AquaWind, the European innovative project integrating marine renewable energy with aquaculture in the Atlantic basin, has successfully held its mid-project meeting, led by the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI) of the Ministry of Universities, Science, Innovation, and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands.
The aim of AquaWind is to carry out a demonstration test of an integrated and co-located solution for multiple uses. The trial consists of validating an existing prototype of floating marine renewable energy production, which will be integrated with an aquaculture production system.
The aquaculture prototype includes a custom-designed fish cage with novel net materials, a high level of digitalization, and validation with species of fish to be cultivated. This project will conduct real trials for the first time testing the integration of marine energy production with live fish aquaculture in the Atlantic region.
AquaWind brings together the efforts of a multidisciplinary consortium including R&D centres, companies, SMEs, a regional authority, and a maritime cluster from three EU member states (France, Spain, and Portugal).
PLOCAN attended the event, which brought together a variety of partners and experts in renewable energy and aquaculture to share progress and discuss future strategies for the project. PLOCAN had the opportunity to share its progress in obtaining permits and licenses, safety and health matters for multi-use platforms, intellectual property protection, technological and socio-economic studies, and business development for AQUAWIND.
The meeting began with institutional welcoming by the Government of the Canary Islands through ACIISI, followed by an introduction provided by Sonia Karasavvidou, Project Officer from the Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment of the European Commission (CINEA). Attendees were given an overview of the AquaWind project, highlighting its importance and objectives by the project coordinator, Javier Roo from ACIISI.
During the first session, the leaders of each of the seven work packages presented the progress made to date. From creating conducive legal and social conditions to advancements in design and prototype testing in the harbour, as well as project coordination and preparation of periodic reports, every aspect of the project received detailed attention and analysis. Additionally, business plans, sustainability, coordination, and project communication were discussed. Each presentation was complemented with time dedicated to questions and discussions, fostering the exchange of ideas and collaboration among partners.
The second session was dedicated to field visits, providing participants with the opportunity to explore firsthand the aquaculture systems in the port of Taliarte and the W2Power prototype, developed by the Spanish company EnerOcean, at the ASTICAN facilities in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
AquaWind continues to make progress towards its goal of innovatively combining renewable energy and aquaculture in the Atlantic, demonstrating the potential of these technologies to drive sustainability and economic development in the region.
For more information on AquaWind, visit www.aquawind.eu
This project is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)
