MaRINET2 - to facilitate research test infrastructures for actors in offshore renewable energy

The second Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network (MaRINET2) program has recently been launched and SSPA is a partner. The aim of the project is to facilitate research test infrastructures for actors in offshore renewable energy, free of charge. The European Commission Horizon 2020 program supports and finances the project that runs from 2017 to 2021. This activity integrates the key research infrastructures in Europe for research, development and testing of offshore wind and ocean energy systems including electrical sub systems and grid integration. Trans-national access open existing pilot and demonstration plants as well as laboratory scale installations from wave basins to large-scale open sea test sites. SSPA offers four major test facilities, Maritime Dynamics Laboratory, Towing Tank, Cavitation Tunnel and a Simulator, that are well suited for marine energy testing. 

To carry out full-scale tests at sea is often a very extensive work and it involves significant costs. Before testing in open water a model scale prototype testing can be performed under controlled conditions in SSPAs facilities. Waves and moving water as well as moving models can be accomplished for test and development of wave power plants, other marine energy technologies and turbines. Within the project, SSPA also offers hydrodynamic calculations and simulations to the actors in offshore renewable energy. 

The Marine Energy Conversion sector is at present, for most concepts, in a development phase. Before concept viability and economic feasibility can be shown with some confidence, it is difficult to raise financing from the industry. MaRINET2 gives possibilities for the Marine Energy Conversion industry to demonstrate that a concept have a future through development support regarding demonstration with initial design, simulation and/or model testing.

MaRINET2 is an EU funded innovation project, with members across Europe capable of assistance for marine energy conversion design, offering free consultancy for design help. Application can be submitted starting April 2017. Compared to other forms of financial support, MaRINET2 also offers a relatively easy and fast process to start initial design of a new concept. 

SSPA have long seen Marin Energy Conversion as an important contribution to a worldwide renewable energy system, and have offered and completed several consultancy and research projects within the sector in recent years. SSPA is in a unique position to offer qualified help within design (both structural and hydrodynamic), testing, simulation and risk analysis. SSPA can offer assistance within the entire design phase.

— “The MaRINET2 project creates opportunities for collaboration and sharing knowledge. Feel free to contact us and discuss how SSPA can support, making your marine energy conversion concept a success”, says Peter Grundevik, Vice President and Head of SSPA Research.

About MaRINET2 (The second Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network)
The project, coordinated by the Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy (MaREI), will run for 4.5 years with a consortium of 39 partners in 13 countries along with 57 associated infrastructures, and in addition to providing free access to testing centres, it will undertake research to improve testing methods. MaRINET2 will build upon the achievements of the first MaRINET program funded through the FP7, the EU research-funding program for 2007-2013.

Read more at the project webiste www.sspa.se/projects/marinet2