All the press releases concerning the news of our Institute and our various R&D activities.
23/02/2022 - Can mutualised anchoring reduce the cost of floating wind farms?
After the development of demonstrators and the deployment of small pilot farms, the next step for floating wind energy will be commercial farms, operating 20 to 100 turbines; this leads to a reflection on the anchoring systems to be used for such projects. In a 100-turbine wind farm, shared anchors could significantly reduce the cost of the anchoring system.
21/10/2021 - How to reduce the total cost of offshore electrical substations for future floating wind farms?
The LISORE R&D collaborative project led by RTE and France Energies Marines was set up to identify technological locks and potential solutions which will enable the reduction of the total cost of offshore substations by 2025 for commercial floating wind farms. Another R&D project called MOSISS was launched a few months ago. The objective is to develop and demonstrate a comprehensive and innovative methodology for in-service monitoring of the electrical and structural condition of floating substations in order to optimise the monitoring strategies with currently available solutions, in particular concerning sensors.
16/09/2021 - First results of the scientific measurement campaigns carried out off Dunkirk
Underwater dunes are relatively common off Dunkirk and Le Tréport. Formed by the combined action of marine currents and swell, these sedimentary structures, which are a few metres high, present a great morphological variability and can move. In order to understand the evolution of the underwater dunes with a high spatial and temporal resolution, eight bathymetric surveys were carried out between November 2019 and July 2021 to determine the topography of the seabed at three study sites, each with a surface area of 1 km². In addition, a current measurement campaign lasting more than a month was carried out in the spring of 2021, enabling the hydrodynamic processes at work in the area to be monitored.
06/09/2021 - Christophe Chabert becomes President of the Association France Energies Marines
Mr. Christophe Chabert, Director of Development Grand Ouest of EOLFI-SHELL, was elected President of the Association France Energies Marines at its General Assembly on 7 July 2021. He succeeds Mr. Julien Marchal, Director of Development, Commerce and Strategy at Naval Energies.
30/07/2021 - DTOcean+, an open-source software suite to design and optimise tidal and wave farms, will be released soon
Users of the DTOcean+ suite of tools will be able to generate designs for innovative ocean energy technologies and deployments. These designs are optimised for a wide variety of key metrics including lifetime costs, reliability, availability, maintainability, survivability, performance, environmental impact and socio-economic impact. They also balance technological and financial risk which, in combination with greatly improved cost effectiveness, ensure that ocean energy technologies become significantly more commercially attractive.
12/07/21 - wpd offshore France joins France Energies Marines
wpd offshore France and France Energies Marines have signed a research and development agreement. wpd offshore France joins the academic and industrial members who are pooling their efforts within the Institute for Energy Transition dedicated to marine renewable energy. This collaborative commitment is particularly focused on addressing the scientific barriers that are holding back the development of floating offshore wind energy.
23/06/21 - Publication of a synthesis report on the potential interactions between subsea power cables of ORE projects and coastal benthic ecosystems.
Originally published in French on 21 May 2021, the synthesis report of the SPECIES project documents the potential effects associated with subsea power cables of ORE projects, a recurring concern in consultative processes. The report is now available in English. The results of this project, coordinated by France Energies Marines and scientifically led by Ifremer, do not show any major negative impacts but call for further studies, particularly with regard to the impact of electromagnetic fields in situ.
24/05/2021 - Launch of the 2021 OceanSET Annual Report: an overview and analysis of progress in the ocean energy sector
The second OceanSET annual report was released on 24 May and is now publicly available on the OceanSET website. The results will be officially presented on Wednesday 26 May during a dedicated webinar. Hosted by OceanSET and ETIP Ocean, this event will provide an update of ocean energy activities across Europe and outline how the sector could evolve toward meeting ambitious European deployment goals.
11/05/2021 - A buoy to study biocolonisation on the site of the future Groix & Belle-Île pilot wind farm
Successful launch on 29 April for a 2-tonne buoy on the North Atlantic site of the future Groix & Belle-Île pilot wind farm developed by EOLFI. This rather unusual buoy was designed by Cerema and France Energies Marines, under the scientific supervision of the University of Western Brittany. Its originality lies in its mooring, which consists of two lines.
15/03/2021 - FISH INTEL: A cross-Channel partnership using cutting edge technology to enhance the habitats of key fish species
A cross-Channel partnership will use innovative underwater acoustic tracking technology to identify the environmental conditions a range of important marine species need in order to thrive. The €4million FISH INTEL project, supported by €2.8million from the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, will focus on a series of sites along the coastlines of southern England, northern France and Belgium.
01/03/2021 - Standalone beta versions of the DTOcean+ tools are ready for the demonstration phase
The development of the standalone beta versions of the whole suite of the design tools for ocean energy systems is now completed. The beta versions are now ready for full integration and the demonstration phase against real scenarios. The final open source version of the suite and detailed documentation will be available in August 2021.
19/02/2021 - Final measurement campaign at La Jument lighthouse to optimise the design of offshore wind turbines
France Energies Marines is coordinating two collaborative R&D projects aimed at better understanding and predicting breaking waves in order to optimise the design of offshore wind turbines. Originality of these projects: using offshore structures as experimental devices at scale 1 and carrying out measurements directly in the field. The fourth and final data acquisition campaign at La Jument lighthouse has just begun.
14/04/2020 - Magnetic field of subsea power cables: 1st experimental results on the sensitivity of the European lobster
The behaviour of juvenile European lobsters is not affected by a magnetic field of similar intensity to that measured and modelled at one metre from high power electrical interconnections (1 GW). This is the main result of a study conducted by Ifremer and France Energies Marines, in collaboration with MAPPEM Geophysics, a Breton SME, and the Institute of Marine Research in Norway.
06/01/2020 - New graphic identity for France Energies Marines
After 8 years of activity, France Energies Marines, now the Institute for Energy Transition approved by the French State, has just redesigned its visual identity. This overhaul aims to mark the new dynamic of the structure whose achievements are now carried by a simplified joint stock company.