Background Flemish-Dutch delta collaboration

Sustainable energy supply will make a substantial contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions and help reduce the impact of climate change. Development towards a sustainable energy supply is a complex task where the focus should go beyond the conventional technical solutions and also investigate the organisation of energy supply and its integration into other social functions.

The ‘Energy’ programme focusses on system integration. System integration aims to facilitate the transition to sustainable energy. Here, it is important to consider the total system (trans-sectoral thinking) and to use system integration to close as many chains as possible. System integration does not regard the energy supply as a linear chain; the whole energy supply itself must be examined closely. This includes energy consumption. We consider energy supply and industrial production processes as one system, which includes infrastructures and mobility, all fed by sustainable energy and other raw materials that produce sustainable products. System integration is therefore the integration of energy supply and production processes, aiming for circularity and making optimum use of synergy with other sectors.

The EU goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80–95% by 2050, has serious implications for our energy system. We need to be far more energy efficient. About two thirds of our energy should come from renewable sources. Electricity production needs to be almost emission-free, despite higher demand. Our energy system has not yet been designed to deal with such challenges. By 2050, it must be transformed. Only a new energy model will make our system secure, competitive and sustainable in the long run.

Offshore wind energy is the most straightforward renewable energy, but in the longer term, offshore wind energy cannot achieve the required scale-up with current technology and methods. Bottlenecks such as costs, construction rate, spatial planning, safety (e.g. shipping), ecology and integration of very large amounts of electric power in the energy system present themselves.

With the current technological state, offshore wind cannot achieve the required scale. Upscaling runs into bottlenecks such as high costs, roll-out rate, offshore use of space and safety (such as shipping), ecology and integration of very large amounts of electricity in the energy system, including the realisation of a hub to connect offshore wind farms. Offshore solar energy is, however, at the beginning of its development, with R&D mainly focusing on technical and economic feasibility. Offshore solar energy offers great potential, but this technology is in its infancy, with R&D mainly focusing on technical and economic feasibility.

In addition to cutting gas emissions, research should also explore options to create carbon sinks. Combining the production of renewable energy and aquaculture at sea leads to a more efficient use of our sea space, but also allows CO2 to be captured by the production of e.g. seaweed. In turn, this minimises negative environmental impact and increases social acceptance.

The Delta Collaboration Platform aims to create solutions for three main energy challenges:

1. Cost reduction and optimisation (safe and affordable upscaling)
    
2. Integration in the energy system (including energy storage and conversion)
    
   • Future offshore energy infrastructure
   • Offshore wind on demand
   • Off-grid offshore wind farms
      
3. Integration in the environment (ecology and multi-use)
    
   • Net positive contribution to environmental quality
   • Multi-use of offshore wind farms
   • Zero-emission circular offshore wind farm

The objective of the Energy programme is to realise new developments for the short, medium and long term. In the short term (results within five years), the emphasis lies mainly on making smart incremental innovations available for acceleration, acceptance and safety. For the medium term (results available in the period up to 2030), structural innovations are needed for further cost reduction and adaptability of the energy system, such as increasing the capacity factors of wind farms, new foundation technology, digitisation and robotisation of installation and maintenance. For the longer term (technology available after 2030), possible breakthroughs are being investigated, such as off-grid wind farms, airborne wind, offshore solar energy and ocean energy.

Humanity is at the brink of a major task to balance our lifestyle with the carrying capacity of the world. At present, the use of raw materials exceeds the sustainable limit. In many countries, the water footprint exceeds the water supply. Energy consumption leads to more CO2 in the atmosphere than can be absorbed, driving global climate change. Food production uses fertilizers and land and they are not inexhaustible.

Providing water is one of these big global challenges. Due to climate change, freshwater availability is expected to decrease, while socio-economic scenarios expect freshwater demand to increase. Having water available or making it available at the right place and at the right time, while keeping costs at acceptable levels, requires optimisation of our water technology.

A lot of water expertise is already available in Flanders and the Netherlands, both in research, education and business. The Delta Collaboration Platform aims to harvest that expertise and develop expertise in a new topic and business model that is not only complementary to the existing knowledge, but for which the region is uniquely equipped to boost innovation: Integrated water management and water diplomacy.

