14th Immersion Visit: Diving into Marine Research with France Energies Marines

France Energies Marines: an institute serving the offshore wind energy sector

After an introduction by the Campus mondial de la mer, participants learned about FEM’s missions and organisation, presented by Jean-François Filipot, Scientific Director of France Energies Marines.

The institute works to improve the environmental sustainability, reliability, and profitability of offshore wind farms, as well as their societal integration. It brings together 29 members committed to the sector, collaborates with more than 200 partners in France and abroad, and has nearly 90 staff members based in Brest, Le Havre, Nantes, Marseille, and Pau.

With more than 95 R&D projects carried out since its creation and around ten launched each year, FEM plays a key structuring role by providing methods, data, and technical solutions to stakeholders in the sector.

Its research departments cover four major areas:

Wind and ocean dynamics
System performance
Biodiversity and interactions
Ecosystem and society

This work is supported by a range of testing resources: a multi-instrumented offshore measurement mast, buoys for studying biofouling, a demonstrator for testing innovative anchoring systems, acoustic telemetry networks, and a profiling lidar.

Three thematic visits at the heart of FEM’s projects

From 10:50 to 12:20, participants, divided into three groups, explored different scientific and technical aspects of FEM’s programmes:

• Atmospheric turbulence
This visit offered an insight into how FEM develops tools to optimise wind turbine design by characterising atmospheric turbulence using measurements obtained from lidar systems.

Crédit : Campus mondial de la mer

Observation and prediction of bird migration

The objective: to better anticipate interactions between migratory birds and offshore wind farms. The teams presented their observation system based on weather radars, as well as their modelling approach used to predict bird movements.

Crédit : Campus mondial de la mer

Monitoring of marine megafauna

Participants discovered how FEM collects and analyses data on marine mammals, fish, and other sensitive species. This work helps improve understanding of the effects of offshore wind energy on biodiversity and supports the development of appropriate mitigation measures

Crédit : Campus mondial de la mer

A morning of meaningful exchanges

The visit concluded with a networking lunch, providing an opportunity for discussions with FEM’s teams and members of the Campus mondial de la mer. The morning highlighted research that is essential for the growth of offshore wind energy, combining technological performance with respect for ecosystems.