Biofouling Solutions for Marine Renewables: Knowledge Network Development

A major concern to industries working in the marine environment is biofouling - the settlement and growth of organisms on submerged structures. The hydrodynamic and mechanical consequences of biofouling organisms on moving structures, e.g. marine turbines, are of particular concern. There a number of issues with biofouling, these include:
• increases to surface weight and roughness thereby impacting drag, and survivability of devices;
• biofouling on turbine blades, decreasing efficiency of energy generation;
• contributing to or accelerating corrosion of marine metals that could affect subsea connectors;
• providing surfaces on artificial structures in the marine environment which may create ‘stepping-stone’ habitats for the spread of fouling communities.

Being able to apply innovative solutions in combination with this knowledge in future could help to increase the productivity of the energy generated, enabling relevant targets to be met for energy production.