Interreg 2 Zeeën - MET-CERTIFIED

MET-CERTIFIED is an Interreg 2 Seas project under the programme priority “Low carbon technologies”. It aims to increase the adoption of insurable and therefore bankable marine energy projects in the 2 Seas region through the development of internationally recognised standards and certification schemes in the sector.

MET-CERTIFIED brings together partners from 4 European countries to advance the marine energy sector in the 2SEAS region: Dutch Marine Energy Centre (NL) as project coordinator, the European Marine Energy Center (UK), Lloyd’s Register EMEA (UK), IFREMER (FR), Tocardo Solutions (NL), Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (UK), NEN (NL), DNV GL (UK), Regional Development Agency West Flanders (BE), and Ghent University (BE). MET-CERTIFIED runs from 01/09/2016 until 31/12/2019.

Description of the project

At present no certification scheme for marine energy have been developed and implemented by all main stakeholders in a consistent way. The expectation is that it will come into existence over the next 3 years under the umbrella of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Therefore the timing of MET-CERTIFIED is very favourable.

MET-CERTIFIED will help to accelerate the development of certification for the sector, and thus will increase and accelerate the adoption of insurable and bankable tidal power projects.

The main outputs defined in the project are:

1. Sustainable and predictable electricity generated from tidal flows in the 2SEAS region, both at floating sites (open water) as well as from dam-integrated systems (inshore).
2. Mature and verified standards and certification scheme in support of IEC and IECRE developments for marine energy converters.
3. Design, Building and installing a state of the art floating platform at a commercial tidal site with an operational tidal turbine that will be used as a reference case for the first internationally recognised certification of a tidal power technology.
4. Verification and certification of other marine energy projects.
5. Dissemination of results, recommendations to the European Commission, reinforcement of cross collaboration between networks across the 2SEAS region, etc.

MET-CERTIFIED targets stakeholders around certification, from banks and insurers to consenting authorities, end-users, test facilities and classification bureaus.

Objectives

These are the main objectives of MET-CERTIFIED

• Accelerate and contribute to the development of mature and verified standards and certification.
• Share data on experience on open water test sites in order to stimulate access to and the development of other marine innovation locations.
• Dissemination and recommendation to wide network of stakeholders and EU.

Role of Ghent University

As co-promotor of the project, Ghent University deploys an innovation manager who will monitor, identify, gather, analyse and transfer the knowledge in the domain of marine energy technologies in the 2 Seas Region. This with the purpose to stimulate the further development and transfer of new marine energy technologies to the industry and to get these low carbon technologies adopted in the 2 Seas region.

Furthermore Ghent University is also responsible for the communication and dissemination of the project results.

MET-CERTIFIED is cofinanced by the European Fund for Regional Development (ERFD) under grant agreement No 2S01-020. Also the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands, Province of South-Holland and North-Holland and the Belgian Province of West Flanders are offering financial support.

Contact

Prof. Lieven Vandevelde
Department of Electrical Energy, Systems and Automation
Phone number: T +32 59 24 27 40 (Campus Oostende), T +32 9 264 34 22 (Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde)
E-mail: Lieven.Vandevelde@UGent.be