Bairaktari, Konstantina (2024) Harmonising offshore solar energy technology rollout in Europe with climate and ocean health: Foreseen impacts on the marine environment and future implications for the EU marine policy landscape. Master's Internship Report, Marine Biology.
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Abstract
Striking the balance between meeting energy transition needs, mitigating climate change effects and ensuring a resilient and productive ocean is a challenge of our times. Renewable energy sources are pivotal to address this challenge. Offshore floating solar (photovoltaic) technology is an emerging and promising technology yet still at its infancy. Highly driven by the limited maritime space and the challenge of allocating human activities, establishing ocean-multi use areas is a topic receiving a lot of attention. Co-locating offshore wind and offshore solar infrastructure is an option explored to be implemented within the ocean multi-use context. However, there are still questions to answer in the process of largely upscaling offshore solar farms and integrating them within offshore wind farms. Understanding potential impacts on the offshore marine environment and developing appropriate assessments are currently challenging questions. The Horizon Europe Framework Programme “BAMBOO” aims among other objectives to tackle such barriers. This report aims to provide comprehensive recommendations for the offshore solar rollout in Europe with regards to environmental and policy aspects. It further aims to provide tangible recommendations to the European Marine Board Secretariat on tasks they need to deliver as a partner within the BAMBOO project. Working towards those recommendations, insights from a literature review and expert knowledge from interviews have been collected. Currently, there is ongoing monitoring and modelling studies for pilot offshore solar projects, yet scientific knowledge on the impacts of larger-scale structures is limited. Hydrodynamics and water quality alterations as well as introduction of artificial hard substrate are some of the most discussed topics, as identified in this report. The European energy and marine policy landscape was explored, with offshore solar not found to be explicitly addressed or elaborated on yet in any of the policies investigated. However, open space for incorporation exists in multiple policies. Prioritising research on understanding the impacts on lower trophic levels within marine ecosystems, collecting long-term, high quality in-situ monitoring data, intensifying efforts to understand cumulative impacts are some of the key aspects to consider in the future. From a policy standpoint, improving the alignment of European policies focusing on energy and marine management, respectively, is needed. Aligning environmental impact assessments for offshore solar projects with the legal requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive is strongly recommended as well. Specifically for the European Marine Board Secretariat, it is highly recommended to make use of their extensive network and outreach, engage with relevant policymakers and take the opportunity of the upcoming review of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive during the preparation of their tasks within BAMBOO.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Internship Report) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Boer, M.K. de and Govers, L.L. |
| Degree programme: | Marine Biology |
| Thesis type: | Master's Internship Report |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Aug 2024 09:58 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Oct 2024 08:21 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/33842 |
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