Test@Sea

Researchers are attempting to combine multiple forms of energy generation and multiple activities at one and the same location at sea. The Test@Sea project therefore focuses on expanding the available testing infrastructure further out at sea.

Status

In progress

Duration

Apr 2023 - Apr 2026

Type

DBC as a partner, National project

Europe faces major challenges in achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Scaling up renewable offshore energy offers many opportunities in this regard. It is therefore essential to make optimal use of the sea, taking into account the many users.

Within this context, research is being conducted to generate multiple forms of energy (multi-source) and to combine various economic activities (multi-use) at one and the same location at sea. The first results of such studies are now available.

Objectives

Various test and demonstration campaigns have been conducted at the Blue Accelerator, a test and demonstration platform off the Flemish coast. The Blue Accelerator is running at full capacity and users are demanding a higher degree of scalability and market readiness.

The Test@Sea project responds to this demand and addresses two objectives:

investing in further pre-standardisation and of testing processes and methods;
further expanding the existing test infrastructure at sea with floating and submersible structures.

The partners in the project aim to address a number of needs in the field of energy conversion, material developments and drone applications.

The Test@Sea project gives the Blue Accelerator's infrastructure a serious upgrade and responds to a demand from the market for more testing capacity further out at sea.