BLUE DEAL
The BLUE DEAL project aims to promote the development of blue energy technologies in the Mediterranean region and support their inclusion in regional energy plans. Through the identification and characterisation of the regulatory, environmental, social requirements and constraint of blue energy technologies, BLUE DEAL aspires to provide relevant information which assists decision-makers and other stakeholders.
In support of its objectives, the project has designed a methodology with clearly defined steps. At its core the methodology is about transferring scientific and technical knowledge to a broad range of stakeholders through the medium of Transferring Labs. The Transferring Labs provide a participatory forum through which different stakeholders can discuss scientific and technical Blue Energy (BE) knowledge and collaborate to provide recommendations for the further deployment of Blue Energies in the Mediterranean region.
Type of tool
Theme
End-User
Geographical scale
Year
Keywords
Pilot Areas
Italy, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Albania
What problems would this tool solve?
Main problems to be solved:
- Technologies for the exploitation of marine energy are new and most are still at an early stage of development;
- There is a gap of knowledge of policy makers to include blue energies in renewable energy strategies and plans at national level. This affects the capacity of the “authorities responsible for the control” to evaluate application for approvals of new blue energy plants in the Mediterranean that are often rejected.
- Therefore, the blue energy planning framework developed by BLUE DEAL allows for highlighting competences and procedures needed and criteria to be matched for the deployment of blue energy plants in the Mediterranean.
What is needed for its implementation?
Technological infrastructure
During the Transferring Labs, the use of a 3D visualisation platform to explore Blue Energy technologies is useful to inspire stakeholders.
Training
No particular training is necessary to access and use the Platform.
Investment
The organisation of a series of Transferring Labs, to stakeholder representing 1) other marine uses e.g. tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, cultural heritage; 2) biological, ecological and environmental considerations; 3) research & innovation, industry & SMEs; and 4) the general public is needed.
Three days are foreseen for the Transferring Labs (Day 1: Policy and Regulatory Framework for Blue Energy; Day 2: BE Planning; Day 3: BE industry).
How to use it?
The implementation stage is divided into three parts:
1) Completion of scientific and technical analyses related to Blue Energy planning;
2) Implementation of the Transferring Labs and
3) Implementation of Open Innovation activities.
What are the expected results?
Quantitative results
The main expected outcome is a reliable “Blue Energy Plan”, including an integrated set of technologies and the identification of sites for their implementation, size of plants and estimated production in terms of renewable energy per year.
Besides, this Plan will:
– Show the opportunities of exploitation of different forms of marine energy in specific areas
– Promote public-private initiatives and investments for their development
The plan produced is subject for discussions and agreements during co-working sessions and participative design processes with local stakeholders, private sector and citizens.
As shown by the results, the Blue Deal project implemented many activities during its existence always guided by the “participatory approach” principle. Among the most important in relation with the Blue Deal Labs Methodology, these are the following:
- Two Testing BLUE DEAL Labs (in Malta and Albania)
- Three Transferring BLUE DEAL Labs (in Crete, Croatia and Cyprus)
Transfer potential
- The tool is supported by scientific literature: a set of papers that constitute the scientific rationale of the BLUE DEAL Labs methodology
- The Blue Deal partnership is a valid model of how a team should be composed to have a successful planning action because of its interdisciplinary and inter-professional characteristics.
- This model was tested in the “Testing Labs” of Malta and Albania, which demonstrated that is it is possible to integrate different expertise from different partners organizations into a single planning process for the Blue Energy development.
- For a successful implementation, the BLUE DEAL Labs methodology needs: social acceptance; specific organizational expertise in graphic visualisation, legal and sustainability issues, marine resource account, energy planning, environmental impact assessment, etc.
- Any additional lab to those developed within the agenda of the project, should be financed by external sources.