THE EDIT
Your monthly briefing on the journey to fossil freedom
Issue #26, In cooperation with nature, September 2025
Photo: Johnér/Stefan Rosengren
How offshore wind farms can act as fishing platforms
What to know: Marine space is vast – but nonetheless, limited. Vattenfall is testing new ways to combine offshore energy production with passive fishing to reduce the need for additional ocean space. At the Lillgrund wind farm in the Baltic Sea, researchers are exploring how fixed fishing gear, like vertical nets and handlines, could co-exist with wind turbines.
Why it matters: Europe’s seas are busier than ever. And with increasing climate targets and growing seafood demand, marine industries need to collaborate. Passive fishing can reduce seafloor impact, avoid cable damage, and cut down on bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds. “If we don’t start looking into synergies now, we’ll run into conflicts,” says Tim Wilms from Vattenfall’s R&D team.
Photo: Joop Coolen Wageningen Marine Research
New tool offers fresh insight into marine life on offshore wind turbines
To better understand how marine life interacts with offshore wind turbine foundations, researchers have developed a remote-controlled sampling tool that’s replacing traditional diving methods. The tool has now been tested at sea and successfully collected biological samples from turbine structures. The early results are giving useful – and positive – data for both ecologists and engineers.
The multi-magic of seaweed
Offshore wind power is an important step toward a fossil-free future, but it’s essential to make optimal use of the spaces where the turbines are located – for example, by also cultivating seaweed at the site. Seaweed absorbs CO₂, improves water quality, and helps regenerate the marine environment. You might even turn it into a snack and have Samuel L. Jackson try it.
Using the land twice – when solar panels meet pump power
Vattenfall is adding solar power to its hydropower sites in Germany, combining existing infrastructure with new technology. At Geesthacht and Markersbach, ground-mounted solar panels are now generating electricity alongside the country’s largest pumped storage plants. The goal is to maximise land use, minimise unnecessary construction, and improve cost efficiency. But combining solar and hydropower isn’t plug-and-play – engineers have had to carefully balance technical complexity, visual impact, and safety.
News flash
3 x quick updates from the energy world
Stranger things
Science has long puzzled over “strange metals”. Researchers at the University of Technology in Vienna have had a breakthrough – and the results may even change the way we look at electricity. (science.org)
All clean air on deck
Cargo ships are the silent climate problem, producing around three per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Now an English start-up wants to change that – by capturing carbon directly on deck. (theguardian.com)
River of solar dreams
In Arizona, the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh tribes are using solar power to tackle two of the state’s challenges. By shading a canal with floating panels, they aim to both conserve water and generate electricity. (insideclimatenews.org)
And finally …
A seaweed wind farm in ink
Some are more dedicated to their passions than others. David Stewart, Senior Social Media and Communications Officer at trade association Renewable UK, went further than most: “I've waited years for something to make a wind farm tattoo cool, and finally got the perfect inspiration from the big man himself, Samuel L. Jackson, in the awesome Vattenfall "Wind-farmed Seaweed Snacks” campaign". Check out the result in David's LinkedIn post!
