Author: <span>ysemd</span>

Table-ronde, ocean energy europe, Ys à ocean energy europe, OEE2024, Bruno Lemort Non classé

Bruno’s interview following his return from Ocean Energy Europe…

  • 12 November 202412 November 2024
  • by ysemd

Bruno Lemort, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Ys Energies Marines Developpement, attended the international event Ocean Energy Europe #OEE24024 in Aviemore on November 5th and 6th, 2024. Upon his return, we asked him about his impressions and the highlights of this key event in the marine energy sector.

Why is Ocean Energy Europe an essential event for Ys ?

Ocean Energy Europe is a major event that brings together the entire marine energy ecosystem. Technology developers, public utilities, project developers, suppliers, testing sites, government and communities’ representatives, industry associations, and academia all gather to share ideas and collaborate.

Ys is an integral part of this ecosystem, and our presence is crucial to stay at the forefront of the innovation and partnerships of this growing sector. This event is the perfect opportunity to establish new collaborations, stay updated of the technological progresses and align our ambitions with the sector’s trends and goals for the years ahead. It’s also the ideal time to strengthen our relationship with existing partners.  

What was the topic of the panel discussion you took part in ?

Indeed, I was invited this year to join a panel discussion alongside representatives from Mocean Energy, Floating Power Plant and ORPC.

The topic ? From powering remote communities to decarbonising offshore activities, ocean energy offers novel opportunities and alternative business models. It can help islands replace fossil fuels with renewable energy and increase access to power with off-grid applications. These can become a springboard for the main market.

Presentation of TWEC-DeeP-LIFE project in French Polynesia

This discussion was an opportunity to present our Polynesian project: TWEC-DeeP-LIFE, conducted by a consortium mainly involving local stakeholders. The goal? To establish the necessary conditions for developing the wave energy sector in French Polynesia.

Key actions of this ambitious and global project :

  • Technology demonstration: demonstrating two wave energy technologies in Tahiti to validate their efficiency in Polynesian real conditions.
  • Local training: establishing a training center to equip the local workforce with specific skills in the value chain.
  • Awareness and engagement: raising awareness among local communities about renewable marine energies to gain their support.
  • Environmental expertise: conducting studies and environmental monitoring to ensure respectful integration with the ecosystem.
  • Logistical and regulatory framework: collaborating with authorities to establish the necessary conditions for integrating this energy into the grid.
  • International dissemination: promoting the project to facilitate its replication in Polynesia and other European islands.

What are the 3 key takeaways from Ocean Energy Europe 2024 ?

  • Funding is increasingly significant and diverse:
    • Public grants supporting R&D and pilot projects have been continuing , with upcoming European calls for projects.An ambitious US funding program is also underway.
    • Growing interest of the private investors.
  • Interest from the technology developers for deployment on islands where we have been working since Ys was founded, in the Caribbean and Polynesia.
  • Closer to us, the strategic ambitious for marine renewable energies in the Brittany and Normandy regions were well represented at the conference, with announcements of upcoming calls for projects for wave energy and tidal pilot projects.

With a vibrant market and numerous opportunities for innovation and collaboration, Ocean Energy Europe 2024 has proven to be a true source of inspiration and a project accelerator for Ys Energies Marines Developpement.

Project

Ys sponsors the Moorea team during the Vendée Va’a

  • 20 June 202412 November 2024
  • by ysemd

The Vendée Va’a is a Polynesian open-sea canoe race that brings together more than 250 rowers. It is identified as the most difficult event in the world according to competitors (cold, short waves and wind phases).

At Ys, Polynesia is part of our culture with the development of wave energy projects on the different archipelagos and especially with the presence in Tahiti of Mauna Reveil, one of our project managers!

