Details of the different marine energies:

Tidal power:

Tidal power is produced by the energy of tidal currents which are concentrated in certain places near the coast. We can compare a tidal turbine installation to an underwater wind turbine. The stronger the current, the more energy will be produced. The northwest coast of France, where the currents are particularly strong, is conducive to the development of this energy.

Focus on some flagship projects:

• In Brittany: the turbine of the Sabella D10 tidal turbine was submerged 55 meters deep for a year in Fromveur, between the islands of Molène and Ouessant. This turbine is the first French tidal turbine to have injected electricity into a network, that of the Ile d'Ouessant.
  Next step: it will be plunged again in the fall for 3 years.
   

• In Brittany: since 2012, a demonstrator has been launched by EDF at Paimpol-Bréhat and has reached an important stage with the immersion of a first prototype with a power of 0.5 MW, designed by the company Open-Hydro (a subsidiary of DCNS).
  Next step: this tidal turbine is submerged to be tested in real conditions and to confirm the viability of this technology, both technically, economically and environmentally, before the deployment of the entire fleet which will ultimately include 4 tidal turbines of one total power of 2 MW.

 

Tidal energy:

It consists in taking advantage of the ebb and flow of the tide to alternately fill or empty a retention basin by operating turbines incorporated in the dam, which drive an electricity generator. The potential of this energy is very distributed but the evaluation of the available deposit remains to be done.

Focus on a flagship project:

• France is today one of the pioneer countries in this technology with the Rance tidal power plant.

 

Wave energy:

Produced by the movement of waves, swell, wave energy is a concentrated form of wind energy. When the wind blows on the sea, waves form and concentrate this energy. Swell can travel very long distances and bring energy collected offshore to a coast. Several demonstrators are currently being tested around the world, this technology being today at a very early stage of development.

Focus on a flagship project:

Wave energy is notably developed within the framework of the S3 project, supported by the  Investments for the future program , within the École centrale de Nantes with SBM and IFPEN, aimed at building and testing in real conditions a wave power demonstrator based on electroactive polymers.

 

The thermal energy of the seas:

The thermal energy of the seas is a technique particularly suitable in the overseas departments where the temperature gradients between warm surface water and cold water at depth are greater than in mainland France.

Focus on a flagship project

• In Martinique: the main project under development is the NEMO project. DCNS business concept driven by Akuo Energy, NEMO is a 16 MW floating electricity production platform project. This project was selected by the European Commission in July 2014 as part of the European call for projects  New Entrant Reserve 300 (NER 300)  The permits and authorizations were obtained at the end of 2016. The project was the subject of a public inquiry from October 30 to December 15, 2015 with a  favorable opinion accompanied by recommendations. NEMO is part of the  Pluriannual Energy Programming (PPE)  of Martinique validated by the Territorial Collectivity on February 10, 2017.

 

Sea Water Air Conditionning (SWAC):

It is an air conditioning system where the cold is produced thanks to a network supplied by water drawn from great depth. This technology is particularly interesting in the inter-tropical zone and in particular in the overseas territories where the development of air conditioning is a challenge for energy systems.

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