Marine renewable energy
DCNS and Marine renewable energy
In line with DCNS's declared intention to play a leading role in marine renewable energy.Studies undertaken as part of the Group's recently announced
strategic plan suggest that marine renewable energy offers significant growth potential and the prospect of a market worth several billion euros per annum in a decade or so. DCNS aims to invest in four key areas: marine current turbines, floating offshore windfarms, wave energy and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).
"Our historic areas of expertise are very close indeed to the skills needed to work in this emerging sector…Our Group is the only one in France with proven expertise across an array of MRE solutions.”
says DCNS Chairman & CEO Patrick Boissier.
The Group's proven expertise and technologies cover the entire cycle needed to design, build and maintain next-generation energy systems.
DCNS is already participating in
two projects
- WINFLO
Wind turbine with INnovative design for Floating Lightweight Offshore.
- Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)
Drawing on its proven expertise in naval systems, DCNS is already participating, with various partners, in studies and projects expected to lead to future industrial programmes. These include:
WINFLO (Wind turbine with INnovative design for Floating Lightweight Offshore), an innovative, floating, offshore, lightweight, wind turbine project promoted by a group of players active in the naval, oil and wind energy sectors, including Nass&Wind, DCNS, SAIPEM, In Vivo, French institute of marine research and exploration IFREMER and engineering school ENSIETA. The aim is to build a full-scale prototype, install it off the coast of Brittany and connect it to the national grid. The aims are to contribute to Brittany's energy supply base and to give French industry a head start in pioneering this new field.
OTEC uses temperature differences between warmer surface water and cold deep currents to produce power 24/7. DCNS aims to produce a demonstrator, validate the technology, then explore its potential in tropical zones. DCNS and the Réunion regional council signed an initial R&D agreement in April 2009 to study the feasibility of installing an OTEC demonstrator on Réunion Island , a French overseas département in the Indian Ocean. In October 2009, the parties signed a second agreement to investigate the optimal integration of the proposed demonstrator with existing generating capacity.