From the North Sea to the Black Sea: sharing knowledge on offshore energy

The Black Sea region is taking important steps towards the deployment of offshore renewable energy. Several countries in the region are making progress in areas such as regulation, maritime spatial planning, infrastructure, training and value chains. The Marine Renewable Energy Academy brought together experts from research, industry and policy to exchange knowledge and to adapt experience from more mature markets, such as the North Sea, to the regional context.

A wide range of topics was covered, from offshore wind technology and financing models to biodiversity, monitoring and training. Despite this broad focus, one message repeatedly emerged: successfully scaling up offshore renewable energy requires more than technology alone. Regulation, infrastructure, skills, ecological knowledge and cooperation also play a crucial role.

Against this backdrop, Blue Cluster shared Belgian experience related to offshore wind and integrated offshore systems. In addition, knowledge was exchanged through European collaboration projects on the further development of floating offshore wind and other innovative offshore applications.

During the Academy, our colleague Michael Murphy shared insights from the Belgian offshore wind sector. Using the Princess Elisabeth Island as an example, he explained how energy production, nature conservation and other activities at sea are increasingly being planned and developed in an integrated manner. Co-location, shared use of space and nature-inclusive design were also discussed.

In addition, Blue Cluster highlighted several innovative initiatives in the North Sea, including Test@Sea and the Maripark concept. Particular attention was paid to both the opportunities and challenges of multiple-use activities at sea, and to the question of how responsibilities, risks and benefits can be distributed among different users.

In addition to the presentations, Blue Cluster supported a workshop on floating offshore wind within the European project I3FLOAT. Participants explored a variety of new ideas and collaboration opportunities relating to technology, ports, skills, value chains and regional cooperation.

The Academy thus provided a platform for bringing together expertise from different countries and exchanging experiences between more mature and emerging offshore energy regions. For De Blauwe Cluster, the event was a valuable opportunity to share Belgian expertise internationally, establish new contacts and gain insights for future collaborations.