Faroe Islands-based Ocean Rainforest, a sustainable seaweed cultivator, announced that it has secured a €4.5M Technology to Market Plus Up award from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) as part of the MARINER Programme.
The milestone achievement marks significant progress in Ocean Rainforest’s commitment to advancing offshore giant kelp cultivation technologies in California.
Offshore seaweed cultivation is regarded as among the most sustainable and environmentally responsible forms of biomass production. Compared to land-based biomass production, which requires a significant amount of arable land and freshwater, seaweed cultivation does not require these resources.
Pioneering offshore seaweed farming
The Plus Up award is an extension of Ocean Rainforest’s Phase 2 contract and will allow the company to operate an 86-acre, offshore Macrocystis pyrifera cultivation testbed in the Santa Barbara Channel.