Themes

Nature inclusive not only means that we take nature into account in the projects being developed but that we really look for ways to improve nature/biodiversity. One of the examples is the partnership between Vattenfall and De Rijke Noordzee, one of the community members of Campus@Sea, which is studying how the design of a wind turbine can be adapted. Openings have been made in the foundation of the turbines. The idea is to investigate whether fish and other marine life will use the inside of the turbines as a new habitat for shelter or to find food.

The North Sea is the busiest sea in the world, and that involves risks. Multi use of the sea increases those risks. Within the theme safety and security, various projects are being developed. Such as early warning systems for rudderless vessels, the development of autonomous vessels for inspection & maintenance of wind farms at sea. And the localisation of drowning victims or monitoring the cybersecurity of energy grids and data cables on the bottom of the North Sea.

Bearing in mind our country’s climate ambitions, we are facing the huge challenge of rapidly developing and commissioning wind farms on the North Sea. 

To maximise the yield, the blades of the wind turbines are becoming bigger. Furthermore, the space between the windmills is growing too. Due to the limited space on the North Sea, wind farms must be used multifunctionally to accommodate other functions of the North Sea. 

For example, wind energy in combination with energy from water (tides and waves), floating solar panels and food production (seaweed farming, shellfish farming). One example is the world’s first affordable hybrid offshore marine energy farm that is being developed by DMEC, part of Campus@Sea, as part of the EU Scores project.

With the Topzeilcentrum, Scheveningen is home base of maritime top sport for national and Olympic athletes. Innovations in sports are often also applied in other areas in the long term. With the support of Kansen voor West, the first hydrogen-powered coachboat has been developed in the Fieldlab in the Nord sea, as well as SafeTRX, a watch that uses a revolutionary technology that makes it possible to find surfers in distress.

Both innovations are now finding their way to the market. For foiling, the new standard in water sports, wetsuits of heavy and flexible quality are used. The Ministry of Defense had already expressed interest in this innovation.

For a long time, fishing was nearly the only source of food from the North Sea, but that is starting to change. Shellfish farming is being extended to the sea. In the wind farms, artificial reefs are being created for this purpose. And in the same wind farms, seaweed will increasingly be farmed in the near future. During Flag Day in June 2023, we may therefore be auctioning the first barrel of seaweed alongside the first barrel of herring. During the Herring Party 2022, the first seaweed was offered to Mayor van Zanen and deputy mayor Anne Mulder. Incidentally, seaweed has numerous applications. Medicines, cosmetics and paint are already produced from seaweed, for example, and there are many other applications as a nature-friendly alternative.