Author: <span>Carole LE NOAC'H</span>

Event

October 4th & 5th : let’s meet at Breizh…

Power generation: how can Brittany make the most of the situation? At Ys, we’ve got the solutions! Meet us on October 4 & 5, 2023, in Quimper, on our stand at the Breizh Transition trade show.

Energy, digital, social and economic transitions are all areas in which we need to fundamentally review the way we operate. A player in the energy transition, and more specifically in the blue economy, Ys Energies Marines Developpement co-constructs marine energy projects (tidal and wave) for and with players in coastal and island territories. Surrounded ¾ by the ocean, the “Breizh energy transition” could well be played out, in part, at sea. Our team intends to convince Bretons of this.

Transition, a necessity

The scarcity of resources, the need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming, and the increase in our electricity needs are all factors that are forcing us to review our energy production methods. For regions like Brittany, which have the ocean within their reach, marine energies are proving to be a clean source that completes the local energy mix.
Marine, tidal and wave energies, a sustainable solution for :

  • Take a further step towards renewable energies and decarbonization,
  • control energy costs over the long term,
  • gain energy autonomy,
  • create jobs and develop local skills.

Ocean energies, a solution for Brittany

Faced with growing demand for electricity, controlling supply and cost at local level is a key factor in the dynamism and transition of our regions.
Hydropower (ocean currents) and wave power (wave energy) are inexhaustible sources of energy. With its 2,470 km of coastline and 251 coastal communities, Brittany has something to play for!

Areas in Brittany have potential to be explored, so come and meet our teams at the show to discuss these clean, sustainable solutions!

The program for this 5th edition includes

  • Conferences and workshops on current topics (https://www.breizh-transition.bzh/programme-2023/)
  • A friendly professional breakfast
  • An exhibition area to bring you solutions for your corporate and local transitions
  • Opportunities to exchange ideas and share experiences

Practical info

Breizh Transition 2023
October 4th and 5th, 2023
Parc des Expositions Quimper Cornouaille, 32 Bis Rue de Stang Bihan, Quimper
Get your visitor pass

Ys Energies Marines Developpement, lauréate de l’AMI Economie Bleue des Sables d’Olonne Project

Ys, winner of the Sables d’Olonne Blue Economy call…

7th July 2023, Ys Energies Marines Developpement won the “Blue Economy: Maritime Innovation takes shape in Sables d’Olonne” call for expression of interest. Ys carried out a pre-feasibility study for a wave energy project in Sables d’Olonne, with its partner Créocéan, and got the jury’s support.

The call for expression of interest was launched in February 2023 by the Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique, Les Sables-d’Olonne Développement, the Vendée Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Comité Régional des Pêches et des Elevages Marins (COREPEM), the CEA, BPI Pays de la Loire, ADEME Pays de la Loire, the Pays de la Loire Region and Banque Populaire Grand Ouest. 15 compagnies candidated. Ys is one of the 3 winners. “The theme corresponds perfectly to our business, so it was obvious for us to apply for it”, comments Bruno LEMORT, Ys Technical Director.

Ys will be in charge of assessing the wave energy potential and characterising the sites geophysics, while Créocéan will be analysing the environmental and user issues.

Projet INTERREG Caraïbes Project

INTERREG Caribbean project: 2 days of restitution on the…

27th and 30th June 2023, respectively in Guadeloupe and Saint-Lucia, Eastern Caribbean actors discovered whether tidal and wave energies were relevant for their territory.
Ys Energies Marines Développement was present, alongside its partners, to present study results.

Interreg MRE Caribbean
Ys and its Interreg MRE Caribbean partners

Its’ been a few months now that the “ Interreg MRE Caribbean Project” consortium has been studying the potential of marine renewable energies in the Caribbean as part of the INTERREG Caribbean program. EKWA Consulting, Hill & Hill, David A. Simmons & Associates, Meteolien, Mariteam and YS Energies Marines Developpement have combined their know-how to study the feasibility of deploying tidal and wave technologies in the Eastern Caribbean. Objective: explore new virtuous and sustainable sources of energy.

On 27th and 30th June 2023, in Guadeloupe and Saint-Lucia, local authorities, businesses, citizens and students carefully followed the study restitution and participated in the round tables proposed. Followed officials spoke to introduce the event:

• Carmen MARQUES RUIZ, Ambassador of the European Union Climate Pact,

• Melford NICHOLAS, Minister of Information, Communication Technology (ICT), Utilities and Energy of Antigua Barbuda,

• Régis ELBEZ SGAR, sub-prefect of Guadeloupe,

• Brian CHALLENGER, Ambassador of Antigua Barbuda,

• Sylvie VANOUKIA, President of the Guadeloupe Region Energy Commission,

• Judith EPHRAIM, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy Unit at the Commission of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States,

• James FLETCHER, Chairman of the Board of the Caribbean Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE),

• Fabian LEWIS, Public Services Officer, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labor of Saint Lucia

Encouraging results

This study allowed:

  • identify 4 wave energy pilot sites in Guadeloupe, Saint-Lucia, Martinique and Antigua;
  • to propose different contractual and financial schemes for projects by involving all the stakeholders;
  • make recommendations to continue identified projects development (consultation, on-site measurements, in-depth studies, etc.);
  • to define professional training programs in the blue energy professions;
  • to propose inclusive and participatory governance mechanisms involving local authorities, users and affected populations (fishing sector, port sector, etc.);
  • to identify regional cooperation mechanisms between the different territories of the Eastern Caribbean on the technical, technological, academic, institutional and legal levels.

Increase in energy independence

Energy in the Caribbean relies heavily on imported fossil fuels. To give an example, Guadeloupe’s dependence on imported fuels (oil, fuel oil, coal, butane) is 93% (source: OREC Guadeloupe – 2020 data). These imports generate a high cost of electricity which constitutes an obstacle to citizen’s purchasing power.
Renewable marine energies are proving to be a real leverage for transforming the energy model of these islands. As part of the INTERREG Caribbean program, the study aims to secure energy supply and control its cost over the long term in 12 territories of the Eastern Caribbean: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Anguilla, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the British Virgin Islands.

With the support of Europe

To move forward on this issue, these territories can count on the MRE-Caribbean project. Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and implemented by the Guadeloupe Region, the project aims to check the feasibility of developing marine renewable energy production projects (tidal and wave) in the Eastern Caribbean.
This is why the “Caribbean MRE Project” consortium has been created by the Guadeloupe-based company EKWA Consulting (leader partner), with Hill & Hill (Antigua) and David A. Simmons & Associates (Trinidad) as supporting Caribbean partners, followed by Ys Energies Marines Developpement (FR), Meteolien (FR) and Mariteam (FR).