Sand motor: a new technique to save our beaches
Themes: Water & Maritime, Social Impact
Market ready application
A TRL is a measure to indicate the matureness of a developing technology. When an innovative idea is discovered it is often not directly suitable for application. Usually such novel idea is subjected to further experimentation, testing and prototyping before it can be implemented. The image below shows how to read TRL’s to categorise the innovative ideas.
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Why?
The Sand Motor combines three functions in one international “building with nature” flagship for the Dutch water management sector: recreation and nature, innovative coastal protection, and a platform for knowledge development on coastal management.
How?
Instead of a manual 3 to 5 year beach re-nourishment, the Sand Motor is a concentrated 21 million m3 mega nourishment that created a dynamic peninsula that will feed a 20 km stretch of coast with the aid of tides, waves and winds for the coming 20 years.
When?
Since its completion in 2011, the Sand Motor concluded a very successful initial 5 year evaluation period. There are now concrete plans for application at various other locations around the world.
Prof. dr. Marcel Stive