A deep-water marina planned for the Irish Sea will be protected by an artificial, solar-powered reef invented by British clean tech company CCell Renewables.
The new 400 berth marina, located in a marine nature reserve in Ramsey, Isle of Man, UK, is being developed by local marine company Ramsey Marina Limited (RML) and will act as a testing ground for CCell’s digital reef concept.
CCell’s reef is designed to enhance marine biodiversity and prevent erosion of marine walls and will be powered by energy from onshore solar installations.
According to CCell’s statement, “the artificial reef uses pulses of solar energy to drive an electrolytic process to extract seawater minerals that in turn causes the growth of mineral rock around a steel frame that forms the backbone of the reek.
“This allows lightweight and intricate reef profiles to be created and placed around the marina, providing natural protection against the sea.”
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The reefs are connected digitally to CCell’s control systems which allows the marine environment to be observed and monitored.
Dr Will Bateman, founder and CEO of CCell, said: “Our reef technology – a ‘plug-in digital living reef’ – will provide the marina with natural protection from erosion and at the same time enhance the quality of the local marine eco-system.
“It’s great to be involved in a major project in UK and European waters – our first – and be part of such an exciting development that will boost the Isle of Man’s marine environment and its economy.”
The £100 million ($126 million) Ramsey Marina project will include residential, commercial, and leisure-related property development, with construction scheduled to begin within the next two years.
The planned marine project will emphasise sustainability through several measures, including the incorporation of new reefs, regeneration of seagrass meadows, implementation of electric vessel and vehicle charging, as well as the use of eco-concrete.
Robin Bromley-Martin, director of RML, said: “We are very excited that the Isle of Man should be the location for the ‘cold water’ testing of CCell’s pioneering technology. Ramsey Marina will be the proof of concept for the technology on the Isle of Man and given the issues that the Island is facing with climate change and rising sea levels, it is hugely relevant to other parts of the Island. We are pleased that RML is in the vanguard of its application on the Island.”
