Wier & Wind 2

The global demand for seaweed is growing, including for applications in food, animal feed and bio-based materials. Seaweed offers several important advantages: its cultivation requires neither agricultural land nor fresh water and it can contribute to carbon sequestration and nitrogen reduction.

Nevertheless, large-scale seaweed cultivation in the North Sea remains limited for the time being. Production costs are high, existing technologies are not yet sufficiently adapted to demanding offshore conditions, and viable business models are lacking. More knowledge is also needed about the effects of seaweed cultivation on biodiversity and other components of the marine ecosystem.

Offshore wind farms provide opportunities to use the available space at sea more efficiently. By combining seaweed cultivation and wind energy in a safe manner, the same area can be used both to generate renewable energy and to produce marine biomass sustainably.

Wier & Wind 2 aims to further develop seaweed cultivation in and around offshore wind farms and test it under realistic conditions. To achieve this ambition, the project focuses on:

• making offshore seaweed cultivation more efficient;
• improving techniques for seeding, harvesting and processing;
• helping to develop new applications for seaweed;
• investigating the impact on biodiversity and the marine ecosystem;
• creating the conditions for a profitable and scalable value chain.

In this way, the project helps pave the way for the wider adoption of offshore seaweed cultivation in the North Sea.