Title: OCEAN ENERGY RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Course: OCEAN POWER, THE BIG UNKNOWN

Why the EU supports ocean energy research and innovation

Ocean energy is abundant and renewable. It can play an important role in the energy mix as it is very predictable, contributing substantial value to the energy system. The main forms of ocean energy are waves, tides, marine currents, salinity gradient and temperature gradient.

Under the right conditions, ocean energy could contribute around 10% of EU power demand by 2050.

The technologies to capture ocean energy are at different stages of development in Europe.

Challenges

Over the past ten years, tidal stream and wave devices - on different scales - have been tested in European waters. However, only a few examples can be found today of ocean energy systems in operation.

Considerable progress is needed - in research, development, demonstration and validation of the technology - for this sector to realize its potential contribution to energy supply, industrial leadership, economic growth and mitigation of climate change.

In particular, progress is needed in design and validation of ocean energy devices, balance of plant (supporting components and auxiliary systems), logistics and marine operations, integration in the energy system, and modeling tools.

Knowledge about the potential impacts of devices on the environment also needs to improve.

What the EU is doing

The EU has supported ocean energy research and development for many years through funding projects. Their focus has been on demonstrating the reliability of ocean technologies and their capacity to survive in aggressive sea conditions, thereby reducing the risk for project developers and investors.

EU support also aims to make ocean energy cost competitive with other technologies and demonstrate its market potential.

Ocean energy | European Commission (europa.eu)