ABSTRACT
The rational exploitation of oceans’ space and resources is increasingly seen as crucial to enhance European
competitiveness in key areas such as Renewable Energy and Aquaculture. The H2OCEAN consortium aims
at developing an innovative design for an economically and environmentally sustainable multi-use open-sea
platform. The H2OCEAN platform will harvest wind and wave power, using part of the energy on-site for
multiple applications – including a multi-trophic aquaculture farm, and convert on-site the excess energy into
hydrogen that can be stored and shipped to shore as green energy carrier. The project builds on already
on-going R&D and commercial activities of a partnership involving European leading industrial and academic
partners from 5 countries within the fields of renewable energy, fish farming, hydrogen generation, maritime
transports and related research disciplines. The unique feature of the H2OCEAN concept, besides the integration
of different activities into a shared multi-use platform, lies in the novel approach for the transmission of
offshore-generated renewable electrical energy through hydrogen. This concept allows effective transport and
storage the energy decoupling energy production and consumption, thus avoiding the grid imbalance problem
inherent to current offshore renewable energy systems. Additionally, this concept also circumvents the need
for a cable transmission system which takes up a significant investment share for offshore energy generation
infrastructures, increasing the price of energy. The envisaged integrated concept will permit to take advantage
of several synergies between the activities within the platform significantly boosting the Environmental, Social
and Economic potential impact of new maritime activities, increasing employment and strengthening European
competitiveness in key economic areas.
TSC-UNIOVI PARTICIPATION:
The Asturian Treelogic company and the Group of Signal Theory and Communications, University of Oviedo (TSC-UNIOVI) participate in the newly granted H2OCEAN European project, one of three projects funded by the European Commission in FP7-OCEAN specific -2011 "Multi-use offshore platforms" through which Europe is to be a pioneer in the definition of a Multipurpose Offshore Wind Platform model. The three selected projects, and define the model of European offshore platform, have been funded each with 5 million euros.
In particular, the H2OCEAN project aims to design concept of an offshore platform with hydrogen generation wind and provided with multiple uses and services.
The project involves 17 companies and European research centers in multidisplicinar expert knowledge in areas such as structural anchoring systems, aquaculture, processing and generation of wind and wave energy (wave), efficient hydrogen generation systems environment ... .
In fact, it is the concept of hydrogen generation plant one of the distinguishing features that have made the H2OCEAN consortium is one of three lead aid. The efficient generation of hydrogen in plant and during transport on ships could solve one of the major drawbacks of offshore wind platforms, consisting of having to transport the electricity generated from the platform to the ground, with the consequent environmental impact of wiring the potential loss of energy efficiency and the need to directly inject energy into the grid without power plan based on demand.
The project also includes the optimization of locations on the coasts of Europe and anchor design configurations for different sea conditions very different parts of the European coast where you intend to deploy these platforms in the future.
TSC-UNIOVI and Treelogic participate in the project by designing a system for identification and risk management platform, monitoring and diagnosing potential internal dangers to the platform, with smart sensor networks, and detecting external risks to the platform as the approximation unscheduled ships through a network of radars.
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La empresa asturiana TREELOGIC y el Grupo de Teoría de la Señal y Comunicaciones de la Universidad de Oviedo (TSC-UNIOVI) participan en el recién concedido proyecto europeo H2OCEAN, uno de los tres proyectos financiados por la Comisión Europea en la convocatoria específica FP7-OCEAN-2011 “Multi-use offshore platforms” a través de la cual Europa pretende ser pionera en la definición de un modelo Plataforma Eólica Offshore Multiuso. Los tres proyectos seleccionados, y que definirán el modelo de plataforma offshore europea, han sido financiados cada uno de ellos con 5 millones de euros.
En particular, el proyecto H2OCEAN pretende realizar el diseño de concepto de una plataforma offshore eólica con generación de hidrógeno y dotada de múltiples usos y servicios.
En el proyecto participan 17 empresas y centros de investigación europeos en un entorno multidisplicinar con expertos en áreas de conocimiento como sistemas de anclaje estructural, acuicultura, generación y transformación de energía eólica y undimotriz (de las olas), sistemas eficientes de generación de hidrógeno….
De hecho, es el concepto de la generación de hidrógeno en planta uno de los elementos diferenciadores que han hecho que el consorcio del H2OCEAN se llevara una de las tres ayudas concedidas. La generación eficiente de hidrógeno en planta y su posterior transporte a bordo de buques podría solventar uno de los grandes inconvenientes de las plataformas eólicas offshore, consistente en tener que transportar la energía eléctrica generada desde la plataforma a tierra, con el consiguiente impacto ambiental del cableado, las potenciales pérdidas de eficiencia energética y la necesidad de tener que inyectar directamente energía en la red eléctrica sin poder planificar en función de demanda.
Además el proyecto incluye la optimización de localizaciones en las costas de Europa y el diseño de configuraciones de anclaje para las muy diferentes condiciones marítimas de las diferentes zonas de la costa europea donde se pretenden implantar estas plataformas en el futuro.
TREELOGIC y TSC-UNIOVI participan en el proyecto diseñando un sistema de identificación y gestión de riesgos en la plataforma, monitorizando y diagnosticando potenciales peligros internos a la plataforma, mediante redes inteligentes de sensores, y detectando riesgos externos a la plataforma como la aproximación no programada de barcos mediante una red de radares.