New Project to Develop Marine Data Toolbox for Energy Sector

A new project, funded by Ocean Energy Era-Net Cofund, has been launched to support investment and growth in the wave and tidal energy sector through the creation of an integrated marine data toolbox.

The RESOURCECODE project brings together the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Ifremer, Ocean Data Lab, SmartBay Ireland, Centrale Nantes, University College Dublin, University of Edinburgh and INNOSEA.

The RESOURCODE Marine Data Toolbox will integrate high-resolution hindcast dataset and analysis tools in a common online platform enabling easy access and analysis.

The toolbox is due to be launched in 2021 using 30 years of hindcast wave data, from across North West Europe.

The toolbox will provide technology developers and supply chain companies with world leading resource characterisation, enabling them to improve engineering designs, optimise operations in highly demanding marine environments, and increase investor confidence.

RESOURCECODE will drive forward the development and validation of cutting-edge resource datasets using partner data from the laboratory, state-of-the-art modelling techniques, satellite and the extensive metocean datasets held by the partners.

Central to this will be the expansion of Ifremer’s flagship HOMERE metocean hindcast database, which currently only covers France and the English Channel, to cover North West Europe. This will provide validated, high-resolution, reliable hindcast wave data for marine renewable energy industry.

Data analysis tools will be developed to provide improved statistical analysis techniques for these expanded data sets. The final specification for these tools will be developed through dedicated commercialisation studies guided by a multi-user steering group including consultancies, test centres and wave and tidal energy technology developers.

Ruari Brooker, Project Manager at EMEC, said:

“The RESOURCECODE project brings together an international consortium of businesses and marine renewable energy test sites supported by established academic partners, which blends the necessary expertise for the project. EMEC is delighted to lead this project and work in partnership to develop the marine data toolbox which will deliver significant benefits for the energy sector.”

Leading the ocean data modelling, Christophe Maisondieu at Ifremer, explained:

“The approach developed by the RESOURCECODE partners to produce a marine data toolbox dedicated to the marine energy sector is very interesting. Indeed, such an integrated service offers not just high resolution validated datasets but also the chain of tools necessary to optimally exploit them should be of great benefit for the energy sector. This is in-line with IFREMER’s objectives to support production of knowledge and know-how for technological development and innovation, especially in the field of marine renewable energy.”