This topic focusses on providing solutions to the complexities of connecting:

• Science and policy
• Different stakeholder groups such as governments, companies, interest groups and citizens
• Different time and geographic scales
• Various fields of knowledge such as the natural sciences,socio-economic sciences and legal governance disciplines

The complexity is enormous. Problems and solutions are scattered over different geographical areas from global to local, as well as different time scales. When investigating climate change, scientists look ahead to 2050 and 2100 or even beyond. Scenarios for population growth look ahead many decades towards the end of the century. Infrastructure is being built to withstand for 30 to 100 years. Policy decisions, however, must be made now - taking into account that the political window spans only four years.

An integrated water resource management approach coordinates supply and demand, often in combination with protection against flooding. Agriculture, industry and freshwater supplies all need water. That water has to be available in a certain quality and quantity. Competition between different users increases every year, partly due to drought. Optimising our water technology will increase the usability and reusability of water, so that more can be achieved with the same amount of water, with or without lower energy costs.

Knowledge and expertise are needed in order to make decisions both on small and large geographic areas as well as on long and short time periods. The way and methodologies in which the necessary knowledge and information is developed, shared and secured must be properly coordinated.

Water diplomacy focuses on the amount of knowledge and information required for decision-making. Usually, the amount of information is large and diverse in nature, so that transferring and organising that knowledge and information is a complex task in itself. Solutions must be technically sound, but also socially supported. Contribution and cooperation is therefore necessary between all stakeholders for policy makers to make the right decisions.

Integrated water resource management focusses on the supply and demand of water, often in combination with flood protection. Finding the balance between supply and demand, between different users like agriculture, industry and drinking water supplies is increasingly more difficult, especially due to the drought in recent years. Optimizing our water technology increases the usability and reusability of water, so that more can be achieved with the same amount of water, with or without lower energy costs.

With its wide variety of water systems, the Flemish-Dutch Delta offers a large natural living lab to develop sound, robust and cost-efficient solutions. A multidisciplinary approach forms the centre of the programme.

Increasing economic activities at sea require a change in how we use our ocean space to allow a sustainable exploitation of our marine resources. The challenge that the seafood sector faces, is unparalleled. For example, 25% of the North Sea is used for the construction of wind farms and the fishing sector is under pressure due to changes in various fishing measures (e.g. the landing obligations, ban of pulse fishing) and Brexit.

Firstly, change is required in the use of our ocean space and offshore infrastructure. A transition in food production is based on the principle of circular and climate-robust production. This requires a more efficient use of our resources. This means, among other things, a more sustainable use of higher trophic food levels, but especially shifting towards the exploitation and consumption of low trophic food levels like seaweed and shellfish. In other words, a shift from harvesting wild populations to cultivation and harvesting organisms (such as plants and shellfish) that grow in a natural environment; and all this based on a system using natural resources without adding nutrients, etc.

Growing plants and shellfish like mussels and oysters can reduce negative environmental effects of other economic activities like the production of animal proteins. Plants capture CO₂, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds by using only the sun as an energy source. As such, these low-trophic food sources contribute to the quality of the ecosystem by providing goods and services that (if well- balanced) have added value for the ecosystem.

A multifunctional use of our ocean space is a good way to increase the quality of the ecosystem and create added value. A good example is the cultivation of seaweed and shellfish in wind farms. Within these farms, passage and bottom-trawl fisheries are limited or prohibited. This offers space for new crops, both in water columns and on the bottom. For the latter, a direct relationship is possible with the restoration of natural habitats, e.g. flat oyster banks.

This introduces the second required change, cultivation of marine biomass of low trophic level, as opposed to harvesting in the wild of seaweed and microalgae, salt-tolerant land plants and shellfish and crustaceans. Techniques, such as Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture (IMTA), combine the cultivation of fish at sea with seaweed and shellfish. A similar optimum MultiTrophic Aquaculture combination must be developed for the D delta region.

Finally, a third change is required for consumer behaviour and food quality. There is a need for a continuous, guaranteed supply of healthy food with sufficient protein, fat, fibre and healthy fatty acids. Food from the sea is the main source of essential fatty acids and is considered a healthy food source. The entire marine biomass can be used by consumers, or components can be isolated, for example by means of biorefining.

Developments relating to the above listed changes are still in their infancy. The aim of this programme is to develop new possibilities for marine food (brood stock, cultivation, harvest, processing, retail and catering) in the Flemish-Dutch Delta and the adjacent North Sea.