European Commission logo
Energy, Climate change, Environment

European Marine Board (EMB) Launches Report on Sustainable Offshore Renewable Energy and EMODnet's Efforts to Bridge Data Gaps

News article |
©European Marine Board Future Science Brief 9

The European Marine Board (EMB) has recently released a report titled "European Offshore Renewable Energy: Towards a Sustainable Future", which emphasizes the urgent need for responsible and sustainable management of the offshore renewable sector. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the technical, environmental, and socioeconomic aspects of the offshore renewable sector, with a specific focus on the European context. The publication highlights key gaps in knowledge, research, and capacity that must be addressed to ensure the sustainable delivery of the EU Green Deal, and offers essential policy, research, capacity, and data recommendations to propel the sector forward. However, the report also acknowledges that limited access to industry data remains a significant obstacle for offshore renewable energy (ORE) researchers.

To bridge this gap, the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) organized an online workshop titled "EMODnet marine data for the offshore renewable energy sector in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea." The workshop, which attracted over 80 ORE experts from industry, research, policy, marine data services, and non-governmental agencies, showcased EMODnet's efforts to facilitate the use of marine data by ORE researchers. The workshop featured thematic experts from various fields, including geology, seabed habitats, bathymetry, chemistry, human activities, data ingestion, central portal, and the EMODnet Secretariat.

Furthermore, EMODnet is working towards reducing the barriers to sharing and using marine data across different blue economy sectors, including the coastal tourism sector. This year, EMODnet is organizing the EMODnet for Business workshops, which will focus on marine data for the coastal tourism sector.

Overall, the EMB report and EMODnet's efforts emphasize the crucial role of responsible and sustainable management of offshore renewable energy and the need for increased access to industry data to ensure the sector's future success.

Find out more about the EMB Future Science brief: https://www.marineboard.eu/publications/european-offshore-renewable-energy-towards-sustainable-future

Find the EMODnet for Business reports on Marine data for the Offshore renewable energy sector: https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/emodnet-business-workshop-marine-data-and-offshore-energy-sector-mediterranean-sea-and-black-sea and https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/emodnet-business-two-day-workshop-offshore-energy-sector