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Combining Offshore Wind and Seaweed Farming Is Amazon's New "World's First"

Offshore wind is the fastest-growing energy business. By 2040, analysts forecast that one million hectares of sea and ocean will be filled by offshore wind turbines. Amazon is now interested in using the space beneath these offshore wind farms for proper seaweed aquafarming.
World’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located between offshore wind turbines 6 photos
Photo: Amazon
World’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located between offshore wind turbinesBy 2040 there will be one million hectares of offshore wind turbinesSeaweed has a great carbon capture potentialThe most popular use for seaweed is as a nutrient foodSeaweed farms could capture millions of tons of CO2 every year
Amazon is one of the biggest green energy clients on the planet. And by now, we all know that Bezos is among the philanthropists spending billions on climate change mitigation. Just think about Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon’s $2 billion (€1.87 billion) venture investment program.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Amazon is now investing in the “world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located between offshore wind turbines.” Whoa, that was a long title for their North Sea Farm 1 project. But it had to because it gives you an idea about the two pillars of this new eco-friendly business.

Firstly, it’s commercial-scale, so expect seaweed to really be a thing of the future. Well, it already is, but aquafarming is still more costly than land farming. Unless original ideas can cut costs and improve efficiency.

Secondly, it is a farm located in a place no one gives a damn about. That is under the offshore turbine farms. On the land, there are crops among turbine pillars, but beneath sea level, it’s wasted space. Unless original ideas can put this space to good use.

It seems that a consortium of scientific researchers and partners from the seaweed industry convinced Amazon to grant €1.5 million ($1.61 million) to create this first-of-its-kind seaweed farm. It’s rather a small amount to create a 10-hectare seaweed farm.

In 2024, its first year of operation, it is expected to produce at least six tons of fresh seaweed. While it doesn’t seem like an attractive result for regular investors, this pilot seaweed farm is rather a research lab for now.

Its first aim is to analyze and improve seaweed farming methods. It will also explore how much carbon dioxide can remove from the atmosphere because it can absorb CO2 by photosynthesis more efficiently than land-based plants.

In theory, seaweed farms around the globe could capture millions of CO2 emissions every year. This would be a far more efficient and sustainable carbon capture method than Big Oil’s current technologies.

Seaweed is very useful for many sectors. For instance, it’s a sustainable biofuel feedstock for the oil industry, and it’s a non-chemical fertilizer and soil conditioner for agriculture. It’s also a natural ingredient for wastewater treatment, reducing nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing compounds and removing toxic metals.

Of course, the most popular use for seaweed is as a nutrient food. It’s good both for people and for cows or fish. Basically, seaweed is seen as an important brick for our future food supply and fresh-water reserves.

If the North Sea Farm 1 is successful, its creators hope it will evolve into a blueprint for offshore seaweed farming globally. It is believed to also be a driver for valuable jobs. For instance, replicating North Sea Farm 1 across the North Sea will potentially create up to 85,000 full jobs. Around the world, this type of seaweed farming could boost millions of new jobs opportunity.

As with every pilot project, its promises sound wonderful. But for now, we just have to wait at least one year for the results. We trust they will meet expectations, and most importantly, we’re eager to see the impact this project will have on policymakers. Of course, we can’t avoid the critics from proponents of the “climate change is a hoax” theory, but it’s always fun debunking them.
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About the author: Oraan Marc
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After graduating college with an automotive degree, Oraan went for a journalism career. 15 years went by and another switch turned him from a petrolhead into an electrohead, so watch his profile for insight into green tech, EVs of all kinds and alternative propulsion systems.
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