Ys sponsors the Va’a Polynesian team

A great opportunity for Ys to sponsor the Polynesian team TUAIVA NUI VA’A from the island of Moorea (Tahiti’s sister island)! The team was created in 2009 by the Tauhiro brothers to promote the practice of Va’a, a traditional Polynesian canoe, and to proudly defend the colors of Moorea. This is the first time they have come to Les Sables d’Olonne to participate in the Vendée Va’a, which has established itself as one of the most prestigious Polynesian canoe races in the world.

It is also an opportunity to discover the customs of the city of Les Sables d’Olonne, which is used to major maritime events. A territory that is not lacking in potential!

Corinne DUBOIS (president of Ys) and Josselin Guyot-Téphany (project manager in Vendée) were present on Friday 10th May in Les Sables d’Olonne to encourage the Va’a team. Ys was alongside the members of TUAIVA NUI VAA TAHITI MOOREA, from the launching of the Va’a until its arrival early in the afternoon on the Grande Plage in Les Sables d’Olonne.

Great results in this international race

🥈 And it is with great joy that the team climbs to the second step of the podium, despite the coolness of the water!

“This accomplishment is an immense source of pride for the TUAIVA NUI association” declares Marie Jacky Forre, member of the association.

Bringing together two territories shaped by the sea

For Ys Energies Marines Développement, it was about celebrating the reunion of two territories shaped by the sea and knowing how to take advantage of their energy to produce decarbonized electricity: Polynesia and Les Sables d’Olonne.

The day ended in the late afternoon at the Les Régates bar with a drink, traditional biscuits from the region and Polynesian songs accompanied by Ukulele.

Project

First launch of a current meter at Le Croisic

  • 11 June 202412 November 2024
  • by ysemd

Ys Energies Marines Developement won the Pays de la Loire Region’s Call of Projects “Port de plaisance innovant” in 2022. In this context, we have carried out pre-feasibility studies of the potential of marine energies (sea current and wave energy) on 5 marinas in Loire-Atlantique. Thanks to our analysis, the potential of a marina emerged: Le Croisic.

A crucial step in the project

Since then, we have worked in collaboration with Les Ports de Loire-Atlantique and La Région Pays de la Loire to move the project forward.

After several discussions and meetings, we are at a crucial step: launching a current meter to confirm that the modelled data by measuring the speed of the current directly at the planned location. 

We met up the teams of Creocean (oceanographic studies) , Celtics Marine Services (martime works services) and GSLC (underwater interventions) at the port of Le Croisic for the launch of the device on May 16, 2024.

A technical and meticulous operation to position the current meter at the defined location. It will remain submerged for 3 months to record the speed of the current in all circumstances, including those of high tides. 

The launch took place in several stages

  • Dockside preparation of the necessary equipment
  • Activation of the ADCP (current meter) and attachment to the tripod
  • Loading of all the equipment on the boat using a crane
  • Team briefing to be clear on the order of the steps and the role of each one
  • Starting the boat to head the launching at the right location
  • Launching of the mooring to ballast the device at the bottom of the water, a signal buoy will remain on the surface to secure the area
  • Launch of the ADCP
  • Intervention of a diver to ensure that the current meter is levelled ans that it is properly installed
  • Return to the dock

This day was very enriching and with a very nice collaboration between the teams.

Now we wait and see before collecting the results of the data acquisition in 3 months.

Mise à l'eau courantomètre, croisic, GLSC, Ys Energies Marines Developpement, projet hydrolien, port, région pays de la loire
Cahier d'acteur Ys Energies Marines Developpement, débat public, la mer en débat Project

Public debate “The Sea in Debate”: Ys wrote a…

  • 28 May 202412 November 2024
  • by ysemd

What is public debate?

The National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) has organised a wide-ranging public debate on maritime planning to discuss the future:

  • of the sea;
  • of the coast;
  • marine biodiversity;
  • offshore wind power.

This national debate took place on the territory of the maritime coasts of metropolitan France.

The debate was held from November 20, 2023 to April 26, 2024 to allow anyone to take part in the development of the choices made in 2024

to allow everyone to take part in the development of the choices made in 2024 on the future of the sea and offshore wind power.

