Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access

Combining offshore energy production in multi-use combinations: Lessons learned from Europe

World Congress and Exhibition on Wind & Renewable Energy

July 28-30, 2016 Berlin, Germany

Stuiver Marian

Wageningen University and Research Centre, Netherlands

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Fundam Renewable Energy Appl

Abstract :

The oceans of Europe are used more intensively for different types of economic activities framed as the Blue Growth potential by the European Committee. Among the proposed five clusters of economic activities, the production of renewable energy is prominent. Activities such as offshore wind farms, tidal and wave energy are developed and promoted, as well as aquaculture, tourism, blue biotechnology and mineral resources. All these ambitions call for a solution to overcome possible competing claims on the surfaces of the sea. The European Committee has promoted Multi-Use Platforms at Sea (MUPS): Locations at sea, designated for a combination of activities, either completely integrated in a platform or in shared marine space. The different businesses can benefit from each other in terms of safety, infrastructure, maintenance, etc. The development of MUPS has been studied intensively in different European projects with various stakeholders, such as H2 Ocean, Tropos, Mermaid and Maribe. In this presentation, I focus on the challenges and obstacles that have been formulated during these projects that need to be solved in order to develop MUPS. Therefore, I use a framework specifying policy, economic, social, technical, environmental and legal (PESTEL) issues connected to the development of MUPS. I will end with recommendations towards facilitating the development of MUPS in the future.

Biography :

Stuiver Marian is Senior Researcher at Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands. She has ample experience in the social sciences and projects in Europe, Latin America and Africa. She has worked on projects covering a wide range of topics, e.g., design, sustainability, water, energy and food. Examples are EU integral projects Mermaid, Maspnose, Building with Nature and Knowledge for Climate in collaboration with partners from UK, Denmark, Greece, Italy and Germany. She is an internationally recognized expert with experience within international non-governmental organizations (United Nations, Commission on Sustainable Development) as well as academic communities and local governmental projects. She has a proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects from definition through to completion. She developed a rich toolkit with methodologies to connect entrepreneurs, organizations and policymakers from different backgrounds and cultures for a common goal. She holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands, and an MSc in Agricultural Science from Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands.

Email: marian.stuiver@wur.nl