1. Professor of Floating Structures, Laboratory for Floating Structures and Mooring Systems, School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou Ave. 9, 157 73 Zografou / Athens, Greece</br>2. Director and President of Board of Directors of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 46.7km Athens - Sounio Ave., P.O. Box 712, 19013 Anavyssos, Attiki, Greece
Prof. Spyros A. Mavrakos
1. Professor of Floating Structures, Laboratory for Floating Structures and Mooring Systems, School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou Ave. 9, 157 73 Zografou / Athens, Greece</br>2. Director and President of Board of Directors of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 46.7km Athens - Sounio Ave., P.O. Box 712, 19013 Anavyssos, Attiki, Greece
In this work, an extended overview of the marine renewable energy in the Mediterranean Sea is provided as regards current status, potential problems, challenges, and perspectives of development. An integrated and holistic approach is necessary for the economic viability and sustainability of marine renewable energy projects; this approach comprises three different frameworks, not always aligned, i.e., geotechnical/engineering, socio-economic, and environmental/ecological frameworks. In this context, the geomorphological, climatological, socio-economic, and environmental/ecological particularities of the Mediterranean basin are discussed, as they constitute key issues of the spatial context in which marine renewable energy projects are to be implemented. General guidelines for the sustainable development of marine renewable energy in the Mediterranean are also provided.