Belgium: DCNS Participates in Ocean Energy 2012

On 26 and 27 June, in Brussels, DCNS will participate in the 3rd annual Ocean Energy Association (EU-OEA) conference: Ocean Energy 2012. This convention represents an opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the field of marine energies in Europe for all the sector’s stakeholders.

DCNS invites you to attend the conference entitled “reducing technology costs: how do we go from 1 device to 100?” on Tuesday 26 June at 13:55. To become a commercially viable industrial sector, marine energy must move from a prototyping phase to a mass-production phase. This session explores the necessary steps to successfully accomplish this transition.

DCNS, the only industrial group in the world to develop four marine-energy technologies, aims to foster a new industrial sector around the next generation of developments, which will be presented on our stand:

• Energy from tidal streams. This energy is captured using underwater turbines known as marine current turbines, which transform the energy of marine currents into electricity, as wind turbines do with wind. In this sector, DCNS aims to play a leading role on the global scale. To reach this goal, DCNS has, in particular, acquired a holding of 11% in one of the tidal-power market leaders, the Irish company OpenHydro. Both companies are jointly building a pilot farm with four marine current turbines in Paimpol-Bréhat on behalf of EDF. Furthermore, the aim of DCNS has been bolstered by announcement in March 2012 by the French minister for industry of a roadmap that foresees the opening of a call for tender in 2014. This call for tender will allow DCNS, through a new industrial facility based in Cherbourg, to exploit the potential of the Raz Blanchard site.

• Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). OTEC uses the difference of temperature between the warm surface water and the cold deep water to produce electrical power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In this sector, the regions of Martinique and Réunion are pioneers. In effect, DCNS delivered a land-based prototype to the island of Réunion at the start of the year, with the objective of testing the power production system and validating the performance of the OTEC technology. Additionally, further to the region of Martinique’s application to the European Investment Fund, NER300, DCNS and STX have signed an agreement with Martinique relating to the installation of a pilot plant by 2016.

• Energy generated by floating wind turbines. Next-generation, offshore floating wind turbines exploit the energy from stronger and more regular winds far from the shore. This innovative technology makes it possible to install energy conversion systems in areas where water depth exceeds 50 metres, thus giving access to energy resources of greater density, whilst at the same time reducing any conflicts of usage and on-site operations. This technology also minimises the visual impact from the coast. DCNS, together with its partners Nass&Wind and Vergnet, is developing the innovative WINFLO floating wind turbine technology. Sea trials of the demonstrator for this technology should start in 2013, followed by the development of a pilot wind farm, for which the preliminary work has already been started.

• Wave energy. This energy is captured by wave-energy conversion systems, giving access to a dense energy resource, with high production potential. Since 2009, DCNS has been developing a demonstrator based on the CETO technology. This programme allows the optimisation of the technology to tailor it to the specific conditions of the island of Réunion. In October 2011, DCNS also signed a letter of intent with the Finnish company Fortum, for a demonstration of wave-energy generation in France.

The Ocean Energy Association (EU-OEA) represents the marine energy industry in Europe. It ensures an advisory role to the European Commission in the marine-energy sector. EU-OEA brings together the main developers, public services, research organisations and major industry, with the common objective of accelerating the development and deployment of projects in the sector of renewable marine energies.

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Offshore WIND staff, June 27, 2012; Image: dcnsgroup