A network of existing test facilities throughout Europe aims to create the world''s leading large-scale research facility for offshore renewable energies. Within the scope of the project MARINERG-i, research facilities from many European countries have joined forces in order to promote the development and sustainable use of offshore energy, such as through hydroelectric or tidal power stations as well as offshore wind farms. Germany is represented by the Coastal Research Centre, a joint facility of Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) and TU Braunschweig.
The project "MARINERG-i - Offshore Renewable Energy Research Infrastructure" aims to become the world''s leading international research infrastructure in the field of offshore renewable energy - with a network of unique test facilities located throughout Europe. The enormous potential of offshore renewable energies is a vital factor in the transition to an environmentally sound energy supply. Concerted international efforts are required in order to make use of this potential in a sustainable manner, as well as to take into account the conservation of the offshore environment. By linking test facilities throughout Europe, MARINERG-i intends to create a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) and establish it as the world''s leading large-scale research facility for offshore renewable energies.
MARINERG-i will make a significant contribution towards supporting the EU''s Green Deal, by strengthening scientific and technical expertise in Europe. Led by the MaREI Centre at University College Cork, the project is currently supported by Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom; additional support is provided by facilities in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway and Germany. Germany is represented by Leibniz University Hannover and TU Braunschweig, which will initially offer the use of the newly expanded Large Wave Flume of the Coastal Research Centre in Hannover. Moreover, they coordinate the future involvement of additional large-scale test facilities in Germany interested in getting involved in the world''s leading large-scale research facility in the field of offshore renewable energies.
The team now enters the preparatory phase in order to determine legal, administrative, scientific and economic components of the European consortium required for the joint operation of the large-scale research facilities. For a full partnership in an ERIC, final approval from political actors at federal level is still pending. However, the Coastal Research Centre is already intensively involved in the current preparatory phase with significant support from the state of Lower Saxony and the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM). Thus, the Coastal Research Centre is making an important contribution to ensuring that Germany keeps up with the currently rapidly developing field of offshore renewable energies. Another activity related to this field is the marTech project, which is in receipt of BMWi funding amounting to approximately 35 million euros. Within the scope of this project, the Large Wave Flume is currently converted into a unique large-scale research infrastructure providing ideal testing opportunities - in particular in the context of offshore energy - by illustrating tidal currents including sea waves.
Following a successful application phase, MARINERG-i was one of eleven new research infrastructures to be included in the ESFRI-2021 roadmap. The ESFRI roadmap (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) promotes the establishment of important large-scale research facilities over the next ten to twenty years. The roadmap will include the best European science facilities, based on a thorough evaluation and selection procedure. The current roadmap was formally approved in September 2021 and officially announced in December 2021.
Coastal Research Centre
The Coastal Research Centre is a joint facility of Leibniz University Hannover and TU Braunschweig specialising in research in the field of coastal and ocean engineering. In collaboration with four partner institutes, the Coastal Research Centre offers numeric and physical models in the context of hydraulic engineering, coastal protection, marine technology, geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics. Due to this pooled expertise and extensive equipment including partially unique test facilities, the Coastal Research Centre is a nationally and internationally recognised institution conducting academic research in coastal and ocean engineering. The Coastal Research Centre operates one of the largest wave flumes worldwide, located in Hannover.
Note to editors:
For further information, please contact Prof. Dr.-Ing. Torsten Schlurman, Coastal Research Centre, Tel. +49 511 762-19021, Email schlurmann@lufi.uni-hannover.de.
