Sustainable Blue Economy: maritime aspects of offshore energy, food and raw materials

More than 70 percent of the surface of our planet consists of water. The sea is a source of sustainable energy, raw materials and food, and can support floating systems in times of rising sea levels and overpopulation of coastal areas. The sea can also facilitate sustainable energy generation and storage. However, activities at sea affect the natural environment. To combine economy and ecology, we need to better understand, use and protect the sea.

A Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) means sustainable economic growth at sea and inland waters. Although all activities at sea contribute to economic growth, SBE focuses mainly on new, sustainable activities in balance with nature. Examples include renewable energy generation, aquaculture, life at sea and ecotourism.

SBE offers new opportunities for the Dutch maritime sector, such as (floating) wind turbines, fish and seaweed farming, floating solar panels and the associated installation, harvesting and maintenance systems. It is essential that these activities are developed together, because they may not be profitable separately, but together they contribute to economic growth. They must also make effective use of the limited space at sea (multi-use) and be sustainable, with minimal disruption to the marine ecosystem. The new activities at sea require sustainable (zero-emission) ships, good connections to the mainland and services from ports that serve as important hubs.

Within this sub-programme we want to stimulate the following developments:

1. Alternative forms of energy from water;
2. New scalable systems for food production and
3. Circular solutions for floating work and living space

Which are tested for technical and economic feasibility and ecological impact.