Throughout the debate, the institutional actors had the opportunity to detail their points of view on the issues at stake in the debate and the project in an actors’ notebook.

Ys took part in the game and wrote its point of view.

The Big Ideas of the Ys text’s

Here is a summary of the main ideas we discuss:

🌊 Clarify the term Marine Renewable Energies (MRE) to avoid associating it directly with offshore wind power and thus give more visibility to other marine energies.

🙋 To take into account tidal energy and, above all, wave energy in a more significant way in public debates, façade strategic documents and vocation maps.

🤝 Accelerate the change of scale of the two sectors with greater support from the State. The development of renewable energies such as wind and solar would not be what it is today without the help of the State. Other energies that are just as essential to decarbonizing the energy mix need it in turn.

🎯 Define ambitious and proactive objectives, particularly through the “PPE” in France and overseas.

🤸 To be aware of the many advantages of tidal and wave energy: securing the network (predictable, regular and complementary), low visibility from the coast and a small landscape footprint.

And by the way… Technologies are ready 😉.

You can also find the arguments of the associations, fisheries committees, federations, ports, political parties, trade unions and local authorities that have taken a position on the debate!

More thant 200 texts are on line

Et merci à Josselin Guyot Téphany, chef de projet chez Ys pour la rédaction 

Our text is also available on the website of the Public debate

CA142-YSEMDTélécharger
Aura wave power, calwave, tahiti, démonstrateur, polynesie française, emr Press release

Press release: a first step towards the decarbonization of…

  • 26 March 202412 November 2024
  • by ysemd

A first step towards the decarbonization of French Polynesia’s energy thanks to two wave energy demonstrators – the MOU is signed !

Ys (project developer), Azura Wave Power and CalWave (the two technology developers) have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to launch two wave energy demonstrators in Tahiti. The objective is to prove that it is possible to produce carbon-free electricity thanks to the force of Polynesian waves and make French Polynesia more energy self-sufficient.

Energy self-sufficiency is paramount for island territories

French Polynesia is an archipelago of 118 islands on an area as large as the Europe. Approximately 64 % of the electricity used comes from imported fossil fuels (Energy balance of French Polynesia Edition 2022). Shipping generates high level of pollution and significantly increases costs. « Some faraway islands are supplied only few times a year and the cost of electricity production can reach up to 1000€ per MWh », says Corinne DUBOIS, president of Ys.

The development of renewable energies is essential to stabilize costs and make the territory more energy self-sufficient and resilient. Wave energy could offer a new perspective in the energy transition in these isolated territories.

2 technology developers retained on the 11 applications

Born from an idea of the University of French Polynesia, at the end of 2021, the TWEC (Tahiti Wave Energy Challenge) project was selected and presented at the Blue Climate Summit in May 2022.

Its form evolved since then and the new demonstrator project has been taken over by Ys Energies Marines Developpement to carry it out until its completion in co-construction with the local population.

The objective of the demonstrators is to prove in real conditions that it is possible to produce electricity from wave energy to collect initial feedback on the particular context of the territory and its inhabitants. In the summer of 2022, Ys launched a Call for Expressions of Interest to international wave technology developers. 

« We received 11 applications », explains Bruno LEMORT, Technical and Operations Director at Ys Energies Marines Developpement. This was follow by a pre-selection process through workshops with the builders: « we had to ensure that the technologies were adapted to the approached areas to carry out this first installation.”

Indeed, with more than a hundred wave energy developers worldwide and almost as many technologies, it was necessary to verify the compatibility of technologies with the Polynesian environment: depth, inclination, typology of the seabed (volcanic rock, corals), distance to the coast.

Following these exchanges, Azura Wave Power and CalWave were definitively selected to deploy their wave production unit.

About CalWave

CalWave, wane energy, houlomoteur, Ys, EMR, energies marines, technologie

Picture :CalWave x1 off San Diego in 2021– by CalWave Power Technologies Inc.

