TROPOS Second Ordinary Meeting took place in Edinburgh (Scotland) at the school of engineering at the King’s Building campus.
More than thirty scientists and engineers from eight European countries and Taiwan met from June 11th – 13th for the second time no more than 4 months after TROPOS started. This exciting and innovative European project aims to design offshore platforms which combine transport, energy, aquaculture and leisure applications in a sustainable way. The design of the platforms will minimize environmental impact and maximize environmental benefits. TROPOS will enable communities in tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean regions to promote employment opportunities, drive economic development, and exploit untapped resources.
PLOCAN (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands) is coordinating TROPOS. The eighteen project partners are expert leaders in the fields of naval architecture, marine renewable energy, aquaculture, economics and societal impact. National and international stakeholders will advise the project team. The Euro seven million TROPOS project is funded by the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme under the ¨Ocean of Tomorrow¨ joint call. The European Commission is contributing nearly Euro five million for this 36 month project.
The project is considering a flexible, floating, modular approach targeted at deep sea activities. This strategy allows different platform configurations to be adapted to local conditions and needs. In the regional context, the project works closely with the CEI (International Excellence Campus) at the Canary Islands. This project will keep Europe in a leading position to develop technologies for the sustainable use of marine resources and integrating accumulated knowledge on marine resources, floating structures, aquaculture, and port infrastructures.
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Offshore WIND staff, June 22, 2012; Image: polemerpaca