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www.sea-technology.com July 2014 / st 65 PlanetSolar Stops in Morocco To Promote Renewable Energy Having departed from Boulogne- sur-Mer, France, on May 25, the Plan- etSolar solar vessel arrived in Atalay- oun in the Marchica lagoon, Morocco, in June. The ship's arrival to this loca- tion shows the Moroccan authorities' desire to promote the use of renewable energies within the framework of a comprehensive development plan for the Marchica lagoon. Over the course of a week, the catamaran served as the central hub for events that were meant to showcase the progress of this large project. The stopover was also an opportu- nity for PlanetSolar to announce a part- nership with the agency in charge of the site's development, MarchicaMed. PlanetSolar will manage a pilot project that aims to power the Marchica har- bor master's offce completely autono- mously and without carbon dioxide emissions. MarchicaMed also aims to use a feet of electrosolar boats for la- goon transportation. The catamaran stopped in Morocco for about two weeks, then sailed to Monaco for a solar boat race. After- wards, the ship was to sail to Greek waters to be a scientifc platform for the University of Geneva to study sub- merged prehistoric landscapes during the TerraSubmersa expedition. OpenHydro, EDF to Test Two Tidal Turbines in France OpenHydro (Dublin, Ireland) will supply two new tidal turbines for in- stallation at Paimpol-Bréhat in Brittany, France. OpenHydro and Electricité de France (EDF) are going to test the tur- bines operation in connection to the grid. The turbines will be operational from 2015. This pilot phase will pave the way for the deployment from 2016 of precommercial farms and the devel- opment of a tidal energy industrial sec- tor in France. The new project builds on the suc- cessful testing of the tidal turbine L'Arcouest in real conditions between December 2013 and April 2014 at the Paimpol-Bréhat site. These conclusive tests demonstrated the performance of the tidal turbine developed by Open- Hydro and also served to validate the principle of the 16-meter-diameter prototype. The second-generation turbines will be adapted for series production to support future calls for tenders for commercial farms. The development of the Paimpol-Bréhat pilot farm, together with other pilot farm projects Open- Hydro is progressing in France and Canada, are intended to demonstrate the technical, economic and environ- mental feasibility of the tidal energy sector. BOEM Issues Lease to FAU For Turbine Testing in Florida BOEM has issued a lease to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) for marine hydrokinetic technology testing off- shore Florida to evaluate the use of tur- bines powered by ocean currents. This is the frst time a lease has been issued to test ocean current energy equipment in federal waters. FAU's Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center applied for a lease to deploy experimental dem- onstration devices in an area located approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles offshore Fort Lauderdale. The proposed project involves the installation of multiple anchored, foat- ing test berths to evaluate ocean cur- rent turbine designs. Each test berth will consist of a buoy anchored to the seafoor to measure ocean conditions and allow ocean current turbine pro- totypes to be deployed from vessels moored in the Gulf Stream. Now that the lease has been executed, FAU may submit a project plan for BOEM's re- view. FoundOcean Tests MGPs At UK Offshore Wind Farm FoundOcean (Marlow, England) is testing its latest range of Marine Growth Prevention (MGP) units on an unnamed offshore wind farm jacket structure in the U.K. Two units have been installed in the Liverpool Bay area. These latest units are the begin- ning of an extended trial period on the jacket, following successful results of an earlier version of an MGP unit ftted in 2013. As well as adding to the static weight of a structure, marine growth can interfere with the systems for cor- rosion protection and increase the hy- drodynamic loadings associated with wave and current actions on the struc- ture. These increased stresses can re- sult in unnecessary and avoidable fa- tigue damage that can reduce the op- erational lifespan of the asset. Hence, many offshore standards address the control of marine growth, particularly with regard to the inspection of marine growth buildup and its removal. MGPs constantly prevent the build- up of the microbial slime, which is the precursor to much more damaging hard and soft marine growths like crus- taceans and seaweed. MGP is offered in two versions: wave-driven for splash zone applica- tions and current-driven for controlling marine growth subsea. By eliminating the need for divers to periodically remove marine growth, numerous asset managers around the globe have found that the technology is one of the most cost-effective and safest life extension solutions on the market. DNV GL Proposes New Enhanced Oil Recovery Concept DNV GL (Høvik, Norway) is pro- posing a new concept that combines mature water injection technology with the newest developments in off- shore wind power to achieve more cost-effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR). DNV GL's concept intends to integrate the compressor and water treatment equipment into the substruc- ture of a foating wind turbine. DNV GL studies show clear in- dications that such a wind-powered water injection system could reduce both capex and opex and drive inno- vation of new technology. It could be installed without costly retrofttings on the platform, provide access to systems normally located subsea, increase the fexibility of injection location and reduce installation time. The system would also be easy to move and use at new locations after the closure of a well or feld. DNV GL invites industries to de- velop this concept further in a joint industry project. Studies show it will reduce the cost of water injection, avoid costly topside modifcations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. n marine renewables