MARINET · Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network for Emerging Energy Technologies

Offshore Renewable Conversion systems are mostly at the pre-commercial stage of development. They comprise wave energy and tidal stream converters as well as offshore wind turbines for electrical generation. These devices require research to be undertaken at a series of scales along the path to commercialization. Each technology type is currently at a different stage of development but each one also needs specific research infrastructures to facilitate and catalyze commercialization. The aim of this project is to coordinate research and development at all scales (small models through to prototype scales from Laboratory through to Open Sea tests) and to allow access for researchers and developers into facilities which are not available universally in Europe. The linking together of facilities at different scales together with the incorporation of test facilities for components such as power take-off systems, grid integration, moorings, environmental tests will ensure a focusing of activities in this area.MaRINET brings together an Infrastructure with 42 Facilities from 28 Partners spread across 11 EU countries and 1 ICPC, Brazil. It also brings together a network of expertise in the Offshore Marine Renewable Energy sector with experience at all scales of offshore technology research and development. MaRINET offers over 600 weeks of access to 300 projects and 800 external users.The majority (77%) of the MaRINET budget has been targeted in the areas most prioritized in the EC Call such as networking, training, dissemination and transnational access.