Τhe School of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki organized “MAESTRALE Open Day” on Thursday, October 31, 2019 at 11.30 at the Aristotle University Research Dissemination Center.
Τhe School of Architecture of AUTH is the Greek partner of the MAESTRALE project, which is funded under the Interreg MED 2014-2020 Priority Axis 1 – Innovation and will be completed this November. Research institutes and institutions from 8 countries have been working together since 2016 to identify prospects for the development of blue energy in the Mediterranean. MAESTRALE’s main goal was to lay down the foundations for a strategy for the development of blue energy in the Mediterranean through the creation of innovation clusters.
“MAESTRALE Open Day” was inaugurated by T. Andreadou (Professor Emeritus, School of Architecture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, scientific supervisor of the MAESTRALE research team of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), who was followed by distinguished speakers addressing issues related to Blue Energy and its prospects in Greece and the Mediterranean. Specifically, S. Voutetakis (Dr. Chemical Engineer, Director of CPERI CERTH) analyzed the methods of production and management of blue energy, while P. Seferlis (Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) gave his own perspective on the issue of the design and optimization of renewable energy networks. M. Segkouni (Arch. Eng., Head of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Planning Department, Ministry of Environment and Energy) spoke about the spatial dimensions of blue energy, focusing on the current institutional framework for the organization of maritime space through maritime spatial planning. Finally, A. Fotiadou (Dr. Arch. Eng., Coordinator of the MAESTRALE research team of AUTH) presented the two blue energy pilot projects developed under MAESTRALE regarding marine biomass and wave energy in Thermaikos.
The MAESTRALE project culminated on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 with the organization of the 4th and final Transnational Blue Energy Lab (TBEL) at Ecomondo 2019 in Rimini, Italy. The 4th TBEL, organized by the University of Sienna, lead partner of the MAESTRALE program, involved all project partners, as well as stakeholders from the participating countries (public authorities, local authorities, commercial and industrial bodies, etc.). Greece was represented by both the School of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as a project partner, as well as the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry as stakeholders. Twenty pilot projects designed by the ten partners were presented. The main aim of the partners is to make these pilot projects that utilize abundant energy sources in the Mediterranean that still remain untapped, such as wave and ocean thermal energy, marine biomass, etc., to be the starting point for a shift to clean energy in the Mediterranean.
For those interested in learning more about blue energy, it is worth noting that the School of Architecture of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will hold a free Blue Entrepreneurship training seminar on Tuesday 19 November 2019 at 14:00 pm at CERTH on the following topics: blue energy technologies market, basic legal framework on Blue Energy technologies, from the idea to the market – Business Plan, funding Opportunities, and building Blue Energy plants.
For more information on the Blue Entrepreneurship training seminar click here or at maestrale@arch.auth.gr
