MAREWIND

MAREWIND, part of the EU’s Horizon programme, is developing advanced materials to make offshore wind more cost-effective, sustainable, and durable.

MAREWIND stands for MAterials solutions for cost Reduction and Extended service life on WIND off-shore facilities. The EUR 8m, 4- year project finished in early 2025, involving 16 partners from 7 countries with leading research institutions, industry players and small-medium businesses. EDF R&D teams in France (ERMES, TREE, LNHE, PRISME, MMC) and the UK (EDF power solutions) have provided technical expertise and contributions, with EDF power solutions also sharing experience and testing facilities at Teesside wind farm.

Developing technologies

MAREWIND aims to address issues such as corrosion, fatigue and environmental damage which negatively impact the efficiency and maintenance costs of offshore wind. The technologies developed include high performing self-healing anticorrosion coatings, non-toxic anti-fouling, ultra-high performance and low CO2 concrete for foundations, structural health monitoring systems and blade recyclability. UK R&D quantified the cost impacts of each technology, showing potential for significant cost savings. These innovations collectively contribute to lower coating costs, reduced maintenance and downtime, longer service life and end-of-life revenues.

Next steps

The most optimistic cost reduction scenario results in an 18% Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCoE) saving, which is the average cost of electricity generation over the asset’s lifetime. While the findings support the economic viability of MAREWIND technologies in theory, continued stakeholder engagement and testing is needed for them to be adopted in the industry. The project will continue to focus on scalable manufacturing technologies and standardisation for effective deployment.