Multi-use oceanic platform for renewable energy
The three-year study, which is funded by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme, aims to develop an innovative design for an economically and environmentally sustainable multi-use offshore platform to harvest offshore renewable (wind and wave) power.
The H2OCEAN platform will use part of the energy for multiple applications, including a multi-trophic aquaculture farm, and convert the excess energy into hydrogen.
A unique feature of the H2OCEAN concept, beyond the integration of various activities in different economic sectors, is the approach to transporting excess renewable energy generated offshore through hydrogen. This conceptual model avoids the grid imbalance problem inherent to current offshore renewable energy systems and eliminates the need for cost-prohibitive cable transmission systems.
“The H2OCEAN project is an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate how innovative approaches to energy capture and delivery can make renewable sources the number one contributor to the energy mix in Europe”, said Joan Aymamí, vice president of International Business at AWS Truepower. H2OCEAN’s design plan will take advantage of synergies between various activities carried out within the platform, minimise environmental impacts, and increase social and economic potential of new maritime activities, according to AWS. The project will be led by AWS Truepower’s Barcelona office, in cooperation with the following consortium members: Universidad de Valladolid (Spain); Universidad de Oviedo (Spain); Seta Sociedad Española de Tratamiento de Agua SL (Spain); Treelogic Telematica y Lógica Racional para la Empresa Europea SL (Spain); Sustainable Technologies (Spain); Virtualpie Ltd (UK); Dexa Wave Energy APS (Denmark); Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung (Germany); Chlamys S.L (Italy); Viking Fish Farms Limited (UK); Institut fuer Seeverkehrswirtschaft und Logistik (Germany); Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (Denmark); Fusion Marine Limited (UK); D'Appolonia SPA (Italy); It Power LTD (UK); Cranfield University (UK).
