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DTOceanPlus · Project

Open-Source Design Tools That Cut Cost and Risk of Wave and Tidal Energy Projects

energyPilotedTRL 6
dtoceanplus.eu

Imagine you want to build a wind farm, but underwater — using waves and tides instead of wind. Right now, designing these ocean energy systems is expensive and risky because there are no standard engineering tools like the ones used in oil & gas or wind power. DTOceanPlus built a free, open-source software toolkit that helps engineers pick the right technology, develop it step-by-step, and plan how to actually install arrays of devices in the ocean. Think of it as the AutoCAD or SolidWorks equivalent for the ocean energy industry — but free and purpose-built.

By the numbers
21
consortium partners across the ocean energy value chain
8
countries represented in the consortium
67%
industry ratio in the consortium
7
SMEs involved in tool development and testing
44
total deliverables produced by the project
9
work packages covering the full development pipeline
6
Technology Readiness Level achieved by the tool suite
The business problem

What needed solving

Designing, developing, and deploying ocean energy systems (wave and tidal) is extremely expensive and risky because the sector lacks the standardized engineering design tools that mature industries like oil & gas or wind energy take for granted. Without reliable tools to model performance, plan deployment, and assess costs, every ocean energy project is essentially custom-engineered from scratch — driving up the Levelised Cost of Energy and scaring away private investors.

The solution

What was built

An open-source suite of software design tools including: a Structured Innovation Tool for technology concept selection (beta), a Stage-Gate Tool for structured technology development, Deployment Design Tools for planning ocean installations (beta, 2nd generation from FP7 DTOcean), and Ocean Energy Assessment Design Tools for techno-economic analysis (beta). All tools were demonstrated against real wave and tidal energy scenarios with documented results across 44 deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Wave and tidal energy device developers needing to reduce design costsOffshore engineering firms entering the ocean energy marketRenewable energy investors assessing ocean energy project viabilityMarine energy project developers planning array deploymentsGovernment agencies and regulators evaluating ocean energy proposals
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Ocean Energy Development
SME
Target: Wave or tidal energy device developers

If you are a wave or tidal energy developer struggling with high design costs and technical uncertainty — this project built an open-source suite of design tools demonstrated against real wave and tidal energy projects at TRL 6. The toolkit covers everything from technology concept selection to deployment planning, helping you reduce the Levelised Cost of Energy and make your technology more attractive for private investment.

Offshore Engineering & Marine Services
mid-size
Target: Offshore installation and O&M service providers

If you are an offshore services company looking to enter the ocean energy market — DTOceanPlus developed deployment design tools (beta version) that analyse the impact of design on energy yield, operations & maintenance, and environmental factors. With 21 consortium partners including 14 from industry, these tools were built with real operational input across 8 countries.

Energy Investment & Project Finance
enterprise
Target: Renewable energy investment funds and project developers

If you are an energy investor trying to assess the viability of wave and tidal projects — this project created techno-economic analysis tools that quantify performance, reliability, and survivability of ocean energy systems. The tools were demonstrated on real wave and tidal energy scenarios, giving you standardized metrics to compare projects and reduce financial risk before committing capital.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does this cost to use? Is the software free?

The DTOceanPlus tools are open-source, meaning the software itself is free to download and use. This was a deliberate design choice to accelerate adoption across the ocean energy sector. Your costs would be limited to implementation, training, and adapting the tools to your specific projects.

Can these tools handle full-scale commercial ocean energy arrays?

The tools were demonstrated against real wave and tidal energy projects and reached TRL 6 (demonstrated in relevant environment). The deployment design tools are a 2nd generation upgrade from the earlier FP7 DTOcean project, covering sub-systems, individual devices, and full arrays. Based on available project data, the tools handle array-scale design but may require further validation for the largest commercial deployments.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

The suite is explicitly open-source, so there are no licensing fees or IP restrictions on using the tools. This was a core project principle. You can integrate them into your own workflows without royalty concerns.

How mature are these tools — can I use them in production today?

Beta versions of all major tools were released and tested, including the Structured Innovation Tool, Deployment Design Tools, and Ocean Energy Assessment Design Tools. Demonstration results were documented for both wave and tidal energy scenarios. The project ended in August 2021, so the tools have had time to mature since release.

Can these tools integrate with our existing engineering software?

Based on the deliverable descriptions, technical manuals document the interfaces with commercial software and digital data requirements. The tools were designed with integration in mind, including detailed documentation of how they connect with existing engineering platforms.

Who built this and can we get support?

The consortium of 21 partners across 8 countries was led by Tecnalia Research & Innovation in Spain. With 14 industry partners and 7 SMEs (67% industry ratio), the tools were built by people who understand commercial needs. The consortium includes all core partners from the original FP7 DTOcean project, ensuring continuity of expertise.

Is this relevant outside the EU market?

The consortium spans 8 countries including the US, indicating international applicability. The open-source nature means the tools can be deployed anywhere. Ocean energy resources exist globally, so the design methodologies and techno-economic analysis tools are location-independent.

Consortium

Who built it

The DTOceanPlus consortium is unusually industry-heavy for an EU research project: 14 out of 21 partners (67%) come from industry, with 7 SMEs in the mix. This signals that the tools were built by and for commercial users, not just academics. The 8-country spread (DK, ES, FR, IT, PT, SE, UK, US) covers the major ocean energy markets in Europe and includes the US. Critically, this is a 2nd-generation effort — all core partners from the earlier FP7 DTOcean project are included, meaning the team had years of prior experience before this project even started. Led by Tecnalia, one of Spain's largest applied research organizations, with only 2 universities and 5 research institutes rounding out the group.

How to reach the team

Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (Spain) — contact via SciTransfer for introduction

Order a report on this consortiumSee FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how these open-source ocean energy design tools can reduce your project development costs? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the Tecnalia-led team behind DTOceanPlus.

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