MAESTRALE: The Implementation of Blue Energy in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

The project Maestrale is an European Project funded by the Interreg MED programme (2016–2019) that aims at establishing the basis for a Maritime Energy Deployment Strategy in the Mediterranean Sea. The project is formed by a consortium with partners around the South of Europe with the objective of determining a suite of pilot zones, which will become the pillars of future developments for the implementation of Blue Energy projects in the Mediterranean Sea. The present article presents the tasks to be conducted for the study of the area in the Spanish Mediterranean Arc: • Identification of recommendations and regulations • A benchmark of the technologies installed worldwide will be carried out in order to identify their degree of adaptability to the conditions of the Med Area • The analysis of the available resource: wind, wave and tidal • The study of the area and its features: bathymetry, land cover, protected areas, etc. • The identification of the stakeholders, as the project intends to strengthen cooperation between public authorities, research bodies, businesses and the civil society • The formation of clusters with the stakeholders, either at the national or trans-national level, to increase connections in order to promote knowledge and technological transfer and generate the critical mass and environmental conditions needed to improve innovation capacities and competitiveness The main outcomes of the project are the support of the future blue energy policies and concrete strategies for blue growth and a suite of pilot projects that will serve the purpose of raising awareness among local stakeholders, facilitating social acceptance, decreasing uncertainty and increasing feasibility of concrete interventions.