Cantabria and the Balearic Islands join efforts to explore coastal resources and promote maritime renewable energies.
The Cantabria Maritime Cluster and the Balearic Islands Cluster propose turning Cantabria into an experimental laboratory for the generation of renewable energy from the force of sea waves. A proposal that is based on the development of a pilot test of the ROE (Renewable Ocean Energy) project. This pioneering initiative, promoted by the consortium of the Balearic cluster, the companies ROE and Sunwa Technologies, and the University of the Balearic Islands, aims to generate renewable energy from the wave force of sea waves.
The possibility of carrying out a pilot experience of the ROE project in Cantabria has been analyzed in depth during the conference "Reduction of energy costs by the application of new technologies". The day had the highest representation of the two sectoral clusters and of both regional administrations.
"Cantabria is also taking a path that is firmly committed to innovative renewable energies to achieve the objective of the European Commission that advocates a climate-neutral Europe in 2050." Juan Luis Sánchez has assured. In this context, the president of MarCA stressed that "The Cantabrian Sea is an ideal location for the generation of wave energy and we have to bet on it." "Decarbonization is an objective to which the maritime sector is fully committed, with the recently created Blue Economy Platform of Cantabria as an example of this."
In addition, Sánchez has related some of the projects that are already being carried out within the community in the field of alternative energies, such as Green Hydrogen Cantabria. “The energy through the waves is one more reinforcement to the capacities of our community to be sustainable and efficient” he concluded.
Iolanda Piedra, president of the Cluster of the Balearic Islands, has presented the ROE project to the representatives of the Government of Cantabria and the MarCA Cluster. On the proposal, Piedra has emphasized that "it does not have any impact on maritime tourism, nor on maritime transport, nautical or fishing." This is because the technology will be installed on the breakwaters, which, she assures, "does not cause any change in the landscape or in the activity of these sectors."
The innovative component of the ROE project focuses on a marine hydraulic turbine, which has the capacity to take advantage of the energy produced by the waves when they break against the breakwaters, generating an average electricity of 15 Kw/h to 25 Kw/h per unit. The technicians responsible for the development of this initiative affirm that, through the project's energy, the same amount of renewable energy can be produced in 100m2 as in 1,200 m2 of photovoltaic energy.
The proposal, promoted in collaboration with the Cluster of the Balearic Islands, connects with the Green Deal line of action established in the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan of the MarCA Cluster. This line aims to promote the use of alternative and renewable energy sources in the region's maritime industry to achieve cleaner energy consumption and promote environmental sustainability.
