Marine Renewable Energy as a strategy for sustainability and climate change resilience for coastal cities

Coastal cities face numerous multi-dimensional environmental, social, and economic challenges, often making them highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. Consequently, the resilience of these communities and their ability to adapt to social, economic, and environmental changes are shaped by diverse characteristics and values that guide their development (Kazimierczuk, et al., 2023). Investing in new infrastructure required by cities, ports, and flood-prone communities can significantly reduce the cost of electricity from renewable sources, provided that the infrastructure is designed for a dual purpose of energy generation and coastal protection. In return, selling electricity from this infrastructure can sustain the long-term cost of installing coastal protection. Additionally, many marine renewable energy (MRE) technologies provide a platform for the installation of other forms of renewable energy generation. (Manasseh, Sannasiraj, McInnes, Sundar, and Jalihal, 2017)
Renewable marine energy (MRE) is considered a promising solution to enhance the resilience of coastal cities for environmental sustainability and to provide clean energy (Kazimierczuk, et al., 2023). MRE has the potential to address energy security and coastal protection issues affecting coastal communities. (Manasseh, Sannasiraj, McInnes, Sundar, and Jalihal, 2017)
The research aims to provide a framework for applying the MRE approach to achieve the resilience of infrastructure in coastal communities, examining its objectives, and assessing its impact on development scenarios in the region. MRE is seen as a solution to problems arising from the reliance on traditional energy sources, either their negative impact on the environment, such as climate change, or their failure to guide decision-makers toward achieving environmental sustainability in coastal agglomerations.
To achieve the main goal of the research, the study will focus on analyzing the problems and issues in coastal agglomerations, with an emphasis on infrastructure. This includes studying the potential of marine energy resources in the study area, determining suitable areas for this technology, the expected amount of energy production, methods of storage, and analyzing its impact on urbanization (land use and economic activities). Additionally, the research will study and analyze social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities in the region, examine the current status of existing infrastructure and complementary services to the energy sector, and study population characteristics while analyzing the community's readiness for new technology.
The research has been applied to the Matrouh El-Nagila sector, which is considered a promising sector for marine energy production throughout the year. Various scenarios have been developed to benefit from renewable marine energy, with an evaluation of the energy to guide decision-makers to achieve the resilience of coastal communities.