MaRINET2 hits €5M mark for free offshore renewables testing

The fifth and final MaRINET2 call results have been announced, bringing the project’s total budget for free lab, tank and open-sea testing for offshore renewables to €5 million.

In all, MaRINET2 has provided more than 600 weeks of testing and support to over 170 technology developers from almost 20 European countries, as well as Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.

Under the last of the trans-national access calls, €1.2 million has been awarded to 30 offshore renewables projects

Despite some delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, projects funded under previous calls are well underway, with the latest batch due to hit the water in the coming weeks, according to MaRINET2.

The development of wave, tidal and offshore wind technologies is underpinned by high-quality testing and experimentation.

MaRINET2 participants have free-of-charge access to Europe’s leading test and research infrastructures – on the condition that they test abroad, thus enabling an exchange of skills and facilities between different countries.

An open call for virtual access to data sets and a free-of-charge training programme are also available through the project until its conclusion at the end of 2021.

Jimmy Murphy, MaRINET2 project coordinator, said: “The number and range of projects that the testing programme has been able to support is impressive and we are proud to play our part in developing the latest innovative technologies. Over the next year, we will be able to present the results of these endeavours and demonstrate the added value that they bring to the offshore renewables sector”.

MaRINET2, the Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network, is a network of 39 partners in 13 European Countries, involving research centres and organisations who work together to progress offshore renewable energy technologies such as wave, tidal and offshore-wind

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme