On Monday 27th June, Bluespring and Dutch Energy from Water Association EWA organised a vibrant validation workshop on adaptive policy recommendations to support the route to market of Offshore Renewable Energy. Policy makers at European, national and regional levels discussed the many benefits of Offshore Renewable Energy. It is high time to bring these innovations to market and reap their benefits for society at large. As the energy transition is in full swing it is important to create a common understanding of policy needs at each stage of development of offshore shore renewable energy innovations.
“Ocean energy is embraced by island communities as an alternative to wind and solar” Wouter Methorst, Gemeente Texel
The participants of the workshop came to following conclusions:
Ocean energy can play a key role in the path to net-zero in EU and The Netherlands and have multiple benefits at regional level, including job creation, attractive coastal communities and addressing climate adaptation
Offshore floating solar, wave and tidal energy can be combined with wind farms. This makes our future energy system more reliable, affordable and cost-effective, as the resources are also available when there is no or less wind. With energy from water technologies in the mix, there is a reduced need for energy storage. These technologies also contribute to a more efficient use of space in the sea.
Supporting technology at each stage of the development and removing commercial and regulatory barriers can unlock the potential.
Design policy measures based on validation of technology (user case), are needed to realize EU offshore renewable energy targets.
The use of Adaptive Policy Recommendations to sustain technology progression and market creation is highly recommended.
“We need to be talking about access to space for ocean energy” Xavier Guillou, DG MARE
It was good to meet on so many levels with policy makers, including representatives from the Dutch provinces Zeeland and Zuid-Holland, and municipalities of Texel and Den Haag, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water, Wadden Sea Fund, technology developers, and DG MARE, DG ENER, DG RTD. Our plan is to hold several more workshops with policy makers and regional stakeholders after the summer. If you would like to know more about this day or get involved in the next workshops, let us know!