AquaWind

AquaWind will perform a demonstration test of a multi-use (MU) integrated and co-located solution by joining an existing marine renewable energy production, the W2Power prototype with an innovative aquaculture solution. This will include a tailor-made design fish cage with novel net materials, a high level of digitalization and species diversification. Whereas the W2Power prototype will consist of floating wind technology. Furthermore, AquaWind will demonstrate how the joint activity can be remotely operated and how one activity might affect the other. AquaWind will provide real data to demonstrate the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the MU proposal.

AquaWind is born from the need to support the expansion of the Blue Economy while ensuring climate change adaptation and ecological transition. This is even more true for Atlantic coastal areas, islands and particularly in outermost regions which depend heavily on Blue Economy, on making sea activities sustainable and on their capacity to respond to climate change and preserve biodiversity.
Specifically, the main needs are the need for stronger and faster decarbonisation of both sectors, to ensure close healthy fish and seafood provision, to avoid conflicts with coastal activities, to acquire practical experiences of multi-use , and to further develop marine renewable energy

The main project objective is the test of both offshore wind energy generation together with aquaculture. Apart from Dissemination (WP7) and Coordination (WP6), legal permits will be achieved (WP1) as well as a deep stakeholder engagement study and a circular approach model (WP1). Then, work will be done on the prototype (WP2) and the aquaculture cage (WP3). Finally, W2Power will be deployed at the site, the cage will be fitted and the test with the fish and the energy generation will be carried out (WP4). Also, the exploitation strategy will be built along with policymakers’ recommendations (WP5).

The main project results will be the test and assessment of Seriola aquaculture production combined with energy generation. The final outcome will be to demonstrate that aquaculture and offshore energy can work in combination. Along with this achievement, an environmental impact assessment and circular approach will be carried out to demonstrate the sustainability of the MU solution. These two assessments would have been used at the same time to improve the MU prototype and guarantee the smallest CO2 footprint. Subsequently, business opportunities would be investigated to exploit the invention in the market.

The project fully responds to the objectives to support the development and uptake of MU between marine renewable energies and other blue economy activities (aquaculture) and contribute to the Atlantic Maritime Strategy priority to develop marine renewable energy and the sustainable expansion of the Blue Economy (BE) in the Atlantic Basin. In this regard, AquaWind focuses on specific solutions suggested for MU projects that were specifically encouraged by the European Commission in its guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for 2021 to 2030.