BlueWise Marine

Today, Dr. Morgane Pommier presented the UAVES (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles for Ecological Surveys) project to attendees at the #MRIAForum. ?? The project is exploring the possibility of using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to carry out seabird and marine mammal #ecological surveys in Ireland. The project has completed its first season of test flights, with more test & validation to follow this year. Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles for Ecology Surveys (UAVES) funded by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) RD&D Funding Programme 2022 Grant No. 22/RD/851 Atlantic Technological University BlueWise Marine A-techSYN Energia

??Presenting at the MRIA Forum this coming Friday, Dr. Morgane Pommier will be updating attendees about the UAVES (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles for Ecological Surveys) project, discussing the results that came out of the first trials of the UAV for #offshore ecological surveys. If you are attending the #MRIAForum, it will be a great opportunity to catch-up with Morgane! ?? Atlantic Technological University BlueWise Marine A-techSYN Energia Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

The US has launched a 20 MW #WaveEnergy testing facility. Spanning 2.65 sq miles and located seven miles out from shore of Newport in Oregon, PacWave test site is expected to be a game changer for #MarineEnergy: https://lnkd.in/exuWPfmG cc Oregon State University

A new study mapped areas of whale activity with areas of high shipping activity in to find the places with the highest risk of whale strikes, a leading cause of whale mortality (alongside fishing). The research team believes that it should be possible to reduce the number of strikes by regulating marine traffic on just 2.6% of the ocean's surface, though that ocean area happens to be very important to shipping. https://loom.ly/eqJ060U

On the last day of October, Irish Government approved the terms and conditions for the next offshore wind energy auction, due to take place early next year. It is important to understand that winning the auction is not the same as getting planning permission. Whichever bidder wins the auction will need to carry out extensive surveys in the area, likely over several years, before making an application to An Bord Pleanála. With luck, the project might obtain planning permission before the end of the decade and would then be operational at some point early in the 2030s. Next year’s auction and the other approved new sites represent the next generation of offshore wind energy projects. However, critical to building the supply chain for them is ensuring Ireland’s first phase of offshore wind projects, which are applying for planning permission this year, get built by the end of the decade. These six projects, known collectively as the Phase One projects, are the only ones which can be ready to generate power by 2030. Ensuring their delivery, and in doing so, laying the foundation for Irish energy independence, must be a top priority for the next Government. https://loom.ly/935HPLk by Noel Cunniffe Wind Energy Ireland #OffshoreWind #EnergyTransition #Ireland

With Ireland’s focus now turning to developing the first phase of our new offshore wind energy projects, the practicalities of how these wind farms can be delivered must be closely examined. Only Belfast Harbour is currently suitable to support the construction of an offshore wind farm but to grasp the opportunity and all the benefits offshore wind can bring, we need more port infrastructure. Ports help offshore wind farms in two ways. First, ports store foundations and turbines, which are then assembled and shipped to the wind farm at sea for installation. Second, they can be used as operations and maintenance bases. Once a wind farm is up and running it needs to be monitored and maintained. This includes a team of engineers, turbine technicians and administrative staff, as well as maintenance crews for the vessels that transport maintenance teams to the turbines. https://loom.ly/e_C_Q_0 by @Chloé Sullivan Wind Energy Ireland #OffshoreWind #EnergyTransition #Ireland

In collaboration with Simply Blue Group , Van Oord , Algaia, and Amazon, North Sea Farmers (NSF) opened the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm within the offshore wind farm ‘Hollandse Kust Zuid’ (HKZ), located about 18 km off the coast of Scheveningen in the North Sea. It is a floating farm located in the open space between wind turbines where seaweed production can be tested and improved. In parallel, scientific research aims to validate the carbon sequestration potential of seaweed farms and measure biodiversity impacts. Find out more: https://loom.ly/_0wz-Xc

The ongoing DEM-AWE project collaboration, launched in February 2024 is running a pre-commercial demonstration of a battery storage system powered by an energy kite. This mobile, sustainable energy solution is designed to charge a 400kWh battery in 10 hours, showcasing the efficiency and versatility of AWE technology. This mobile solution has transformative potential, extending renewable energy access to remote and off-grid locations like islands, and offering a cleaner alternative for industries like construction and agriculture, which currently depend on diesel-powered generators. Learn more: https://loom.ly/AdpyS1k #AirborneWind #RenewableEnergy #Innovation cc Interreg North-West Europe (NWE)

The Call for Abstracts & Paper Submissions for the 16th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC 2025) has now opened. Deadline: Jan 13 January 2025. EWTEC will take place on Sep. 7-11, 2025 in Madeira, Portugal. ?? https://loom.ly/A76211k #WaveEnergy #TidalEnergy

Ireland’s wave energy sector, with the potential to power the country twice over, has fallen short of its 2030 targets, according to experts from the Centre for Ocean Energy Research (COER). #WaveEnergy is a stable, complementary renewable energy solution, but without substantial, long-term support, this untapped resource will remain sidelined while the country struggles to reach renewable energy goals. https://loom.ly/zchsiZI