Blue Energy Resource Assessment

Blue energy is abundant, geographically diverse and renewable. This strategic research supports the energy transition to low carbon future by developing practical online web based interactive applications to assess energy resource potential and energy yield of ocean energy technologies in specific locations.

The Blue Energy Resource Assessment (BluERA) will be intended to establish a nexus between energy resources and technologies development by developing two online digital products, a digital ocean energy atlas and an energy yield evaluation tool.

It is planned that upon project realisation the ocean energy atlas of the BNPS (Belgian part of the North Sea) will be released to facilitate development of wave energy sector. The digital ocean energy atlas would be a web-based application which supports not only the broad scale reconnaissance assessments, but also openly provides data required to support investors, project developers and policymakers in order to identify high-energy yield potential areas for wave energy projects in BNPS and perform preliminary calculations.

BluERA consortium will develop the atlas that allows making online queries and provides freely downloadable datasets based on the latest input data and modelling methodologies. The information contained in the atlas will provide a considerable benefit for an emerging industry by giving new wave energy projects the critical information and data needed. 

BluERA will contribute to reducing the uncertainties in the wave energy yield assessments to make the wave energy sector more attractive to investors. The consortium will provide an opportunity to improve understanding of how a number of different ocean energy technologies respond to ocean energy resource variability. The energy yield evaluation will provide important data for risk assessment that will assist promotors and investors in the selection (rule-out) of potential technologies. .

Data

  • R&D partners: IMDC (lead partner), Engie Laborelec and Otary RS NV
  • Support: Flemish Blue Cluster and VLAIO
  • Start date: 2020
  • Completion date: 2022