The sources of raw materials on the mainland are no longer sufficient to meet the energy needs of mankind. Even the most remote regions of the oceans are therefore being developed for natural gas and oil production. However, the finite nature of fossil fuels and the dramatic ecological consequences of their use give rise to the assumption that the oceans will no longer be the target of fossil exploration activities for much longer. However, the energy sector will not lose interest in the oceans as a result. The potential of renewable energies is too great there. In addition to established offshore wind energy, technically immature wave and ocean current power plants are penetrating the sea, changing the structures of energy supply and the habitats of coastal dwellers.

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The land intensive expansion of renewable energies in the interior has led to controversial discussions about the landscape implications of renewable energy systems on the one hand, and on the other hand the lucrative locations there are largely occupied. Driven by climate protection objectives and supported by technological progress, politicians and industry are therefore looking towards the oceans, whose great energy potential has so far been insufficiently exploited. The most important regenerative technologies in the oceans, their location factors and their spatial distribution were therefore developed and analysed within the framework of the project.

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selected publication:

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• Bosch S. (2019): Meere als regenerative Energiequellen. In: Geographische Rundschau, 71 (4), 28-33.