Genoa-based classification society RINA has confirmed its participation in the European offshore renewable energy initiative ORECCA (Offshore Renewable Energy Conversion platforms Coordination Action), which came into operation on March 1, 2010.
ORECCA is a project developed under the EU's 7th Framework Programme for research and development, and brings together 28 partners comprising individual companies, technology centres and universities from twelve EU countries in a scheme to develop deepwater structures which can exploit wind, wave, tidal and ocean current energy sources. It will last eighteen months and will receive a financial contribution from the EU of US$2.1 million.
ORECCA aims to create a framework for knowledge sharing by developing a research roadmap for activities in the context of offshore renewable energy. This will help define strategic investment opportunities, research and development priorities and the regulatory and socio-economic factors which need to be addressed in order to achieve a strategy for a European policy on development of the offshore renewable energy sector.
ORECCA is also designed to overcome the knowledge fragmentation which exists in Europe in connection with offshore renewable energy, and to stimulate key experts into providing useful input to industry. In this way it is hoped to foster the development of the ocean energy sector in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
RINA's role in ORECCA is to lead the workgroup in charge of reviewing and benchmarking available and proposed technology, with a view to achieving state-of-the-art definition and establishing the applicability of the rules to each type of structure in the offshore wind energy, wave and tidal energy, and oil and gas sectors.