To enable this standard format of 1 km², with corresponding installed capacity of 50-200 MW, a comprehensive product improvement and laboratory and simulation validation program (WP1), an offshore solar farm demonstration validation program (WP2), a holistic impact assessment (WP3), and a scaling plan for the implementation of this ultimate 1 km² / 50-200 MW project (WP4) are being developed in conjunction to the establishment of feasible business cases for a large scale Offshore Solar at low eco-impacts and low LCOE.
Within the first 18 months of the project, several tasks have been active across all WPs.
In WP1, the understanding of scale effects on the hydrodynamics of large scale interconnected offshore solar arrays (1 km2) has been achieved thanks to wave basin tests accompanied by numerical simulations aimed at quantifying reductions on mooring loads and at identifying associated optimizations in moorings, which leads to large CAPEX reductions. In parallel, accurate risk-based design work accompanied by thorough simulations has led to the manufacture of a floating substation, which will be validated through tests in a climatic chamber in the next few months, followed by floating tests on the offshore solar demonstrator. Attempts to develop a dynamic export cable system design for offshore solar farms to be installed in shallow sea environments are furthermore being made using three design cycles in which the cable hang-off design is developed, the dynamic export cable is designed, and static and dynamic analyses are conducted to assess the design. Last but not least, gaps in standard testing procedures for PV-module use in the offshore environment are being addressed by experimental evaluations of different setups and off-the-shelf modules. The approach includes specialized indoor testing facilities to emulate offshore conditions for accelerated mechanical and weathering conditions, and the results are used to develop standard offshore FPV testing to provide PV-manufacturers with guidelines for PV-module requirements and to develop improvement strategies on the PV-modules and PV-mounting for LCoE reductions.
The combination of these activities has allowed progressing at full speed into the establishment, within WP2, of an offshore solar farm demonstrator enabling to demonstrate the product on a 1:30 scale. Accordingly, in WP2, the offshore solar farm project engineering has been accomplished, the procurement has been completed, and the fabrication of the floating units has been conducted at the OOE fabrication facilities. Hence the logistics to port has been arranged, and a number of platforms have been delivered to and have been stowed at the Port of Amsterdam, waiting, by the end of June 2025, to be assembled into the demonstrator.
In WP3, environmental and economic impact studies are being undertaken to streamline a future large-scale deployment of offshore solar. In this respect, a comprehensive user guide for producing environmental impact assessment (EIA) scoping reports for offshore solar projects, in the context of the EU EIA Directive, has been produced, while a predictive yield model capable to take account of the complexities these systems are subject to (e.g. waves, corrosion, etc.) is being developed along with a roadmap towards EIAs of large-scale offshore solar, which will benefit from the input collected from Subject Matter Experts as well as from the execution of a thorough environmental monitoring plan. Also, recycling strategies for offshore solar are being determined, and a Life Cycle Assessment is being conducted to reach a comprehensive overview on environmental impacts and work to their minimization.
In WP4, a specific location for the installation of a large scale offshore solar farm has been selected, a resource assessment for the site has been made, and consenting requirements have been analysed, while strategies to enable effective approval have also been addressed, along with the identification of detailed gaps in technical assurance and certifications. Finally, a first draft of an EPC-plan for the scaled-up system has been created.