CalWave is a California-based wave energy technology OEM.

CalWave demonstrated its system offshore San Diego, CA from September 2021 to July 2022 and is contracted by the US DOE to deploy a utility grid-connected system at the 20 MW PacWave test site off the central Oregon coast.

The company plans to offer its solution with isolated coastal communities around the world to lower energy costs, build energy independence, and unlock the ability to achieve a fully clean power supply.

About Azura Wave Power

Azura Wave Power, wave energy, houlomoteur, Ys, EMR, energies marines, technologie

Picture :Azura during a deployment at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) off the Marine Corps Base Hawaii by Azura Power

New-Zealand based Azura Wave Power have developed the Azura Ocean Wave Converter technology for converting the endless supply of ocean wave into electricity and potable water. The Azura device has previously undertaken a number of deployments in New Zealand, at the PAC Wave test facility off the coast of Oregon USA and most recently an 18-month grid connected trial at US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Hawaii.

Government and local stakeholders support the TWEC project

“The new TWEC will be a true live demonstration that will highlight the untapped potential of the force of the waves in this area of the world. The results could develop a local energy, sized to the needs of the territory and generating jobs linked to the ocean. One more step towards the self-sufficiency in Polynesia“, explains Corinne DUBOIS.

The final site of this demonstration will be decided in consultation with the various potential municipalities studied by Ys.

After this demonstration, the site can be used for training purposes for future local wave energy operators.

The Polynesian Government has given its support to the project. In a letter addressed to Ys, Tevaiti-Ariipaea POMARE, Minister for the Economy, Budget and Finance, in charge of energy, encourages the initiative “likely to contribute to the development of renewable energies in Polynesia“.

Mauna REVEIL, project manager in charge of French Polynesia and based in Tahiti, is already studying the pre-feasibility of wave energy installations in the five archipelagos of French Polynesia.

Carte polynésie française, europe

Photo:French Polynesia, a territory almost as vast as Europe – projection of Mercator by Jean-Christophe Gay, Géoconfluences, 2022

Port du croisic, ocean, mer, loire-atlantique, 44, bateau Project

Call for projects won ” Pays de la Loire…

  • 24 January 202412 November 2024
  • by ysemd

Winner of the call of projects

In 2022, the Pays de la Loire Region launched a call for projects on the following theme: « Innovative marina». They wanted to develop the ports so that they could adapt to new uses and new recreational practices (more frequent rentals, demand for additional services, electric boats under development, etc.).

As part of the decarbonization of ports, Ys Energies Marines Développement has suggested a pre-feasibility study of the potential of marine energies (marine currents and waves) on 5 ports of the Loire-Atlantique : Piriac-sur-Mer, La Turballe, Pornic, Le Croisic and La Baule – Le Pouliguen.

We were delighted to learn in November 2022 that our application had been accepted !

A year later, where is the project ?

Since then and thanks to the financial support of the Pays de la Loire Region, we have conducted numerous studies on different criteria that must be taken into account :

  • Bathymetry : the depth of the seabed,
  • Sedimentology : the nature of the seabed,
  • Modelling of available resources : current speeds, wave heights and frequency,
  • Environmental zoning and existing uses,
  • The most suitable technologies,
  • Relevance and energy need that could be covered, etc.

In the current state of our knowledge, the studies revealed the important potential of the port of Le Croisic for the installation of a EMR system (Marine Renewable Energies). Therefore, we chose to focus only on this port for the rest of the studies.

The next step : bringing together the actors of a potential project at Le Croisic

One of the fundamental pillars of Ys Energies Marines Développement is to create participative projects. We are convinced that projects co-constructed with local actors will be much more relevant. That is why we integrate the various stakeholders as soon as possible.

In the coming weeks, we will continue our meetings with local stakeholders (institutions, associations, users, etc.) to inform them and work together on the project.

An exciting project that we look forward to continuing in 2024 !