An alliance driven by Basque women scientists is born to bring the potential of marine renewables closer to the public
TECNALIA, UPV/EHU, EUSKAMPUS FUNDAZIOA and BCAM Basque Center for Applied Mathematics are launching ORE4citizens, a complete programme of free activities for all ages to bring science closer to citizens through marine renewable energies.
The initiative has the support of more than 15 organisations and companies in the sector, and includes excursions on the high seas, experiments in centres and schools and the celebration of the researchers’ night in Portugalete.
ORE4citizens is an alliance driven by Basque women scientists, which has been joined by more than 60 researchers and 15 Basque organisations, with the aim of bringing science closer to the public, raising awareness of the effects of climate change on the Basque coast and showing the key role played by marine renewable energies in the fight against global warming. In addition, the initiative seeks to highlight the global leadership of the Basque industry in the sector and the opportunity it represents for society and the planet.
It is an initiative led by TECNALIA, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Euskampus Fundazioa and BCAM – Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, financed by the European Union within the Horizon Europe Programme for research and innovation and supported by many entities in the sector, such as Arrecife Energy Systems, BIMEP, the Energy Cluster, Ente Vasco de la Energía, Basque Government, Iberdrola, Idom, Nautilus, Saitec, Sener, Siemens Gamesa, Port of Bilbao, Ocean Energy Europe and WindEurope.
The initiative includes different citizen and school activities that will take place over two years in different Basque municipalities. Among these activities, the OREgaua will be held on the afternoon of 27 September in the Nautika Itsasgunea building of the University of the Basque Country (Bilbao School of Engineering), in Portugalete, with live music, games, talks and experiments for all ages.
And a programme for schools, OREskolak, where the researchers will bring their science to the classroom through talks, experimental activities and visits to laboratories and facilities where these technological solutions for the use of marine energies are developed.
Marine renewable energies in the Basque Country
Climate change presents significant challenges for the Basque coast, both in terms of physical impacts on the environment and socio-economic impacts on coastal communities. It is important to take measures to adapt to these changes and mitigate the effects of climate change in the region. The development and deployment of marine renewable energies contributes to this mitigation and represents one of the keys to the medium and long term energy transition at a global level due to their generation potential. At the same time, they represent an industrial, economic and social opportunity for the Basque Country, compatible with the protection of the marine environment.
It is a key sector for meeting the European Union’s decarbonisation objectives and is expected to grow five times its size by 2030 and 25 times by 2050. Currently, teams such as SAITEC, Nautilus or Arrecife are working on the development of new economically viable and energy-efficient technologies that compete on a global level. Some of these projects can be seen on the initiative’s website or in the travelling photographic exhibition that will be present in different locations in the near future.
