories through to open sea tests) based on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology and to allow access for researchers and developers to infrastructures which are not available universally in Europe. The consortium brings together a large network of infrastructures such as wave tanks and tidal flumes, but also including test facilities for components such as power take-off systems, grid integration, moorings and environmental tests. The aim is to ensure a focusing of research activities and resources in these various areas, as well as coordinating the expertise of personnel who are specialists in this offshore Marine Renewable Energy sector, at all scales of marine technology research and development.
A key element of the MARINET initiative, in addition to the programmes for improvement and standardisation of testing methods, is the Transnational Access (TA) programme. This offers free of charge public access to the research facilities in order to support the development of technologies or research concepts from laboratories through to open sea tests. This TA programme, decomposed in five calls for proposals organised over a period of approximately three years, enabled a large number of developers and research groups across Europe to conduct c.165 testing programmes in dedicated facilities in order to assess and improve their research concept or the efficiency of their technologies, at various Technology Readiness Levels (TRL).
Cross-analysis of the statistics related to access to infrastructures during this Transnational Access programme provides a good overview of the stage of development of the Marine Renewable Energy industry in Europe. It also highlights some of the constraints encountered by developers proceeding through the multi-staged process of development of these technologies for wave, tidal and off-shore wind energy conversion.
Details of the MARINET Transnational Access programme initiative are presented in section two of this paper. Access statistics are analysed and discussed in section three, whilst benefits and limitations of the Transnational Access programme are discussed in the last section.
Section snippets
The MARINET initiative
The MARINET initiative was started in March 2011. It brings together a network of 29 partners, spread across twelve countries to offer researchers and developers access to 45 research facilities as well as a network of expertise at all scales of Offshore Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) technology research and development. The aim is to streamline the testing path in order to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of Marine Renewable Energy technologies [1].
The common theme
Transnational Access data analysis
Elements provided by applicants in the standard MARINET TA application form offer information on the status of research and development of technologies for marine renewable energies that extends beyond the technical and scientific aspects. The database, built from the 256 applications received in the five calls, is valuable in that regard and offers interesting insights on various trends such as, for instance, the distribution of Marine Renewable Energy projects across Europe and the stage of
Benefits and limitations of a TA programme
Along with the necessary exchanges between users, infrastructure managers and the TA coordination group that took place as part of the selection and testing processes, networking activities were conducted over the course of the initiative with the main objective of fostering communication between users and MARINET partners. Specifically, workshops were organised as part of this activity (Consortium meeting at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, October 2012 and Consortium/User-Group Workshop, Rome,
Conclusions
The MARINET initiative was started in March 2011 bringing together a network of 29 partners, spread across twelve countries to offer research groups access to 45 research facilities with the aim of streamlining the testing path to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of Marine Renewable Energy technologies. The main tool developed for achieving this is the Transnational Access programme, offering free of charge access to research facilities for the testing of concepts for wave,
Acknowledgement
The work described in this paper has received support from the European Community’s Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 “Capacities” Specific Programme through grant agreement number 262552, MARINET.
References (4)
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